Getting Around in Rome and Venice

In Rome, the primary means of transportation was expected to be by foot. However, there was a tram line right outside of the boarding house, which was incredibly convenient as it had a stop right outside of where school was, and also right in Piazza Venezia, which was a major plaza that connected us to other parts of the city depending on where we were expected to be for our culture classes. The buses in Rome were very helpful for getting to and from where we needed to be, or to and from the tram line, and were easy to figure out and use. And, everything in Rome is labeled because most places we went were also major tourist areas, so transportation was very easy to figure out. In Venice, the main mode of transportation is by foot. Since there are no cars in the city, the roads are designed for pedestrians. The major bridges are labeled, but it is a little tricky to navigate Venice. Fortunately, the TAs for the program bring us to the meeting places for our culture classes. Venice also has boats called vaporettos that serve as water buses. We have cards (like Charlie Cards) for the boats that sometimes need to be taken to get to locations for class. The boats are easy to figure out because the line and route is clearly labeled, and there are boards that tell you when each line will be at the stop location. However, I have found that walking around Venice has been the best way to get around- you can see the different parts that may not be walked during classes, and it truly is a beautifully unique city that is best experienced by immersing yourself in it. And, culturally, Venetians walk everywhere!

( Piazza Venezia, one of the most important landmarks for getting around Rome. The tram that runs along the boarding house starts/ends at this piazza, and many of the places that we attend in our cultural classes use this as a main point of reference.)