Local Living- Rome and Venice

In Rome, we were living in a good neighborhood for going out and meeting locals. There were a ton of restaurants and cafes a short walk away. The well-known American bar, GBar, was also a close walk from the Boarding House. GBar was a really great place to meet local Italians as well as other students from all over the place. In Venice, one of the local hotspots, Campo San Margherita, is a short walk away from the Don. Known simply as “the campo,” a lot of students choose to go out here at night to socialize and meet local people, as well as other university students from all over. There are a lot of American students that go here. Another easy way to meet locals is at gelaterias. It is easy to figure out which gelato shops are favored among locals and which are basically tourist-oriented. Again, we are lucky enough to be 2 minutes away from the local favorite GelatiNico- which also happens to be my favorite. In terms of the currency and spending, it is important to keep in mind the conversion factor. While buying things in Euros is favorable towards the U.S. dollar, you have to keep in mind that 20 Euros is more than $20. Since Venice is an island, everything is a little more expensive than I have seen in Rome and Milan because it all has to be shipped in on boats or from the mainland, which isn’t as easy or efficient. My biggest splurges so far have been train tickets and a gondola ride! The high-speed train is a great way to be able to see other parts of Italy, but the tickets can be pricey. Gondolas aren’t cheap either, but if you have a group of people it is both more fun and more cost-effective. And you truly can’t come to Venice and not go on a gondola! It is very easy to find a group of people on dialogue with you to go on one. I haven’t bought many souvenirs for friends and family back home yet, but there are plenty of places on the island to find perfect little (or big) gifts.