Viva Rome!

One of the statements that I have been saying for quite a while is that “Rome is not really Italian” and this has caused a lot of confusion with many of my friends.

What you have to realize is that if you ask any Italian where they are from they will not immediately say their country but rather their city is how they relate where they are from.

Why is this? Well I believe this has to do with some deeply ingrained cultural idocryncacy that can only be understood if you are from that country. Now typically italians are warm, welcoming and very friendly but this is really not the case for those living in Rome. I do not consider Rome to be really Italian but rather Roman.

There is a distinction here that many will not realize until you have spent more then two weeks in the city. Romans are a gruff bunch who are not unfriendly but not particularly warm either. They are a seperate breed from most Italians.

Yes the Romans speak Italian and they are at the seat of the Italian government but I do not see the same cultural practices of many of the other Italian cities such as Florence, Naples and even Sicily. Is this a bad thing? Well that is up to your interepetation.

After spending four weeks in this city I began to realize this distinction as many others in my class. Would I move to Rome? I doubt it. I did not find myself particularly drawn to the noise and other unseemly parts of the city.

Well I have already made my offical announcement on my Venice, Italy website so i decided that I would make another announcement on my Rome, italy website.

It is official I am heading back to Rome, Italy for a month in April and will be gone until May. The reason for this trip is to get a stronger grasp of the Italian language and totally immerse myself in the italian culture. My first website on Venice, Italy was supposed to help me get there but as it turns out i believe that Rome is the better place to be to start out. In Rome you can get a stronger grasp of real Italian life as there are more places where real Italians hang out as opposed to Venice which is a beautiful city but sometimes a bit of a tourist trap.

I still love the city of Venice and I know I will be going back there as well. However, for this trip I am going to focus solely on the Roman experience and see how that is different from Venice, Italy.

The school I chose to visit is called Torredibabele and I firmly believe that they will do a great job in teaching me the fundamentals of the Italian language. For those that actually know me personally you know that Ialian is not the only language I am attempting to learn but it is really top on my list.

I think that I will have a great time in this city and am really looking forward to it. Who knows I might get some sponsorships for my blog network out of this whole experience. I am going to use this trip to really launch my  International Travel Writing career and see how far it can take me.

So there you have it a realization of a long term goal! It feels good to be actually accomplishing a goal instead of just talking about it all the time. I also have a travel writing website which I will also be posting to about how to get published as  a freelance travel writer for those that want to break into that field.  Hopefully you will find it useful.

For many that visit Rome it is time for vacation. A time to get out of your routine and just relax for a week or two. For others however their definition of relaxation might be a bit different. Keeping fit for many is a passion and fortunately Romans also have that passion as well. So you may wonder where is a tourist able to go to in order to keep fit. Well there are a few choices available and I have found some to be quite good and affordable.

Farnese Fitness
Vicolo delle Grotte 35
Tel: 06-687-6931
This is a gym that is centrally located and offers aerobics classes each day. A 10 Euros fee per day is required and the entire gym closes in the month of August so be warned.

Fitness First
Via GiolittiGiovanni 44
Tel: 06-4782-6300
This gym is very close to the rail station . You have your usual classes but also some other more advanced classes such as Thai kickboxing is offered here. A fee of 16 Euros per day should get you into this place.

Fitnext
Piazza Mignanelli 23
Tel: 06-679-6003
This is more of a yoga and pilates studio. You can choose either one for a low price of 20 Euros per day. You are also only limited to one class per day.

Roman Sports Center
Viale del Galoppatoio 33
Tel: 06-320-1667
This is Rome’s premier fitness facility. There really is nothing that this place does not have. A full sized Olympic sized swimming pool and many classes make this the place to be. It is surely reflected in the price of 26 Euros per day however.

Many people find exercising relaxing and a great way to relieve stress. This may be what you need on your trip to Rome as your family members get on your nerves. Nothing is better at relieving a stressful day then a good run on the treadmill or pushing some iron around and now you know where to go in Rome.

Finding a long term job in Italy can be a rough proposition. The unemployment rate in Italy is unusually high most of the time. Many of the jobs that are open are usually open to Italians first and then to others who may or may not be qualified for the job. The key to finding work in Italy is to network, network, network as those that know you are more likely to hire you.

There are many factors you should consider before seeking some long term jobs in Italy. Do you have the skills that are valuable enough for the Italians to hire y ou? Do you have more experience in your field then a local Italian? Have you made yourself known on an international scale in order to be sought after in Italy? If you can answer any of these questions with a positive response your chances of finding work is greatly improved.

For many getting a foot in the door in Italy would be to teach English as a foreign language. There are numerous schools in every city that offers this service. However, again you are facing a lot of competition in this market as well. So then what do you have that makes you different from all the other teachers out there? Answer this correctly and you have just found your niche and your way into the job market over there. The following industries seem to be more open to foreigners and they are media and communications, tourism, finance, and international business along with some education jobs as well.

The best way to get your foot in the door is to use some of the temp work agencies that serve the Italian market. Many of these companies also are based in America so you can have your foot in the door already. Some of the better companies to work for are Kelly Services, Manpower, Adecco, Randstad and Sinterim. This is a great way of getting your feet wet in the Italian working culture and to really find the best jobs that are available in the area. Not only will you expand your network but you may end up with some life long friends.

Once you are in Italy and are looking for work it is a good idea to start your job hunt online as many other Italians also hunt online as well. Here are some of the better Italian job hunting web sites:

www.lavoroinrete.it
www.europa.eu.int/eures/index.jsp
www.jobpilot.it
www.intoitaly.it
www.kangaroo.it
www.stepstone.it

So that should get you started on your hunt for some long term work in Italy. Now ideally you want to have some sort of passive income before you go to even out the rough times when you cannot find work. There are several options for that type of income stream and I will discuss that in later posts.