Month: June 2016

36 Hours in Rome on a Budget

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Americans like to think that the United States is garnished with history. However, Rome is marinated in it. Each cobblestone road of the Eternal City offers a glimpse into the past, demonstrating the true meaning of recycling ancient infrastructure for modern purposes. As the home to authentic human architecture, local Italian cuisine and over 900 churches, Rome draws in a crowd of about four million tourists every year. As with many tourist destinations, it can be easy to fall victim to ridiculous prices and phony representations of Italian gelato. But with nearly 3,000 years of culture ingrained in the roots of the city, time is of the essence for the traveler to avoid these traps and spend their euros discovering the history that is packed inside the Aurelian Walls.

Friday

1) 2 p.m. | Traditional market convenes in modern space |~€8|

Start your weekend adventure by satisfying your taste buds in a space that hosts the traditional feel of an Italian market in a modern, closed-air building. The aisles of New Testaccio Market are filled with over 50 stalls that accommodate a variety of tasty options at affordable prices.  If you’re in the mood for Italian brisket, stop by Mordi e Vai at box number 15. There you will find chef Sergio Esposito preparing his delicious family recipes with an infectious smile.

Market Testaccio

At Mordi e Vai, Chef Sergio Esposito can be found making his traditional Italian Brisket recipes.

For the more adventurous eaters, head to Cups at box 44 where you will be greeted with the recipes of Michelin-star chef Cristina Bowerman. Trust her culinary instincts and try the most popular option: the octopus and potato sandwich. Once you have your meal, venture into the center of the market to find a cluster of tables. There, you can eat among the young locals conversing under the glass-windowed ceiling.

2. 5 p.m. | Climb to see the City of Seven Hills |€3|

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Fontana dell’ Acqua Paola was built in the 16th century.

With a full stomach, work off the calories by taking the short walk from Testaccio across the river into Trastevere. Pick up a bottle of wine for three euros and follow along via Garibaldi up the Janiculum Hill to find the Garibaldi statue and the Fontana dell’ Acqua Paola. At the fountain, find a seat on one of the benches and take in the view of Rome’s city center as the sound of rushing water creates a relaxing atmosphere. As the evening ages, enjoy a glass of wine as the sun kisses Rome’s city center goodnight.

Fountain of Giancolo

Many attractions in Rome’s city center, including the Italian Capital and Roman Forum, are visible from the Janiculum Hill.

3. 8 p.m. | Swerve the tourists |~€14|

Because every travel guide in Italy says that pizza is a requirement, tourists flock to the pizza restaurants in Rome’s city center. To avoid these crowded tourist traps, eat pizza among the locals at Bir&Fud in Trastevere. The restaurant offers a long list of craft brews and specialty pizzas. If you choose to dine in the back room, you can watch as the chefs cook the thin-crust pizzas in the wood-fired oven. Grab an IPA or a sour beer and enjoy it either on their outdoor patio or bar. Make sure to ask the bartenders what their favorite beer of the day is because each day the menu changes –so there is always a new one to try. 

Bir & Fud

Bir & Fud has a variety of thin crust pizza and craft brews that act as a perfect ending to any day.

Saturday

4. 10 a.m. | Energy efficient transportation |~€13|

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Bikes can be ridden anywhere in Rome, including in pedestrian areas.

With almost 500 square miles to explore in Rome, maximize the amount of miles you can cover by renting a bike from Roma Rent a Bike. Bikes can be rented for four euros an hour or 13 euros for the whole day. With a bike you’ll be able to get to the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and Pantheon all in under an hour. In addition, explore along the Tiber River where there is a paved bike lane that offers access to a public art exhibit, Triumphs and Laments. Take a trip through Roman history as you follow the sketches by famous artist William Kentridge that are powerwashed into the wall that lines the river. Renting a bike  is a great investment that allows you to coast by all the major tourist attractions and see the most in the least amount of time.

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William Kentridge’s first public art exhibit, Triumphs and Laments, is etched into the walls that line the river where the legend of Romulus and Remus takes place.

5. 1 p.m. | I want it that way |~€8|

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The staff at Pasta e Vino help you customize your meal to your personal taste buds.

After exploring the Tiber River, park your bike at a lamp post near the Ponte Sisto bridge and walk over to Pasta e Vino come a vorta to grab lunch. The restaurant’s unique make-your-own pasta combination allows every guest to customize their lunch. Choose from seven different sauces to top your chosen pasta type all for under 10 euro. The restaurant is always crowded with locals so don’t be surprised if you are the only person inside who speaks English.

 

6. 3 p.m. | Journey outside the walls |€8|

Appian Way

Ride along the acres of bike paths within the Appian Way park.

After spending the day exploring the center of Rome, hop back on your bike and take a trip outside the Aurelian Walls along one of the oldest roads into Rome. Follow your iPhone maps to the Appian Way until you reach the massive green spot on Google maps. Then, ditch your phone and soak up the scenic nature. Ride along winding hills and wild flowers to experience Italy’s natural beauty as the ancients did. In the middle of the park,  stop by the San Calisto Catacombs where you will find the original burial spots of many Christians, including 16 popes. However, the tour of the Catacombs is only 30 minutes because the walls are made with sulfur and can be dangerous to your health if you stay underground for too long.

7. 7 p.m. | Unlimited buffet  |€8|

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Similar to happy hour, aperitivos offer customers access to food after the purchase of a drink or cocktail. It’s a great way to capitalize on your small budget.

After returning your bike, reward yourself for your workout by heading over to 8millimetri on Via del Moro. From 6:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. 8millimetri serves aperitivo, which allows you to indulge on an unlimited buffet after the purchase of just one eight euro drink. Lounge on the couches or play a game of foosball against your friends in a casual environment that feels like the Italian bar version of the Central Perk.

8. 9 p.m. | Satisfy your sweet tooth |€2|

Frigidarium

The trick to gelato is to find the kind that is flat and not whipped up for a pretty display.

The best way to end any day is with the Italian classic: gelato. Head over to Frigidarium to find a variety of creamy flavors that can be topped with whipped cream and a waffle cookie or dunked in chocolate. Frigidarium rotates out their flavors each day to give their fans new options to try. Rome is loaded with places to get gelato, but very few places will give you two scoops for two euros like Frigidarium does.

Sunday

9. 9 a.m. | French bakery meets Italian Streets |~€5|

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Traditional Italian breakfast consists of espresso and a small pastry

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Le Levain offers a variety of French pastries and desserts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leave the eggs and bacon behind and indulge on the traditional Italian breakfast with a French twist. Le Levain is owned by a French chef and offers a variety of croissants, quiches and pastries — all under five euro. Choose a sweet or savory option and enjoy it within the cozy feel of the modern cafe. As you savor an Americano and macaroon, you can watch the chefs whip up their creations through the glass window behind the counter. You can also use their free Wifi in order to map out the directions to your next destination.

10. 12 p.m. | Bless you |€0|

Pope Francis

Every Sunday at 12 p.m., the Pope walks out onto the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica and prays for the thousands of people gathered in Piazza San Pietro. People from all over the world, even those who are not Catholic, gather as Pope Francis reads scripture in his native tongue. Afterwards, he loads onto a small white car, waving and smiling as he rides through the crowds of people. Security to get into the Vatican City on Sunday is stricter than usual so make sure you don’t have anything metal on you, including metal water bottles. Afterwards, St. Peter’s Basilica opens up to the public, wowing everyone who enters with its grandeur and intricate architecture.

11. 1:30 p.m. | Tira-I’ll miss u Rome |€3|

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Choose the strawberry tiramisu and the staff will top your desert with fresh strawberries.

Before you say goodbye to Rome, end your trip with a special treat. Zum is owned by two sisters who put an organic twist on their Italian grandmother’s tiramisu recipe. After only opening on March 19th, the shop has already perfected the perfect combination of ingredients to leave your mouth watering the whole way home on the plane. Enjoy a tiramisu cookie sandwich coated in pistachio or opt for the traditional Italian desert which features a thick cream over a gooey biscuit.

 

Total: €8 (Testaccio Market) + €3 (wine for Fontana dell’ Acqua Paolo) + €14 (Bir&Fud) + €13 (Roma Rent a Bike) + €8 (Pasta e Vino) + €8 (San Calisto Catacombs) + €8 (8millimetri) + €2 (Frigidarium) + €5 (Le Levain) + €3 (Zum) = €72

If You Go:

1. Nuovo Mercato di Testaccio

  • Hours: Monday – Saturday 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
  • Address: On the corner of Beniamino Franklin and Via Alessandro Volta, 12/E, 00153

2. Fontana dell’ Acqua Paola

  • Recommended Hours: afternoon or sunset
  • Address: Via Garibaldi, 30, 00153
  • Price: Free

3. Bir & Fud

  • Hours: Monday – Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 2 a.m. // Pizza is served 12:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. – 1 a.m.
  • Address: Via Benedetta, 23, 00153
  • Phone: (+39) 06-589-4016
  • Email: info@birandfud.it
  • Price: Beer ~ €6 Pizza ~ €10 – €15
  • Website: birandfud.it

4. Roma Rent a Bike

5. Pasta e Vino come na vorta

  • Hours: Everyday 12 p.m –3:30 p.m and 6 p.m.–11:30 p.m.; Closed Tuesdays
  • Address: Vicolo del Cinque, 40, 00153
  • Phone: (+39) 06-45481740
  • Email: betterconsultingroup@gmail.com
  • Price: €8-€15

6. Appia Antica

7. 8millimetri

  • Hours: Everyday 6:30 p.m – 2 a.m.
  • Address: Via del Moro, 8, 00153
  • Phone: (+39) 06-6456-2508
  • Price: Aperitivo: buy one drink for €8 euro and have access to unlimited buffet
  • Website: 8millimetri-roma.com

8. Frigidarium

  • Hours: Everyday 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
  • Address: Via del Governo Vecchio, 112, 00186
  • Phone: (+39) 334-9951184
  • Price: €2-5
  • Website: frigidarium-gelateria.com

9. Le Levain

  • Hours: Sunday 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday – Saturday 8 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.; Closed Mondays
  • Address: Via Luigi Santini, 22, 00153
  • Phone: (+39) 06-6456-2880
  • Price: €2-10

10. Blessing by the Pope

  • Hours: Sunday 12 p.m – 1 p.m.
  • Address: St Peter’s Basilica – Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Vatican City
  • Phone: (+39) 06-6988-3731
  • Price: Free

11. Zum

  • Hours: Everyday 11 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.
  • Address: Piazza del Teatro di Pompeo, 20, 00186
  • Phone: (+39) 06-6830-7836
  • Price: €2,50 – €5
  • Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/zumroma/

 

Church continues to push care for the cry of the earth and poor

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As Laudato Si’ recently finished celebrating its first birthday, many have worked to keep the candle lit on the social and environmental issues addressed in the encyclical while in the midst of those trying to blow it out.
Ever since Pope Francis released his stance, which directly critiqued the current economic system and lamented the environmental degradation humans have inflicted on the world, controversy has surrounded the document.Those with direct ties to the free market and free trade find the document to be an impossible ideal. Yet others within the church remain optimistic as they make efforts to spread the urgency of its message.

“I would personally describe a lot of success,” said Cardinal Peter Turkson, the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace who the pope put in charge of the 18-month effort to research and draft Laudato Si. “A whole series of events came together that put the pope and this issue in the limelight.”

 Strategically released in May of 2015 to precede the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Laudato Si’ On Care for Our Common Home set a precedent that many, including Cardinal Turkson, say helped the nations of the world come together in pledging to uniformly reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

“The pope knows how to make a scene,” said Jim Yardley, New York Times Rome Bureau Chief Reporter. “He knows how to get attention and he’s trying to get attention to focus on this issue of environmental protection.


Yet despite Pope Francis’ attempt to inclusively call on “every person living on the planet,” including the 1.2 billion Catholics, his approval ratings among U.S. adults dropped from 76 percent to 59 percent after he published the encyclical.

Since the Pope’s visit to the United States in October 2015, many of the approval ratings have resurfaced. But even among Catholics, his ratings have not surpassed where they were before the publication of Laudato Si’.

 “The fact that he is irritating people and saying something they find frustrating is not bad,” said Sister Sheila Kinsey, the Co-secretary of the Justice Peace and Integrity Commission. “It just means he is saying something they need to listen to.” 

A Man of the Commoners

 As one who identifies with the poor, Pope Francis chooses to live in the Vatican guest house and eat lunch in the cafeteria with the other Vatican staff. His choice of modesty over lavishness mirrors his provocative call to action present in Laudato Si’.

“Today, however, we have to realize that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach,” Pope Francis writes in section 49 of Laudato Si On Care for Our Common Home. “It must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”

 For Pope Francis, the call of the environment is intertwined with the stress the current economic system puts on the poor.

“In America, we see the market as a natural order that operates in an equitable way,” said Jim Yardley, the New York Times Rome Bureau Chief Reporter. “The pope has a different perception of economics and believes that it creates this ‘throw away culture.’ ‘Throw away culture’ not only meaning littering and garbage, but also throwing away certain people that we deem unusable.”

 As long as the distinction between the rich and the poor exists, Pope Francis, along with many others, believe that the path of destruction that the Earth is heading towards will be inevitable.

“If we want to make change we need to be in contact with one another,” Sister Kinsey said. “We need to make the gap between us smaller and smaller.”

Tensions despite Unifying Efforts

Through the frequent use of inclusive pronouns like “our” and the digestible sentences that are formatted so that they can be understood by the common people, Laudato Si’ critiques the current economic system while stressing the unification of all people to care for the environment.

“Environmental impact assessment should not come after the drawing up of a business proposition or the proposal of a particular policy, plan or programme” Pope Francis writes in section 183 of Laudato Si’. “It should be part of the process from the beginning, and be carried out in a way which is interdisciplinary, transparent and free of all economic or political pressure.

Yet in places like Ghana, Cardinal Turkson’s home country, where the balance of mining as a source of income for many teeters with being a source of environmental degradation, the solution to problems become more complicated.

 “I’m not unaware of the tension and problems the encyclical has caused in some places,” Cardinal Turkson said. “A lot of people are saying that this encyclical is an attack on capitalism. But Pope Francis never uses the word capitalism. He talks about free market and free trade and its effect, but the word capitalism is never used.”

Due to the growing population of Catholics in Africa, many believe Ghanian Cardinal Peter Turkson is on the short list to become the next pope.

Yet after over a year since its release, many living in the nation rooted in capitalism have yet to jump on board with the head of the church’s message. Slightly less than half of the bishops in America have yet to attend the training session on Laudato Si’.

“We can’t get discouraged yet,” Sister Kinsey said. “This document has a lifespan of more than one year. Only the future will show what impact it will make.”

The journey of the “walking dead” leads to another hell

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Editor’s Note: The names of the refugees who were sources in this story are marked by asterisks and have been changed for publication in order to protect the individual and his or her family.
When Khalil Khan* had a choice about his dream, it was to become a famous writer.
That was when he was living in Kabul, Afghanistan, sustaining himself as an author of three books and appearing on talk shows to be interviewed.

But that was before he was kidnapped. Before mafia members beat this dream out of him and killed his father, two sisters and two brothers. When he didn’t have to flee Afghanistan in order to seek safety from the men hunting for his life.

With no other options, he sought Italy as a shield of his life –only to find it would be a double-edged sword.

He can’t return home without getting killed, but here he is trapped by the bureaucratic paperwork and inability to receive a work contract that cripple him from legally making money and improving his well-being.

“I feel like I woke up from my dream in a country where they aren’t welcoming,” Khan said. “Now my dream is just I don’t want to be a refugee anymore.”Khan finds himself among the many refugees living in Italy who are sempre in giro, going around and around to meet basic needs because of the lack of job opportunity.

As the number of migrants to Italy increases, initiatives such as “Migrant Lives Matter” have been inspired after the “Black Lives Matter Movement.


Due to Italy’s geography serving as one of the shortest distances across the Mediterranean Sea, it has received a greater influx of migrants compared to other countries across the continent.

The Dublin Regulation, a signed E.U. agreement that sets the rules for the asylum process, mandates that refugees must apply for asylum in the country where they originally enter. With Italy serving as a port of first entry for many immigrants fleeing across the Mediterranean, the country has received a mass inflow of asylum applications.

“Italy has a trend of granting asylum to a broader range of refugees,” said Theodora Yardley, a volunteer at the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center. “It’s largely because Italy has no obligations to these refugees, unlike countries such as Germany and Sweden where they are entitled to certain embedded rights. In Italy there’s no work, no free health care, not a lot of services and not a lot of benefits.”

This is the reality that many refugees who seek safety in Italy face after risking their lives to flee war or imminent violent threat. Even after gaining asylum, they find themselves without work and forced to seek unorganized labor.

“A lot of these immigrants can only find temporary jobs,” said Gaia Pianigiani, a Rome Bureau reporter for the NY Times. “That is really a terrible thing because for these immigrants, work means dignity. When they can’t find work, they lose their dignity.”

Without a regular source of income, many refugees have no other option than to sleep at parks or refugee shelters. But during the day, the shelters will kick them out and without the routine of a work schedule, they find themselves with nothing to do during the day.

Many refugees sleep in the park as they wait for the refugee shelters to open again for the night.


Yet many refugees, such as Khan, have found a new community in places such as the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center (JRNC). At this center hosted by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Rome, refugees and migrants are greeted as guests and have a safe place open during the day.

“This center offers guests a place to see a counselor, recharge their phone, play foosball or chess and just be themselves,” said Charles Graves a missionary for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and JNRC center. “Here, they can relax and just be a person.”

At 8:30 a.m. when the center opens, the world becomes packed into a room where refugees and migrants from different countries, a variety of religions and diverse backgrounds put down their borders and become invested in each other based on the commonality they all share: their home was no longer safe for them.

In the kitchen two Afghanis cook traditional meals as a man from Mali plays foosball against a man from Gambia. In an English classroom 12 men of different nationalities practice their English verb conjugations, helping each other understand words they don’t comprehend.

“I come to English class every day at the center,” Abdul Kamal*, a refugee from Afghanistan whose native language is Dari. “I come [to learn] because they can take away my home and my money and everything I have. But the one thing no one can take is my thinking.”

As a volunteer to the shelter, Yardley has spent numerous hours with the refugees during the day learning their stories.

“One of the things I have heard refugees say is ‘When I fled and left my country, I wasn’t thinking about where I was going,’” she said. “‘I wasn’t thinking about taking an Italian’s job or France’s social security. I was just thinking about saving my own life.’”

Although many Europeans and Italians such as the JNRC and its volunteers have expressed welcoming arms to refugees fleeing to the E.U., an anti-immigration sentiment is also evident.

Last year in Rome, the street were lined with posters stating “mare monstrum” and “immigrazione: bugie e tabu,” meaning the sea is full of monsters and immigration is lies and taboo.

Many Europeans say there is no space for the massive influx of immigrants in the E.U., but for Jacquelyn Pavilon, the International Communications Coordinator at the Jesuit Refugee Service, the solution to the immigration crisis does not involve accepting all the refugees until the continent bursts.

“Having over a million people enter the E.U. is a shock to the system,” Jacquelyn Pavilon, the International Communications Coordinator at the Jesuit Refugee Service. “But finding a solution to this crisis is a two-way street that needs to take place in both the countries the refugees are seeking and the countries from which they are fleeing. Peace in Syria may look bleak, but you have got to start somewhere.” 

 As more refugees travel by boat and land every day, the bulge of immigrants within the continent continues to grow. The structure of countries like Italy continues to splinter as the refugees sleep in the parks and refugee centers only dreaming of a way out this place that was supposed to be their safe haven.

“In terms of hopelessness there is a damn lot of it,” Pavilon said. “But this crisis is on the E.U.’s doorstep and soon they will be forced to address it because it will only get worse.”