La Dolce Vita: Coffee, Sunsets and Friendships.

Today, I have multiple, but interesting stories to share with you. When in Rome, time flies very quickly. There are lots of things to pay attention, discover and lots of responsibilities to complete as a student.

After this short entrance, Let’s begin to this week’s story.

There are few essential things in life that you need for your mental health: Coffee, Sunsets, Friendship.

Number one to be discussed is Coffee.

In Turkish, there is a saying called ‘bir fincan kahvenin kırk yıl hatrı vardır’ , which means  ‘ a cup of Turkish coffee will be remembered for forty years’

As a person who is coming from a Turkish coffee culture, being in Italy is a great challenge. Don’t get me wrong, Coffee tastes amazing. But, you pay extra in most of the places if you would like to have your coffee on the table. It is more appropriate to have your espresso quickly and leave. Whereas in Cyprus, while having your coffee, you can enjoy sunshine, your book or the conversation with your loved ones without feeling guilty. One important thing that I should mention is, there is no Starbucks or similar coffee chains in Rome. I believe this is a positive thing in terms of preserving the local coffee culture.

This week, I tried to make espresso with a typical moka express machine. It was a joyful and successful attempt I must say!

[That’s what I am talking about]

The coffee tasted super good. For those who does not know how to use this machine, let me introduce it quickly. You put water to the below, than coffee to the middle. As the water gets boiled, the coffee goes up to the last area.  And here is your coffee. Buon appetito!

Number two is Sunset. Every Sunrise is being followed by a sunset  each day. In my opinion, Sunsets are most precious and pretty thing that happens everyday. It is an opportunity to reflect on the day, observe beauty of the sun, appreciate the transformation of day to the night. My favourite place so far in Rome, to watch a sunset is very close to Piazza del popolo. This is the entrance of Villa Borghese called Terrazza del Pincio. From that point, The view of Rome is absolutely spectacular. Also, the hills above Trastevere, near American academy in Rome has amazing view too, but my favourite is the first one. I was there in the hope of getting in to the library of Academy, but was not successful. They have a complicated membership process. The next day, I have been to Biblioteca Angelica, near Piazza Navona. A library from 17^th Century, very old books and so inspiring place to study. It is definitely a place that I will visit regularly. I highly suggest to anyone who are looking for a peaceful atmosphere for studying. The only thing is they do not accept water or any kind of bag. You have to leave the bags outside and take your books, laptop separately.

Third point to discuss today is friendships. In the case of this post, it is the beauty of intercultural friendships. One thing that I will never get bored with talking about: Diversity

Last week, I had the opportunity to receive some Portuguese song suggestions from Monara at her birthday. I listened all of them and here is my top 3.

1. Adriana Calcahotto- Clandestino (Actually this one was not on the list, but it appeared on my YouTube list suddenly and I loved it ! )
2. Caetano Veloso- Reconvexo
3. Natiruts- Sorri, sou rei.

Especially number 1 has a peaceful melody. Number 2 is also like that, but it is little bit more cheerful. Last one is a little bit different mood, but I liked that as well.

Obrigada Monara.

Friendships that you can share stories and learn from them are like treasure. Keep them, if you have.

Of course, I will also explore Italian music when I am here in Rome. Next week, I am starting to İtalian Language classes. Other than that, I bought the famous classic ‘Little Prince’. Why that? Because it has a simple language and I read it the story before in Turkish. The another tool to be explored is newspapers. I will try to read them word by word and identify the general story. Like a puzzle!

Of course, the most important thing is practicing the language daily. Wish me good luck on that.

Shopping could be a powerful tool as well for learning a new language. I am visiting the daily fruits and vegetables market in Pigneto. I am not enough comfortable yet with the names of each fruits and vegetables, but after a few weeks, I should know all of them. Any other basic questions related to this scene is also included to this list of things to be learnt.

Because as Nelson Mandela said,❝If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.❞

Let’s finish this with the meaning of ‘La Dolce Vita’ with a quote from another blog called Timeless Italy Travels:

La Dolce Vita ~ the sweet life is not just the pleasure of the senses, but a mindset of taking each moment of the day and savoring it. Life is a celebration in every way and meant to live slowly with mindfulness. Family and friends are everything and the Italian’s are passionate about each other. They are for the most part gregarious, fun-loving, affectionate and emotional. For me, La Dolce Vita is a summation of all of these things. – 

Reference: https://timelessitalytravels.com/2018/04/07/what-does-la-dolce-vita-mean-to-you/

( Cover photo credits: Ara Güler, a very famous Armenian-Turkish photojournalist who died recently. )