In what ways have you found Rome to be exhilarating and oppressive?

            Rome is a magnificent city. Now that I have been here for two weeks I am just starting to be able to fully appreciate how beautiful of a culture both the city and its people have.  Rome has a lot of exhilarating qualities that you would not be able to find in other countries. Unfortunately, Rome also has a few oppressive traits.

            One thing that I find exhilarating in Rome is the people that live there and how kind they are, especially in the work place. Barzini mentions this in his book when he says, “The fact that everybody, or almost everyone, seems to be doing his job with whole-hearted dedication and enthusiasm is what impresses travellers the next. This does not mean Italians do everything with efficiency, speed, and thoroughness. They do not. They merely do it with visual pleasure, as if work were not man’s punishment.” I have come to find this true in my daily travels into the city. Just yesterday when I ordered an espresso from Momento, I noticed how happy the middle-aged man was who was working. Normally, a person who is that age working in a place like a coffee shop in a train station might be upset with his or herself, I have come to find that in Italy that is not the case. This is one thing I find exhilarating.

            Another thing I find exhilarating about Rome is simply love. Everywhere you look couples are walking together hand-in-hand. With all of the beautiful things the city has to offer it is easy to see how so many people fall in love so easily. I have also come to find that Italians do not mind displaying their affection publically. At just about every street corner you can find a couple kissing as if no one is watching. Rome is not just about the love for each other it is also about the love that they have for their history, for art, for music, and for food. Everything in Rome is done so passionately that even the littlest things that normally never meant anything to me now do. This is the thing about Rome that I found most exhilarating. Barzini says perfectly at the end of chapter three, “Love here is delicious. Anywhere else it is only a bad copy.”

            Although I find a lot of things about Rome exhilarating, there are also a few things I find oppressive. One of these things is the fear of being pickpocketed. The amount of pickpockets that happen everyday in the metro and on buses is astounding. A lot of times it is just children doing it. Parents often make them do it as minors do not really get any punishment when they are caught. I think Rome should create a strict policy with harsh punishments to put an end to the pickpockets. The constant fear of looking around you at all times when in public places, which in Rome is everywhere, is to be quite simple, annoying.

            Another thing that I find oppressive is the driving. I would be absolutely terrified if I had to drive in Rome. Two-lane roads often turn into three with all the cars/mopeds driving over the median. The speed at which they drive is not safe, especially in the city where there are large amount of tourists walking all over. Parking in Rome is also an annoyance. Every spot is always taken, and because spots are so hard to come by all the cars have to be small. That is why everyone drives hatchbacks.

            Lastly, being forced to pay to use the restroom is oppressing. That is one freedom in the U.S. that I will forever cherish. Having to buy a pack of gum just to use the bathroom is in my opinion ridiculous. And the fact that the city itself does not provide public restrooms for all the tourists that bring in so much revenue to the city is mind-boggling.

These are a few things that I have come to find oppressing and exhilarating in Rome.