A Trastevere Treasure

When Tim and I arrived in Rome, we were met by one of the Notre Dame program officials to help us find our apartment. She said that she had been there earlier this summer and that is was really pretty. Well, that was an understatement.

It is important to give our abode some time on the blog as it will be a determining factor in our overall Roman experience.

From the beginning: We knew that graduate students that were married would be found an apartment near Notre Dame’s campus in Rome. This is a great feature as an apartment is much better than the dorm style housing of our single colleagues. As they started the search, we were nervous about location over any other factor. We are not fans of overcrowded and theft laden public transportation. Plus we both love walking and sight-seeing, so our first choice was something within walking distance. The coordinator eventually contacted us this spring with two options, an apartment near the Vatican and one in a hip neighborhood across the Tiber called, Trastevere.

The perfect match: A side story to the apartment story is my getting an internship at ICCROM which is in Trastevere. This prodded us to chose the hip neighborhood which is sometimes considered the pulse of Rome with all potential connotations: noise, rif-raf, active night life. What turned up was an apartment literally, and I mean that, three minutes away from my office. The street is right near the Tiber river so we knew, thank you Google map walk distance Beta, that the apartment was also an easy walk for Tim to the center city, about 12 min.

The place: First off, our street is extremely quant and narrow. The taxi that took us there when we arrived had to drop us off a street early because he could not get to it by car. (A great thing of course!) Our apartment is basically an old building with about eight apartments carved into it. We live on the second floor. We go up two short flights of stairs and then across an outdoor, elevated pathway that connects three of the apartments. This porch like structure gives you unobstructed views to other surrounding apartment roofs, balconies, windows and activities. It is all very bohemian.



Before discussing the interior, it is essential to mention that we have the most outlandish key which turns a strange lock system that is almost medieval but very charming. Once inside one notices that the whole apartment is white washed with red ceramic flooring, very Mediterranean. The most stunning room is a toss up between the living room and the bedroom. Both have high ceilings and large, throw-me-open windows. Both are amazingly spacious and complete with excessive storage. But each has its own exciting elements. The living room is decorated with 19th century prints of Roman vistas framed in gorgeous dark wood. The bedroom has a painted drapery mural in light blues and grays, a very romantic touch. All parts of the apartment have really cool light fixtures, stone architectural details, and very tasteful but simple furniture.





But then there are the European elements to the apartment that make you feel like you are in an “American goes to Europe” comedy. The kitchen is small, okay fine, but it has no oven! Half the recipes I brought use an oven. Lights have burned out already and the electrical outlets are iffy. We may or may not have a tv that works, internet, or hot water! Probably most comical of all is that the apartment next to us is under construction. Randomly throughout the day, no night work thank god, all they do is hammer, no saws, just hammering…what could they be constructing?



However, as the pictures attest, the apartment is a real gem. In fact the Notre Dame program here loves it so much they have booked it for years to come. We are extremely grateful for this lovely new home!