Tag: admissions and recruitment

The three “C’s” of JFRC Calcio

Posted on by Ola Wysocki in rome related

written for a proposed Admissions Blog for prospective students published on the John Felice Rome Center website

Maybe you’re the next Messi, though he arguably didn’t do too well at the 2018 World Cup, so let’s say you’re the next Mbappe. Regardless if you’ve kept up with global soccer stars, what started as a pick-up game of calcio (or soccer)  between students and staff members is now a long-standing pillar of the JFRC community. Organized into several different teams, players are randomly assigned based on skill. Each team is averaged out to an equivalent skill level and plays one another throughout the season. 

Why should you give the JFRC league a shot? Here are just some of our reasons:

  • Cardio
    • You don’t have to be a super calciatore (soccer player) to break a sweat. Not only does it increase cardiovascular health, but it improves muscle tone and builds flexibility, strength and endurance. While not as long as official games, you’ll still find that running back and forth on the field for about 40 minutes will definitely provide you with the right kind of aerobic exercise. It’s a great way to stay active while studying abroad! 
  • Culture
    • You may or may not follow the sport back at home, but in most countries around the globe, soccer is the world’s favorite sport, and nowhere does that ring truer than in Italy. The national Serie A league kicks off in late August and comes with the sort of fanfare that accompanies national holidays in most other countries. Games at Stadio Olimpico, only a 25 minute walk downhill from our campus, are absolutely an insane experience– especially if our AS Roma wins and you get to sing Antonello Venditti’s “Grazie Roma” at the top of your lungs. Don’t be afraid to dive headfirst into the Italian tradition. 
  • Community
    • Not only do you build teamwork with your squadra, but with everyone involved–  the games would be nothing without the team parents, without the refs and the awesome fans! After each game, everyone is invited for some pizza e birra at one of our favorite neighborhood haunts, Il Pepperoncino Dispettoso!


Will we be seeing you on the field? Do you have what it takes to become your semester’s champions? Be sure to follow the Rome Center on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more highlights on life in Rome and if you’re ready to start your JFRC journey, check out the application details on our website!

How to get “off the beaten path” in Rome

Posted on by Ola Wysocki in rome related

written for a proposed Admissions Blog for prospective students published on the John Felice Rome Center website

Rome, and Italy in general, is one of the most popular study abroad destinations for students. According to most study abroad sources, an average of 32,000 international students choose to call Italy their home each year. And who can blame them? Rome’s vast history, its architecture, its culture, including its incredible cuisine is internationally renowned. Many make the trips to get the Insta-worthy shot at the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and the Vatican- but there is so much more to Rome than its celebrated treasures.

Check out the JFRC’s three tips to living la vita romana off the typical tourist path!

  • Explore the “other” must-sees.
    • Lesser known piazzas and churches (there are over 800 of them!) are hidden gems in the Eternal City. From the “secret” Galeria Sciarra, which is now used as an office building to the Capuchin crypt (which is built up of old bones!) there are enough things to add to your list that’ll keep you busy all summer or semester long! P.S. Atlas Obscura is a perfect resource if you’re looking for some inspiration. 
  • Start with the centro storico– but don’t stay there forever!
    • The aforementioned sites are well-known for a reason- definitely go and experience them, but there are other parts to the city that equally have their charms. You may have already heard of lively Trastevere or did some shopping in Prati, however, you should do some research on the other quartieri of Rome. Studying at the JFRC, you have a head start by living in the Balduina area, but that’s just one corner. You may find that your new favorite coffee bar to sip on cappuccini may be out near Appio Latino or Ponte Milvio!
  • Grab a bite to eat at a mercato. 
    • The Conad and Pam grocery stores in Piazza Balduina are lifesavers, it’s true. When you don’t want to grab a cornetto at Rinaldo’s, the vending machine is out of Kinder Bueno and there are only so many oranges you can smuggle out of mensa, you’ll need some fresh fruit, yogurt and other snacks to have in your rooms at the res hall. However, every once in a while, go a little further down Monte Mario to the Mercato Trionfale or take the regional train a few stops to Ostiense, where you can hit up Mercato Testaccio for some amazing street food stalls!

These are just a few suggestions on how to enrich your experience in the Eternal City. Bonus tip: many of these sites and experiences are usually discovered while on your on-site classes in the city!

Navigating Rome’s ATAC Buses Without Feeling Attacked

Posted on by Ola Wysocki in rome related

written for a proposed Admissions Blog for prospective students published on the John Felice Rome Center website

The public transportation in Rome gets a bad rap, you’ll even find some locals complaining about it. Agenzia del Trasporto Autoferrotranviario del Comune di Roma, or ATAC for short, is the company that manages the public transport system in Rome, which includes many types of transport services: metro, metro trains, buses and trams. ATAC can seem daunting to many students the first time they come to call Rome their home. If you’re not used to Italian, the unfamiliar stop names that might not even show up on the screen and the nuanced ticketing systems are definitely confusing at first- but not impossible to master! 

First thing’s first, if you want to get on any of the mezzi pubblici (public transports), you need a biglietto, or ticket. An ATAC ticket costs 1,50 euro and is valid on any bus, metro, tram, or regional train (as long as you stay within city limits!) for 100 minutes. You can validate it once on a bus and use the same ticket on a metro, but you cannot scan into the metro twice on the same ticket. Buying an ATAC ticket in Rome is fairly easy and it is definitely NOT logical, but thanks to An American in Rome, expat Natalie Kennedy helps explain it. Helpful hint: as a JFRC student, you can also buy single-use bus tickets at the portineria with one of the guards, while their daily supplies last! 

For your first trip, plan ahead and allow yourself a gracious amount of wiggle room so you can get the hang of the route, but also because it seems like the system is wildly unpredictable, so you’ll never be 100% certain when the bus is ACTUALLY going to pass. There’s a joke I’ve heard that while there is a schedule, no one is really sure if the driver’s are aware of it. I remember in the days of my study abroad when none of us were required to have phones with functioning data plans so we relied on the wifi of our uni and cafes, I could either run to catch the impending 990 towards Piazza Cavour, or wait for 40+ minutes, in which I could have walked to Cavour by then, but I digress.

My memories aside, it has gotten better. There are some awesome apps that have been developed (Moovit, Citymapper, or MyCicero) that allow you to look up schedules and also be able to buy passes, apparently (this one’s definitely new to me!). Regardless of mobile or physical ticket, once you see it coming, have your biglietto ready. You’ll notice that all three doors of the bus should open. There is no “correct” door to go through, just let the passengers off first and then get on. At the front and back end of the buses, you’ll notice yellow machines, and this is where you will validate your ticket. It stamps the ticket with the day and time you validated, as well as the time the ticket will expire after its 100 minutes is up. 

The bus validation runs on an honor system, so you technically are not required to validate to enter the bus, however: without warning, ATAC workers can board buses and while there is no rhyme or reason to the stop or when they come on, they will check for validated tickets. They are quite unsympathetic for anyone caught without one and the fines start at 50 euro, which you’ll have 5 days to pay off at the nearest post office before it doubles. It happens to almost every Roman at least once in their lifetime, but it’s a rite of passage that many would recommend avoiding if you can. Something you may want to consider as a semester or full-year student at the JFRC, especially if you have on-site classes, engaged learning or an internship which will require you to take ATAC to different parts of the city on a frequent if not daily basis, is to go about buying a month pass. It’ll cost 35 euro the first month (a 5 euro activation fee for the first month) and then you would fill it up month by month!

Home on a Hill

Posted on by Ola Wysocki in rome related

written for a proposed Admissions Blog for prospective students published on the John Felice Rome Center website

Students studying abroad at the John Felice Rome Center call Balduina home. This residential quartiere seems like it’s “off-the-beaten path” for what Rome is known for, but it has a lot to offer to enhance your experience as a resident, not just a tourist, of the Eternal City. 

  • What’s in a Name?
    • As anything boasting 28 centuries of age, there are many stories about where different corners of Rome, both grand and hidden, get their name from. Monte Mario is no different. Some say it’s named after a Catholic cardinal, Mario Mellini, who owned a villa on the hill. Others say it comes from what it was known as during the Middle Ages- Monte Malo, or Bad Mountain, after a patrician was murdered in the woods in 988. Che spooky!
  • History of the Hill
    • Like most of Rome, Balduina and Monte Mario aren’t without their pieces of history. For example, the Via Trionfale, which runs through most of the quartiere, was the one used by ancient Roman generals who returned to the city to celebrate their victories. Similarly, pilgrims from the north, traveling towards the Vatican, would have to pass through Monte Mario on their way from La Storta (St. Ignatius of Loyola being one of them!).  In the 1970s, Balduina was in fact very politically active, all residents participated in political life and a historical section of the Italian Socialist Movement was born there. 
  • The Balcony of Rome
    • Rising above Trastevere and Prati, the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) and Monte Mario make up a northwest balcony to overlook the rest of the city from. Monte Mario in particular, the highest hill with 407 feet above the Tiber River, offers a fantastic panoramic views from the restaurant/bar Lo Zodiaco, where you can sit outside with a caffe (or uno spritz for aperitivo time), look through the telescopes at the Tiber and monuments, and feed the local gatti that will most likely stop to purr at your feet. 
  • Embrace the Local Environment
    • The Riserva Naturale di Monte Mario is arguably one of the best parks in Rome. With over 588 acres to cover, you can spend a great many afternoons following the trails that span much of the hill. The Reserve is a protected place where dozens of species of plants and animals live.
  • Monte Mario Marks the Spot
    • As the highest point of the city, it would make some sense that back in time, Monte Mario would be perfect for stargazing. The Astronomic Observatory was constructed in the 15th century and is one of twelve observatories in Italy. A curious fact: all of the maps of Italy that were made before the 1960s used the coordinates of this observatory instead of the usual Greenwich coordinates! While you won’t be able to see real stars from here nowadays, there is a small museum which holds a collection of ancient astronomical tools from all over the world.