The Traveling Diaries No.5

"Learning About Italian Fashion"

by Angelic Roman

There is always the study in Study Abroad that seems to minutely escape one on the 14-flight to pizza, fashion, and history. However, I like to pride myself on my love of learning and a constant search to incorporate all that I love into my fashion education. This semester, I not only brushed up on Italian in a four hour class, I also had the chance to study 20th Century European History. I selected research project on Italian Fashion for my final project and this, ladies and gents, was the result.

The Traveling Diaries No.4

"Bought at Mercato Monti"

by Angelic Roman

To experience a culture, especially Italian culture, one should always head to the market. A stroll through the vendor's stalls with only the hope of observing can really help a person understand what the flavors of a city truly are. Mercato Monti is a unique experience in the sense that it is an artisanal market, started in 2009. Located near the Colosseum it showcases local artistry as well as a sense of what the hip urban scene of Rome currently looks like. I must confess, my San Franciscan heart leapt at the idea of this market and indeed I found it very reminiscent of my vintage-loving home.

For more information, visit Mercato Monti

Image from mercatomonti.com

The Traveling Diaries No.3

"When in Rome"

By Angelic Roman

Upon googling, " quotes about Rome", one would probably immediately think of the good old ones like:

"All roads lead to Rome"

"Rome wasn't built in a day"

Though, the most appropriate quote seems to currently be ,"When in Rome do as the Romans do". This proved to be true as I found myself squishing onto metros earlier this week with my classmates, getting splashed with water, and thoroughly startled with the hustle & bustle of this eternal city. I couldn't help but appreciate the fact that I'm already a city girl and learning the ropes of this windy place won't be as culture shocking as it could be.

What will never cease to be shocking is the beauty found in Roman architecture. The inspiration to be drawn from the clean white marble, perfection of proportion, and colossal sizing of all of these ancient buildings seems to be eternal indeed. In all the flurry, I found a keeper of bag ( made out of plastic to endure the never ending rain) reminiscent of the Flora designs Gucci made for Grace Kelly. I cannot wait for the moment I get to visit the Gucci Museum in Firenze, but until then my own creative endeavors shall suffice.