In my opinion there can’t be a better way to end a seven-week trip abroad than by experiencing the cities of Italy. I was lucky enough to go to Florence and Rome for four short days and come back with a lasting love for the Italian culture. Through my encounters what I found most fascinating was Italy’s effort to globalize their economy but at the same time preserve the massive amounts of history and tradition that exists in the country. I noticed this divergence in many circumstances for example at a nice Italian restaur
ant in Florence, the Vatican in Rome, and the language barrier in general which was prevalent in both cities.
Of course, before coming to Italy I heard about all of the historical and tourist sights that were important to see including the Coliseum, Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps, The
Vatican, The Duomo, David and many more. However, Florence proved to be so much more than just the significant monuments that were there. Their culture was like no other I had seen on my travels thus far. It is a city with plenty of monuments and history that has been conserved for years, as well as a city with a new lively tourist based economy. There are leather or food markets on almost every street you turn, and their primary customers are tourists.
One night we happened to find this very nice Italian restaurant on a little side street for dinner. The reason we chose this specific place was because the atmosphere looked so authentic. We had been around so many tourist attractions all day so we wanted to get a sense of the “real” Florence. This little hole in the wall restaurant had a beautiful terrace with oil, Parmesan cheese, flowers, and wine glasses carefully placed on each table to set the mood. A few minutes after we sat down and stopped a
dmiring the fascinating Italian pictures on the walls, we heard familiar music. I soon realized the American pop song Hot N Cold by Kate Perry was playing in what we thought was an authentic Italian restaurant. I was in pure shock and kept thinking maybe it will just be this one song. However, the American pop songs continued to play. We heard everything from Cold Play to Rihanna. The atmosphere was completely ruined by this music, however it served as an example of how globalization is affecting these European countries.
This idea of globalization mixed in with historical preservation was also demonstrated as I arrived at the massive Vatican in Rome. As one has to know when they arrive at the Vatican, the lines to see the monument go on forever. The only way to avoid the lines is to pay for a private tour. So when we finally made it up to the line, tour guides surrounded us trying to sell their tour. They always began with, “Do you speak English?” There is one specific girl I remember talking to I remember because she tried to persuade us by complementing our clothes and saying she is from the states as well. When we were still hesitant about taking the tour she offered us an English tour guide instead of an Italian one assuming we would like that better. I found all of this fascinating because several of the tour groups happened to be run by Americans, so that American tourists could understand the information. So globalization can be seen everywhere and clearly plays a significant role in the language barrier as well as the nations economy.
Although I could see this theme of globalization through Rome and Florence, I also experienced the Italians desire to preserve the monuments and the history that the country
has to offer. For example, the monuments are to be respected so police patrol around all of the monuments to ensure this high value. When I visit the Trevi Fountain there was a vandalism act where someone through a bottle filled with orange paint into the clear beautiful fountain. It was apparent how upset people were by this selfish act. This monuments and its history mean a lot to the people of Rome. They have maintained its beauty and symbolism for so many years and will continue to do the same in the future. So in the end we cannot tell which of these two different ideas serves greater importance in Italy, it is just interesting to look at how the both coexist in this gorgeous country. 
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