Past, present, and future. Having lived in Rome for nearly a year as a master’s student, I wanted to share my experiences and observations not only to reinforce what I have gone through but also to provide a relative guide for those who want to study or settle in Rome. Rome is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, where all times merge into one, captivating its visitors. While trying to keep up with capitalism, it stumbled, yet managed to turn its best feature—its beauty derived from and preserved by its history—into a source of income for the city and the country.
Why Rome? How Should We Decide Where to Live?
As someone born and raised in Istanbul, I also had the opportunity to live in Toronto, a city that represents the exact opposite of everything Istanbul stands for. Unfortunately, the cultural shock I experienced in the world’s politest and calmest city, which I had moved to with great hopes, is something I still can’t forget. The reason I mention this experience is that before deciding to pursue a master’s degree in Rome, I didn’t just observe what I read, watched, and heard; I also thought deeply about my experiences to know myself better and establish a correct relationship with my inner world. Toronto was one of my experiences where I used the “observation-experience-thinking” formula. Perhaps because I couldn’t find what I was looking for, I realized what I expected from a city or didn’t expect during my stay. From this, I could foresee the connection I would establish with a city, my expectations, and the city’s potential responses to these expectations. I think moving abroad to establish a new life without questioning your compatibility with the country you’re considering living in can be risky. Let’s take my experience as an example: I’m warm-blooded, experience-oriented, eager to meet new people, prefer a mild climate, and enjoy crowds and mingling with them. This profile suggests that my profile aligns with that of a Mediterranean country. However, if I were someone looking for high living standards, welfare, tranquility, and order, a Mediterranean country profile might not be the right fit. As mentioned in the article, Toronto was the wrong choice for me. Therefore, it might be wise to act based on your demands and the likely response the city you want to live in can provide.
Major Problems in Rome
Since moving to Rome, the main challenges I’ve faced include bureaucratic sluggishness, insufficient command of Italian, and very unplanned public transportation. Of course, these difficulties can also be interpreted as a lack of status as a student and an immigrant. However, these are not unsolvable problems in the long term. These problems can be overcome by learning Italian, buying a car, and learning to be more patient.
Job Opportunities and the Future in Rome
Despite some short-term problems, the real question is whether Rome is the right place in the long run. A metaphor used by an Italian friend of mine sums up the job opportunities and economic structure here:
“Rome is a big restaurant; we are either customers, waiters, or the restaurant owners.”
The “la dolce vita” legend actually explains a lot. It is not hard to say that Italians work to live, not live to work. In other words, while living the life they want, Italians earn money through jobs defined as daily chores in the global economy. It can also be said that they are not caught up in the dream of a career. An Italian does not have the dream of working, earning money, and buying a house. Because many of them already live with their families and sit at the dinner table together in the evenings. Another example is that for them, a car only symbolizes transportation; you won’t easily see unnecessarily expensive cars on the streets. They usually prefer small and economical vehicles. In summary, their inward-looking culture has made them more like themselves. It can be said that capitalism has somewhat bypassed them. Even though cities like Milan and Turin make extra efforts to cover the disadvantages created by this situation, they have become a subject of ridicule, being accused of not being truly Italian and being obsessed with money.
Education in Rome
According to Euronews, Turkey is the country in Europe that produces the most university graduates. While there is 1 university graduate per 1,000 people in Turkey, this number is 0.3 in Italy. It is not surprising to question the sufficiency and quality of education in Turkey, where universities are positioned not as centers of science but as commercial enterprises and institutions delaying unemployment.
University education in Italy lasts for three years. However, the demand for universities here is not as high as it is in Turkey. If a student wants to pursue undergraduate education after high school, they usually choose a field they are interested in and genuinely want to develop themselves in. The number of students studying in fields such as history, art, linguistics, psychology, and philosophy is much higher than those studying in engineering, marketing, and business. The collective view does not position education as a means to make money.
Not Knowing Italian in Rome
Although knowing the language is very important to better understand a city, it is possible to blend in and meet locals in some cities without knowing the language. However, Rome is definitely not one of those cities. They have imposed their culture and language strictly on every piece of land they have owned since the Roman Empire and still cling tightly to their language and culture. The number of people who speak English in the city is very low, so it is very important to know Italian to engage in dialogue with people. Middle-aged and older people almost never speak English, while it is possible to communicate with young people in English, but unfortunately, their English is below average, and their concentration on speaking a foreign language is very low. They quickly revert to speaking Italian.
Social Life in Italy
So far, I haven’t faced serious racism. Italians are generally polite and helpful. While they are always friendly and warm towards foreigners, it’s not easy to cross the invisible lines they draw between us.
Overall
Living in Rome might not be as “la dolce vita” as it is believed, but Rome is one of the most special cities that everyone should experience at some point in their life. I hope the observations of a young person walking through the narrow streets, among the aged buildings, and on the cobblestones of this city will help add new notes to your research about living in Rome and Italy.