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Walking around Rome with Patrizio: The magic of taking it all in
Cassie Title | May 22, 2023
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Take a walk with Patrizio.
When you’re walking around Rome with Patrizio, it’s never just a walk. It’s a historical exploration, an exercise in slowing down, a way to really become a part of the city. Because when you pay attention to a little thing here, a little thing there, you start to notice things you never noticed before. You start to really become a part of the place, and then everything starts to make more sense. As Patrizio says, when you start to slow down a little and take your time, you’re not wasting time. You’re actually living your life.
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The same road that you took a thousand times, you do it again, and this time you look just to the left and you see something that you’ve never noticed. And I think this is possible only when you slow down a little.
This feeling of enlightenment didn’t just lead to Patrizio’s approach to life. It’s actually one of the reasons he became a Tour Director—to inspire students to live in the moment. Italians have a phrase for this: il dolce far niente, or the sweetness of doing nothing. Patrizio describes it as the sensation you get when you drink coffee in an Italian village and watch passersby. Time slows, and you take in the little details—smells, colors, people, sounds. There comes this freedom to contemplate and connect. And it truly encapsulates the Italian art of slow living, of enjoying the moment, of Patrizio’s more-than-just-a-walk philosophy. It’s this very philosophy that he loves teaching students while walking around Rome.
And while students appreciate all his Tour Director activities—sharing insightful commentary, organizing activities, dealing with any unforeseen hiccups, enthusiastically connecting with students—we think that the idea of il dolce far niente might be the most impactful piece of wisdom he imparts.
Patrizio is just one of the many Tour Directors with a story to tell
Our Tour Directors are pretty special. Equal parts history teacher, cultural connoisseur, architecture expert, restaurant recommender, and sightseeing savant, they’re trained guides who know the ins-and-outs of all the cities you’re visiting—and they can’t wait to give you a window into their world.
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Cassie Title
Cassie is a copywriter at EF Education First. When she's not writing about herself in the third person, she enjoys attempting to intelligently analyze unintelligent television shows, getting lost in bookstores, and searching for the best noodles/lattes/ice cream in all the lands.
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