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finding fellow americans and english, or buying what you buy and doing what you do at home, in rome...

"Hey!... Doesn't anyone speak English in this town?"

(overheard outside MacDonalds in Piazza di Spagna)

Homesick yet? Give it time. Missing your favourite TV show? Had a bellyfull of pasta? Can't find anything good to read? Not seen a good intelligible movie in weeks? Fancy a game of pool?

Depending on how well you speak Italian, or how cool you are, or how politically correct you are, if you're planning to stay in Rome for anything longer than a fortnight, then sooner or later you'll have had quite enough of speaking Italian and quite enough cold salami and prosciutto on crusty bread thank you very much, and you'll start hankering instead after a bit of steak and kidney pie (if you're English) or waffles and syrup (if you're American). When that happens, you'll realise it's probably not so much the taste of the food you're missing, as the taste of the conversation around the dinner table - ENGLISH CONVERSATION!!

You'll be pleased to learn that there are numerous places in Rome where Brits and Yanks get together (though not necessarily Brits and Yanks together in the same building.) The Yanks are rather better at it actually, but for you lonely Brits who don't mind standing up when you eat, an American get-together in Rome is better than no English-speaking get-together at all.
Conversely, if you're American and don't mind standing next to someone who hasn't had a shower for two days, an English get-together in Rome is better than no English-speaking get-together at all.

Click the links below to find where to meet English speakers, (or at least overhear English spoken, which can sometimes be every bit as refreshing as a drink from Rome's fountains on a hot day!), and where to buy and hire English language stuff.

Art, Music & Literary Evenings
in December 2002

English language cinemas in Rome

Sports you play at home, but in Rome

American music and radio in Rome

Libraries in Rome with English books

Santa Susanna Library:
Piazza S. Bernardo (north-west corner of Via XX Settembre and Via Barberini), Rome
Tel 06 482 7510.
Requires annual membership fee of L50,000

Opening hours:

Closed Mondays
Tue & Thur: 10am-1pm
Wed: 3pm-6pm
Fri: 1pm-4pm
Sat & Sun: 10am-12.30pm

Has English-speaking staff.
The British Council: Via Quattro Fontane 20. Tel 478141
The British Council is a sort of cultural extension of the British Foreign Office and they have their fingers in a lot of pies in connection with promoting the arts in Britain with markets and sponsors overseas. As a sideline to this, they keep a small reference library akin to the basic stock in any small British provincial public library. In addition they have an excellent multimedia reference information open-access suite of some twenty computers available to library members paying a modest annual subscription fee. Paying members may also borrow books from the library, but it is open to all for browsing only.

Bookshops selling English books:

Economy Book & Video Centre
Via Torino 136. Tel 4746877
You can also buy the English Yellow Pages here, a 'must-have' publication for Brits and Yanks living in Italy.
Anglo-American Bookstore
Via della Vite 102. Tel 6795222

British and American newspapers and magazines:

Most news-stands in central Rome sell these, but they'll cost you more than at home.

British and American groceries:

Castroni's on Via Quattro Fontane keep an eclectic stock of popular branded food items from around the world. Heinz baked beans, Nescafe, Ambrosia rice pudding, Kool-Aid etc. It is expensive, but if you're desperate, it's almost the only place in town. We are looking into finding more Brit-Am food outlets, and you can read more on this subject on our shopping advice page.

Studying in English whilst in Italy:

There are of course many British and American universities with campuses in Italy and Rome in particular. (You're probably reading this in anticipation of an overseas semester spent in Rome) For specific detailed information about academic overseas study opportunities, consult your existing school, university or careers advisory service. In addition there are also a number of Italian universities offering British accredited degrees taught in English or part English and Italian. One such is The European School of Economics.

Another opportunity to study in English is offered by:

The Open University:

The Open University offers all its degree courses to Brits living in Italy (or elsewhere), though it costs at least half as much again as taking the courses in England, as they post all the materials and video-cassettes of the the programmes to you. ie: You don't need to buy a satellite dish and record all the programmes yourself. So it's really a rather nice 'de-luxe' version of the OU that you get for your money, and in the long run a more profitable way of staying in touch with the sound of spoken English than hiring movie-videos.

Clubs & Organisations:

There are numerous organisations for expats which hold frequent get-togethers. It has to be said though that most of these are charity orientated, slightly staid and stuffy affairs geared for middle-aged social climbers all hoping for a back door into an audience with the Pope. There's little of interest for anyone born since 1960, and you'd be better off just sticking to the night-clubs if you want to meet other visitors from your own country.

For a list of organisations, social clubs and societies and many more useful English-speaking shops, services, businesses and contacts,
try the English Yellow Pages