Rome Beyond Tourism

a philosophy for travelers

Learn the secrets of the Italian kitchen..
Dig among the ruins under Monte Testaccio.
Teach English to bambini at a rural summer camp .

As a tourist, you are always a foreigner. Sure, hostel-hopping and sightseeing can be great fun, but connecting with a foreign country through studying, volunteering, or working can extend your travels beyond tourist traps. We don’t like to brag, but this is what’s different about a Let’s Go traveler. Instead of feeling like a stranger in a strange land, you can understand Rome like a local. Instead of being that tourist asking for directions, you can be the one who gives them (and correctly!). All the while, you get the satisfaction of leaving Italy in better shape than you found it. It’s not wishful thinking—it’s Beyond Tourism.

As a volunteer in Rome, you can roll up your sleeves, cinch down your Captain Planet belt, and get your hands dirty doing anything from farming in a vineyard to restoring an ancient monument. This guide is chock-full of ideas to get involved, whether you’re looking to pitch in for a day or run away from home for a whole new life in Italian activism.

Ahh, to study abroad! It’s a student’s dream, and when you find yourself reading Dante while sipping an espresso , it actually makes you feel sorry for those poor tourists who don’t get to do any homework while they’re here. Courses range in topics from cooking to the Classics, all with the Eternal City as your classroom.

Working abroad is one of the best ways to immerse yourself in a new culture, meet locals, and learn to appreciate a non-US currency. Yes, we know you’re on vacation, but we’re not talking about normal desk jobs—we’re talking about being an au pair or leading a pub crawl, in the name of funding another month of globe-trotting. Looking for employment in Rome can be a disheartening experience, but the prevalence of tourism means that anyone with foreign language skills can be a valuable commodity.

Share Your Experience. Have you had a particularly enjoyable volunteer, study, or work experience that you’d like to share with other travelers? Post it to our website, www.letsgo.com!

Volunteering

Feel like saving the world this week? Volunteering can be a powerful and fulfilling experience, especially when combined with the thrill of traveling in a new place. Italy lacks the history of a philanthropic ...more

Studying

It’s completely natural to want to play hookey on the first day of school when it’s raining and first period Trigonometry is meeting in the old cafeteria, but when your campus is Trastevere ...more

Working

We haven’t yet found money growing on trees, but we do have a team of dedicated Researchers looking high and low. In the meantime, Rome is filled with great opportunities to earn a living and ...more