The Monti bus is basically a hired bus service that takes us all around Italy. I feel bad because some people just don’t like traveling by car for various reasons like car sickness. As for me, I absolutely love the Monti bus. The Monti bus is more than convenient transportation. It is a place of resting. The amount of times I have passed out on this bus this summer is pretty astounding. After a very early morning, after a long day, or just for a quick nap, the Monti bus is always the perfect place for a good nap. The Monti bus is also a great place for community. I have had more conversations and gotten to better know more people while sitting next to them on the bus than any place in the palace. Being trapped next to a stranger on the bus is a great way to make friends, especially for people like me that didn’t know anyone before coming on the trip. The Monti bus is also a place for fun. There have been jokes, pranks, laughter, and even karaoke parties all while contained within the huge cube that is our bus. One of my fondest memories of my summer was when we were driving from Orvieto to our first vineyard when the whole bus decided to have a sing off in the style of the movie “Pitch Perfect.” What it amounted to was all of us screaming at the top of our lungs for half an hour and laughing at each other and ourselves. On the Monti bus, I can be alone, even with so many people around. All I have to do is put on my headphones and I enter into my own little world. The bus is also a great place to catch up on some reading or to finish an assignment. I like the Monti bus because it is more than just a means to an end. A lot of times the drive is better than the sight. There have been a few close calls, some near accidents, and a couple of risky driving maneuvers but that is just adding to our cultural immersion. We get to fully experience how Italians actually drive. My final point in praising the Monti bus is that Rick Steves uses it whenever he’s in town, so there is an idea about the level of awesome we’re dealing with in discussing my favorite classroom in Italy: the Monti bus.

Monti bus nap time