Walking from astonishing monuments to delicious restaurants, your exploration of Rome is never-ending. Whether you are an expat or a visitor, one way of creating everlasting memories of the city is by sharing your experiences with people.

Meeting locals is a great way to learn the best addresses, get pieces of advice and smoothly fuse in this new environment. As a matter of fact, meeting people and making friends helps in the process of acculturation, since visiting or moving to a new country can sometimes be a lot to get used to. There are plenty of associations and clubs in Rome that will help transition visitors into this beautiful city, and provide you with some unique Roman experiences.

Join a language exchange club

Obviously, learning the language is the easiest way to adjust and understand the Italian culture. You can take courses or study by yourself, but we all know that the easiest way to learn a language is by speaking it with natives. Listening to the tones, the pronunciations and expressing yourself in Italian will improve your confidence and speed up your learning process.  Among the language exchange clubs in Rome, Franglish.eu is a global language exchange club that organizes English / Italian exchanges every week. In a speed-dating format, you spend 7 minutes speaking English, then 7 minutes speaking Italian before switching partners. This formula allows you to meet many people, have a multitude of conversations with natives and learn plenty of Italian words.

Discover the Italian culture through a hobby

Another way to meet locals is by joining an association of your interest (or discovering a new one!). Rome is such an international and diverse city, the chances are you will find people that share similar hobbies. If you are into soccer (which is also one of Italy’s favourite sports), joining a soccer team will introduce you to locals, invite you to speak in Italian with your teammates and get your daily exercise done.  

Another activity could be card games. Did you know that the words ‘casino’ and ‘bingo’ originated in Italy? If you would like to try, the PrinceClub Roma will delightfully welcome you for an enjoyable night focused on all types of casino games, like poker. Before having fun with locals, be sure to learn the hand rankings. If you are more of an Art person, Rome’s Comedy Club is a small and fun comedy club that has been in Rome for five years. What better ways to spend your night are there if not laughing with friends?

 Go out of your comfort zone

In Rome, you will find lots of clubs to meet people and make friends. If you are just looking to have chilled conversations over a delicious Italian meal, the social website Meetup.com has plenty of social events listed for food and wine tasting in Rome. From exploring the subtleties of Italian wines to tasting the yummy meals, you will have the most unique food experiences. Plus, this kind of private setting will allow you to ask questions to the Chef and learn how to cook Italian dishes at home. What’s great is that expats and locals are both welcomed to these events to share and bond over food. 

It’s easy to stay in your inner circle of friends and family when you go to a new country, but don’t stop yourself from meeting like-minded people and exploring the Italian language & culture!