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| On the Amalfi Coast |
Here we are again, back to my broken promise of posting once a week. Life has been incredibly busy and I've realized that with LESS than 1 MONTH left in Italy, I need to get out and make the most of every moment I have. Not to mention schoolwork is actually kicking into high gear. All of this combined means less time for blog writing. But regardless, I'm back, and I hope you're ready to hear about my trip to the Amalfi Coast and a couple of day trips I took this past weekend!
In my last post about Spring Break I mentioned how I literally dropped Julie off at the departures gate, only to head down to arrivals and pick up my parents. To say I was happy to see them is the understatement of the century! I literally cried when I watched them walk through the doors and got to give them a hug! If anyone has seen the movie "Love Actually" it's a little like the start and the ending, when you watch people greet each other at London Heathrow. Just to be waiting and finally watch the ones you love walk through that door is a really amazing thing.
We got back to my neighborhood and my parents settled into their hotel before going to see my apartment and then heading into the city. We were up and moving right away to help them stave off the jetlag. The first day we visited the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and the Vittoriano. Dinner was at a restaurant called Da Otello's where the waiters actually know me and were excited to see my parents. Early to bed that night due to jetlag but early to rise the next morning when my parents and I made our way to the Colosseum and took the subteranean tour that I had taken with Julie over Spring Break. The amazing thing is that every tour you take is slightly different information and every experience is different because of the people you share it with. After the tour we went to a delicious lunch with amazing pasta near the Colosseum. That night we tried a new place for dinner called "Cicia Bomba" which literally translates to "Fat Bomb," quite a comical name if you ask me. We all shared two delicious pizzas and a light salad before heading back to Monte Verde for the night. The following morning my parents departed for Florence and I went back to my normal Monday and Tuesday routine of classes, a short hiatus from what was essentially a two-week Spring Break.
Wednesday was an early morning as we departed for the Amalfi Coast. Our first stop was Pompeii, and as we drove my mom read descriptions of what we were about to see. She read a quote by an author who referred to Pompeii and Vesuvius as "the destroyed and the destroyer." To say that standing in Pompeii, in the shadow of Vesuvius, was haunting is yet another drastic understatement. I walked down the streets of Pompeii, stood in their kitchens, sat on their patios, all while always seeing the towering volcano in the distance, a constant reminder of its unnerving power and presence. It is not dormant and will sporadically begin to steam again, keeping the citizens of the area on their toes. I can't imagine living in a place that you know will one day face tragedy yet again. Fortunately, much of Pompeii has been preserved and stands as an amazing artifact of another time. The mosaics and painting are absolutely astonishing, perfectly preserved and some entirely intact. We even traveled slightly off the beaten path when we stumbled upon a fence that had been knocked down. My parents and I went all around what we assumed to be the remnants of houses, with staircases down into pitch-black cellars and secret rooms. At the end of our day we exited through the House of Mysteries, one of the best-preserved parts of Pompeii. I walked into a room on my own where I saw a glass barrier but an open doorway through it if you walked around. As I came up to the barrier I realized that it was a display case and tried to figure out what was inside it: when my eyes reached a face I realized exactly what I was seeing. My heart literally stopped for a moment as the body cast shocked me and sent me running out of the room in alarm. I had been expecting to see casts everywhere and hadn't seen a single one, so by the time we got to this house that was the exit, I had essentially given up hope of seeing one. The two that were on display here were terrifying, posed in a state of panic, mouths open screaming in fear or pain in their final moments. It was an eerie end to an eerie day. Pompeii is definitely a must-see in Italy. No matter how chilling, it is also incredibly cool to walk their streets and visit a town that was once quite the bustling place and will forever serve as a reminder of the tragedy of Vesuvius.
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| Being a statue in Pompeii |
Ok, onto slightly less depressing topics! After Pompeii we started the drive to Sorrento, a town along the Amalfi Coast. After an hour of driving (between getting to Sorrento and finding our hotel), we made it to our bed and breakfast and were greeted by a note: "We're sorry we had to close the front desk for a bit, we'll be back in 20 minutes, please enjoy some gelato across the street on us." Not a bad way to start at all, especially since some people consider this place the best gelato in all of Italy. While I don't really agree with that, it was very good and a nice treat. Our room at the bed and breakfast was the next exciting thing- it was beautiful! Modern, comfortable, warm and inviting. My favorite part though was the bathroom- it was entirely covered in pale purple tiles! If I could have I would have taken that bathroom home in my suitcase, it was beautiful! We also got a fantastic dinner place recommended to us by the hotel owner. The restaurant, called Ristorante La Lanterna Due, is an adorable family-run place with amazing food! I got a huge plate of about 30 mussels for only 8.50 euro and they were some of the biggest and best mussels I've ever had (the Amalfi Coast is big on seafood). Two sons are waiters and the father bounces around talking to people (spending 45 minutes talking with us), and then the daughter or daughter-in-law serves the desserts, all homemade of course. It was absolutely delicious! They treated us to a fantastic rose prosecco- the son didn't even know its name because his friend makes it and just brings it to the restaurant, but we had it at other restaurants around there too and it's delicious- very light and fruity while also being rich with flavor. After dinner we were also treated to Limoncello and by the time we left we were clutching our full stomachs and abandoning all hopes of a walk around the town, we were too stuffed.
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| Amazing mussels |
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| My favorite bathroom |
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| Sorrento's main square |
The next day we enjoyed a light breakfast at a nearby bar and then set out to do some shopping! We saw some small jewelry shops but spent most of our time at a place called Gargiulo Jannuzzi, run by a very sweet family whose daughter actually owned our bed and breakfast with her husband. The store had everything from statues to linens, but they specialize in gorgeous inlaid wood. It's a dying art form that is really famous in Sorrento but we found the prettiest and least expensive stuff there. They've had the store for generations and are a very nice family (they speak pretty good English too, partially for tourists and partially because the mother is from Australia and came to Sorrento on a cruise, met her husband, and never left- living the dream!). We bought several gorgeous pictures and enjoyed the fun conversations with the family (not to mention petting a friendly dog that visits their store- his name was Euro!)
Between shopping we stopped at another restaurant they recommended for lunch, Inn Bufalito. This mozzarella bar had absolutely amazing food and specialized in buffalo mozzarella and buffalo meat. We got two appetizers for three of us and it was basically a meal (an artichoke stuffed with vegetables and stuffing and a tower of fried eggplant and fresh buffalo mozzarella with tomato sauce). This was before our entrees of a pizza (good toppings but not the best crust) and amazing pasta with buffalo meat and a cheese on the side. We were again treated to rose prosecco and conversed with the owner who drew many of his recipes and inspirations from cooking with his grandmother when he was a child. It was the perfect end to our short but sweet time in Sorrento.
In the middle of the afternoon we left Sorrento and began the drive to Positano. This was the start of the infamous Amalfi drive and it is well worth the fame! I felt bad that my dad had to navigate the exceedingly curvy road and couldn't just watch the scenery, though he did a wonderful job with the intense drive, not being phased at all by the tight turns or narrow roads. While he was doing the driving, I was stunned at the protruding cliffs and fantastically blue water below. To say that it is one of the most beautiful places in the world can't possibly do it justice. Every moment of the drive and the next day and a half in the area was filled with moments of "This can't be real, it's too pretty to be real." Positano is supposedly the most famous city on the coast for its incredible views. I would agree with this, it's adorable and breathtaking all at the same time. The town is entirely built up a cliff, with all of the buildings tightly packed around a road that winds all the way down the cliff until it reaches the shore. We spent a lot of time walking the main street where you'll find tons of beautiful ceramic stores, lemon shops (they're famous for lemons, limoncello, etc.), and fashion boutiques. The trip also consisted of some "down-time" in our room, which was absolutely amazing! My dad had booked us into a room with a private balcony that overlooked the ocean. There were also two separate rooms, one with a bed for my parents and one that was the living room with a sofa bed and a separate bathroom that had a jacuzzi tub.
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| The view from our hotel room! |
We ate dinner the first night at a restaurant on the beach, enjoying delicious and refreshing artichoke carpaccio- thinly sliced, raw baby artichokes that had been marinated in lemon juice and topped with parmesan shavings and salt and pepper. My mom got a pizza topped with every kind of seafood imaginable and my dad and I each got a delicious white fish cooked with tomatoes and potatoes. I also shared mine with a sweet little cat fishing for handouts (no pun intended).
The next day we took things slow, enjoying a leisurely breakfast before strolling down the main street again. We stopped at a shop called Vini e Panini and got enormous panini filled with Parma ham, mozzarella, tomatoes, and topped off with delicious bread. My parents and I took our sandwiches down to the beach and ate them while staring at the town and the ocean. I felt so serene and at peace, it was absolutely perfect! The day was also filled with a lot of shopping, especially for ceramics. Positano is famous for gorgeous, hand-painted ceramic pieces including bowls, plates, tables, and olive oil bottles. They are also famous for their homemade sandals, crafted for you as you wait. I chose a pair of simple sandals with a thin black leather strap that wraps around my heel and loops in the front. Getting to watch them be made and custom fit just for me was entertainment in and of itself. Not to mention the gorgeous pair of sandals I walked away with- I absolutely love them!
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| The view from our ocean-side picnic lunch. |
We returned to the hotel before dinner in order to enjoy an incredible view of the ocean at sunset and delicious Brunello wine that my parents had bought on a private vineyard tour they took in Tuscany. We sat in awe at our lives and the wine paired with pecorino cheese, apple, and pear. It was the epitome of happiness and peace.
That night and the next day at lunch (it was just so good, we had to go back again), we tried another townie recommendation and ate at a place called C'Era Una Volta or Once Upon A Time. It was a family-run establishment with extraordinary food. Our samplings included: zuppa di pesce (fish "soup" but it was more like a lot of mixed seafood with a little broth), gnocchi, a special lasagna with zucchini and cream, and a pizza with bresaola (kind of like parma ham except less fatty, more tender, and more flavorful), tomato, and arugula. For desserts over the course of both meals we tried a pear and ricotta cake, so light and delicate yet wonderfully flavorful, as well as a chocolate cake and chocolate-filled pastries called sfogliatelle (my favorite pastry in Italy). These were two of the best meals I've eaten in Italy.
We slowly made our way back to Rome on Saturday, relishing in the breathtaking views of the Amalfi Coast. Our drive involved frequent stops on the side of the road and many picture-perfect vistas. Top it all off with a nighttime visit to the Trevi Fountain and my parents making a wish and you have one of the most amazing vacations ever. I didn't want it to end, especially as I took them to the airport and had to say goodbye. As I worded it to my parents in an email, "It felt like being a parent and watching your child get on a plane, except backwards. Basically, I'm used to being the one getting dropped off, not dropping off."
While my parents left over two weeks ago, this trip feels like it just happened yesterday! But since then, a lot has happened. As you all know from my previous post, I turned 21 in a day-long celebration that was beyond wonderful! I've also visited the quiet countryside town of Assisi, famous for churches of St. Clare and St. Francis. The following day I visited the Tivoli Gardens called Villa D'Este. These are gardens about an hour outside of Rome yet an entire world away. They're filled with fountains, flowers, and small pathways. Everything was in bloom and absolutely stunning. Not to mention that it was Culture Week in Italy, in which almost all museums are free, meaning we were pleasantly surprised when we were handed free admission passes, realizing that Culture Week was in more than just Rome. The icing on the cake of that day was some extraordinary chocolate gelato in Tivoli and a trip to an American restaurant in Rome called The Perfect Bun where we all shared nachos and onion rings and then each ordered a bacon cheeseburger that was served with fries. I entered and saw Heinz ketchup and French's mustard on each table. Oh American food, how I have missed you!
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| Assisi |
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| Tivoli |
This leads me to a final reflection to present to you all: I have exactly 23 days left of my semester. I don't know how this happened. In some ways, I am ready to come home. I miss my family, my dog, my friends, my house, American food/the ability to get many different styles of food, my mom's cooking, and many other things. In other ways, I dread leaving this place. I woke up in the middle of the night two nights ago after a terrifyingly vivid dream that I was back in the States and absolutely inconsolable. It seemed so real that I wasn't sure where I was when I woke up. Let me set the record straight: I like the idea of coming
home, not the idea of being back in the States or leaving Italy. I wish I could have it all. I wish I could bring Italy with me to the States.
But for now, I'm relishing in my time here. The next five weeks of my life will be incredibly wonderful, involving making my travel dreams come true. This weekend I will be spending 4 days in Greece (Athens and Mykonos), followed by a weekend in Cinque Terre, Italy at the end of April (Google it, it's gorgeous!). And just when you think it's all over and school and travel have come to a close, I'll be checking out of housing and heading to the airport with a different destination than I had originally planned for May 14. Instead of flying back to the States, I'll be flying to Ireland to meet my dad for a weeklong vacation! With the top three places in the world that I wanted to go to being Italy, Greece, and Ireland, I'm on cloud nine! Italy: um, yes, most definitely check! Greece: check in two days! Ireland: check in one month! I am feeling beyond blessed.
So no matter how much I try, I can't stop the clock from ticking or the calendar from flipping to the next day, but I can cherish every single moment that I have in this beautiful place. Will it break my heart to leave? I think my nightmare the other night proved that. But I will soak up every last ounce of Italy in the next month and live each day to it’s fullest. Ciao and much love to you all!
