When in Rome

Just a quick update from Rome! This morning we had a slightly hellish experience in the Naples train station...nothing involving theft or the endangerment of personal safety, but suffice it to say that it involved an unmarked track number, a missed train, running from ticket booth to ticket booth in hopes we'd be helped, and finally catching a train that we had to pay more money for once on board. Luckily we were helped by some very kind people who took pity on us (including the station's janitor who was actually the most helpful) and we found that our Italian held up well enough under a lot of stress.

We made it to Rome, a little later than expected, but with the whole afternoon to enjoy the city. We really got all we could out of Rome. Even though we'd all been to Rome before, we wanted to see as much of the city as we could, again. And being three art history enthusiasts, we let the art guide us. It was a very Bernini-themed day! We started out by visiting the Pantheon, then went to a cafe Nicole had been to before for Granita di Caffe con Panna, a specialty of this particular cafe. It was cream, a large scoop of iced granulated espresso, topped with more cream. Basically caffeinated heaven in a cup. Caitlin and I shared one, it was a bit too intense for us to handle alone. But outstanding nonetheless.

From the Pantheon we walked past the Trevi Fountain (Bernini masterpiece #1) and then to San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (Bernini #2). After that we saw the beautiful Ecstasy of Saint Teresa altarpiece sculpture (Bernini #3) in Santa Maria della Vittoria, and also peeked inside a church across the street called Santa Susanna. We then took the metro to St. Peter's, and sat and gazed at the cathedral, piazza, and colonnade (Bernini #4) for a few minutes before venturing inside. Inside, we saw Michelangelo's Pietà, as well as Bernini's massive Baldacchino, and statue of Saint Longinus (#5 and 6). I had forgotten how truly astounding St. Peter's is. The ceiling alone is so high that you lose your sense of perspective. We almost didn't go inside, since we had all been before, and were enjoying the piazza so much, but it was definitely the right decision.

After St. Peter's we walked to Ponte Sant'Angelo, our final Bernini of the day. From there we walked along the Tiber River until we arrived in Trastevere, a neighborhood not far from where we're staying, which is supposedly the cool, less-touristy area, excellent for food. Our dinner was slightly less impressive than others we've had, but the good thing about food in Italy is that even a mediocre meal is still really, really good. And the neighborhood was very nice.

So that was our busy day (afternoon, really - all of this took place in about 4 hours, before we sat down to dinner). Luckily we walked enough today to justify all the delicious food we've been enjoying! Hope you're enjoying the links to wikipedia, sorry if they get a bit tiresome, but it's the easiest way to connect a visual to all the sites I'm rambling off, until I can hook up my camera to a computer. Tomorrow afternoon, we'll be in Bologna!

P.S. Last mention of this, I promise - if you didn't read my previous post, and want an email notification when I publish a new post, let me know. No pressure for my friends, I figure this is just for family!

The Bay of Naples

We thought the view from Naples was beautiful, but Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast have far surpassed anything we'd seen so far.

We arrived in Sorrento two nights ago, and explored the town a bit while looking for a place to eat. Sadly, since it's a beach town, it's overpopulated with English-speaking tourists (not to say that doesn't include us, which it does, but it's a little frustrating to speak in Italian and be answered in English every single time.) Nevertheless, it's beautiful, and we've been eating very well. Just to summarize the food:

• Linguine al frutte di mare (seafood)...amazing. The tomatoes were so fresh and seasoned the whole dish
• Risotto al frutte di mare...same amazingness, this time with rice!
• Linguine al pesto...pesto unlike I've ever had it before. It actually wasn't green, more of a tan color. That may sound a bit unappetizing but trust me, it was incredible.
• Baba al Rhum...a rum-soaked pastry native to the region
• Buffalo Mozzerella, also native to the region
• Pistaccio Gelato, and Lemon and Strawberry Sorbet...enough said.

Those are just some of the food highlights that have impressed us so far. Yesterday we saw Pompeii in the morning, which was fascinating of course, but too hot to stay for very long. We were lucky and had a bit of a breeze and some cloud coverage, but after a few hours we were burnt out and ready to leave. The remains of people frozen in motion, and the Roman houses with colorful frescoes still on the walls were my favorite parts.

This morning we took a bus to Positano, a city on the Amalfi Coast. Imagine a classic winding road hugging the side of a huge cliff with the water stretching out below. We saw the water almost the whole way there, and then Positano came into view, with little colored houses and hotels piled right onto the side of the cliff. Caitlin told me that Positano is the city that the main character in Under the Tuscan Sun (which I haven't seen in years) goes to visit when she goes to southern Italy to visit her Italian boyfriend. It was certainly very picturesque. Swimming in the bay while looking up at the coast, and the cliffs, and all the beautiful pastel buildings with little balconies, is not something I'll soon forget! The water was warm and clear. On the way back, we took a ferry, and passed the island of Capri, and got a view of the coast which we didn't get to see on the way there. It was the perfect late-afternoon lighting and we took way too many pictures. Once I'm in Bologna I should be able to share some of those pictures here.

P.S. If you'd like to get an email notification when I post a new blog entry, let me know, because there's a setting where I can enter peoples' email addresses and you'll get an instant notice. Of course, I assume this would mostly be family members, since I know my friends have enough going on already, but if you'd like me to put in your email address, just let me know.

Scusami, but you see, back in old Napoli...

Let me begin by saying that I was slightly terrified of going to Naples. It's reputation for theft and dirt/garbage preceded it. Let me also say that we just had the most amazing day EVER, in Naples. And that I only saw garbage on the street once.

We arrived in Naples yesterday afternoon. Our hostel is 15-20 minutes outside of the city, and is very nice. We had enough time to go to the National Archeological Museum, where there are countless frescoes, mosaics, and statues from Pompeii. We saw the famous Alexander Mosaic, as well as the Gabinetto Segreto, literally "secret cabinet" with rated-R art and sculptures from the brothels of Pompeii. After that we had a dinner of, among other things, delicious pizza, although we knew there was better pizza to come.

This morning we got out early and walked to the Palazzo Reale, Naples' Royal Palace. On the way, I found a copy of O Princepe Piccerillo and was deliriously happy, especially since a salesman in one of the bookstores I had checked the previous day laughed at me when I asked for it in Neapolitan. After the Palazzo Reale, we made our way down to the harbor just to ogle at Mount Vesuvius. It's majestic, really. It reminded me of the island of Bali Hi from South Pacific. We briefly saw the Castel dell'Uovo (Egg Castle) which juts out on a little inlet into the sea. Next on our agenda was to find the small bakery which, according to my guidebook, is the birthplace of Sfogliatelle, a pastry that is a Naples specialty. (I don't know how accurate wikipedia's description is, but the picture is similar to what we ate.) It was truly heavenly. It was warm from the oven, crispy and flaky on the outside and gooey on the inside. And topped with powdered sugar. Wow. And that was lunch!

After that, we wandered down a street and came across a bank that housed Caravaggio's last painting. Very fortuitous. We also wandered down to Naples' main cathedral, the Duomo, which also housed the Crypt of San Gennaro. The Duomo was absolutely beautiful. We passed a small limoncello shop, and the man in the store showed us how they made limoncello right in the back. I wouldn't call it a factory, it was much too small, just another area of the main shop. Limoncello is a specialty of this area as well, as are all other lemon-related products, including cooking oil and pasta!

By that point, we had walked all over Naples and were tired and hungry, and seriously in need of some pizza. We found L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele, a pizzeria with an excellent reputation. Naples is, after all, the birthplace of pizza, and we wanted only the best. We had read that people line up around the block for this pizza, but we went in the early evening and there were no crowds, so were able to sit and relax. Between the three of us we ordered one double mozzerella margherita pie, and one marinara pie. For 9 euros and 50 cents all together. Needless to say, it was outstanding. I even think that the marinara pie, just sauce, oregano, oil, and garlic, was better than the mozzerella pie. The ingredients are so simple, and yet, the result is amazing. I may never eat pizza again, because I will never be able to duplicate that experience.

Since we had such a full day, I'm sure I'll realize that I forgot to mention something, but I'll save it for the next post if I do. Tomorrow we leave for the Bay of Naples, and even more beautiful views.

Finalmente in Italia!

Not much to say, since I've been traveling so much for the past few days, but I'm finally in Italy! I arrived in Rome from Barcelona two nights ago and met up with Caitlin and her family for dinner in Rome. The next day we took a flight from Rome to Lecce, meeting up with Nicole, who came straight from the US, at the gate. It rained and hailed a bit when we arrived in Lecce, but cleared up by night and was nice and cool. Nicole and I bought our Italian cell phones, which was an experience. The man at the store was not helpful at all and didn't even want to try to speak slowly so that we could understand him. Luckily there was a very sweet girl who was in the store, who didn't work there but spoke a little English and stayed to help us understand everything. Also, in order to buy a cell phone or SIM card in Italy you need an Italian ID Card number, which we didn't have, so she was nice enough to let us use her number to buy our phones. I hate to say it, but it feels great to have a cell phone again!

We had arranged to stay in the dorm with the rest of the students on our program, but there was no room, so they put us in an apartment nearby, which is actually a great arrangement. We met two girls from the Netherlands who are also in our apartment and they showed us around Lecce last night (they've only been here for a few days as well) and we all got dinner together. It was great to walk around and see the town. It's a small town with many beautiful Baroque churches, almost every few blocks. We also saw a small amphitheater from Roman times.

This morning, we got absolutely delicious cappucinos and brioches for breakfast, and are going out to explore Lecce a bit more in a few minutes. Tonight we're joining the group on their final dinner, and leaving for Naples tomorrow. I can still hardly believe I'm in Italy!

Side note: I successfully found The Little Prince in Catalan in Barcelona, it was a bit of a search, so I was very happy when I finally came upon it. It's called El Petit Prìncep. Our bike tour guide told us that Catalan is a combination of French and Spanish, although I thought I saw some Italian influences, just flipping through the book. Next on my list is to find the Napoletano-Calabrese version in Naples, O Princepe Piccerillo, although that might be a bit more difficult to track down!


P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!