Italy

November 30th: My grandparents offered to take my cousin and I to Italy from the 30th to the 4th of December. The day of our flight went terribly slowly, and by the time it finally came to go to the airport, I was ecstatic. The flight to the Ciampino airport was only two hours, and was pretty comfortable. I love looking at the lights and cities below. When we landed, we found a cab, that ended up dropping us off three blocks from our hotel in the dark, and charging us 10 euros more than he had said before hand.... Our adventure begins. We finally found it after asking five policemen, and one young couple. It makes things much more difficult when they speak little English. After dropping off our bags, we went searching for a place to eat. We found a little Ristorante and ate some delicious pizza, and I had some custard dessert. It was delicious, and a nice start to our trip. The hotel was called Relais Palace Hotel and was in a great location; just west of the Piazza Navona. The hotel itself was a small, quaint building and had a little elevator that took us to our very own floor where Tyanin and I shared a room across from my grandparents. Our room looked out to an alleyway where you could hear a myriad of noises including opera singing, chatter, wind and never ending ambulance sirens. The bathroom was made up of porcelain and included a bidet... I had to ask my grandma what it was. With the new sounds, new surroundings, and new adventure I could hardly sleep that night but the next day came soon enough.

December 1st, we took a private tour around the city of Rome with a man named Franco. it was sometimes hard to understand his accent, but it was amazing to see the buildings. We saw the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, White Monument, Palatine Hill, The Roman Capital/Forum, just to name a few. It was a great way to see the major cites and become acquainted with the city. I loved how every piazza had its own fountain and character, and there were beautiful sculptures and buildings on every corner. After the tour, we had some pizza and then toured the Colosseum and Palatine Hill. The tour guide in the Colosseum was a little difficult to understand and usually was just making jokes so I spent the time looking around and imagining what it must have looked like in its prime. What an architectural feat! They say that besides the typical gladiator and animal fights that were held inside, they even filled it with water to show a naval battle.

We then walked to the hill and were met by a Scottish man who gave us a great tour, and told us much of the mythology of Rome and the history of many traditions. He told us the story of Romulus and Remus who were raised by a she-wolf, the kidnapping of the Sabine women, and the 7 hills of Rome. The weather was a little dreary, but didn't rain too badly. That night, we found an authentic little pizzeria called Da Lorreto. While most of the places around the Colosseum and in downtown felt like tourist attractions, this little place was small, simple, and smelt of olive oil and fresh herbs. I had delicious homemade raviolli with a limone tarte (lemon) for dessert. We roamed around the alleys, enjoying the calm atmosphere, as we digested both the food and the long day.

The Capital-Statues in the back by Michealangelo
Pantheon

Fountain of Trevi- if you toss in a coin behind your left shoulder, you'll return to Rome. I tossed 4 just for good measure. Built just for the beauty of the city and 

Colesseum
Inside of the Colesseum
Palatine Hill- origin of Rome

The next day, we started by getting up and taking a walk across a bridge and along the Tiber River. It was a beautiful morning, and I enjoyed the casually wandering. We glimpsed St. Peter's Basilica, and passed the Castel Santa Angelo. I never heard of it before, and it was magnificent. We then went across another bridge back to the hotel. Let me tell you, the Italians know how to do breakfast! They had six different cakes, eggs, rolls, bacon, yogurt, etc. After resting a little, we met our tour guide who took us to the Vatican for a tour. The Vatican is its own political entity separate from Italy, and has its own currency and policemen run by the pope. Within the Vatican museum I was in awe as I saw with my own eyes so many masterpieces that I had read about and heard of. I can't even begin to describe the beauty and the feeling. There was Rafael's School of Athens, Perseus with the Head of the Gorgon, Sarcophagus of Constantia, tapestries, Egyptian artifacts, etc. It was a little overwhelming trying to take it all in so quickly. Since we wanted to spend lots of time in the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's, we didn't spend much time there. In between the descriptions of the artwork, our guide tried to convince Tyanin and I to convert to Catholicism.

The next work of art was the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo must have been a genius. Every corner of the broad ceiling was intricately painted: each image having a depth of symbolism. We spent an hour there, and yet didn't feel satisfied. Afterwards, we went through the Basilica which is the largest church in the world, and the tallest building in Rome. It was huge! WOW! Michelangelo's Pieta was there, and it was absolutely breathtaking. Mary's dress was so gracefully carved to take on the appearance of flowing fabric. It was the place where Charlemagne was crowned, and where Peter was crucified.The building itself was magnificent. The size was overwhelming!

After our tour, we went to dinner at De Luigi's and I had lamb for the first time served with potatoes and strawberries. Again, everything was fabulous! 

Castel of Santa Angelo

 St Peter's Basilica 

Even the little side chapters in the side streets have works of art hidden inside.

I love these little 3 wheeled trucks!

The Pieta

De Luigi

December 3rd: We started the day's adventures by rushing through breakfast and meeting our tour guide Sal at the door. He drove us two hours south to Pompei, where we wandered the city's abandoned streets. We became a little lost as we walked, but eventually figured out where we were, and enjoyed wandering along the way. It amazed me how very similar the people's lifestyles seemed to ours. While they did not have cars or electricity, their lives took on the same patterns of family, work, recreation, etc. Within the exhibits there were plastered castes of bodies that still had bones carefully preserved. It was a little eerie. After our time ran out, our driver took us farther south to Sorrento. It was a quaint little village on the coast famous for lemons. There I had my favorite pizze yet! A thin yet chewy crust filled with melted Gorgonzola cheese and seasoned to perfection with an Italian blend of herbs. The cheese was dripping all over the place and I had to put up with the teasing of Sal. He was fun to talk to and told us about his granddaughters. After getting some postcards, we kept driving to a tiny village on the Amalfi Coast called Positano. It was by far my favorite. Quaint, beautiful, and on the cliffs, the sea was gorgeous, and we wandered the streets awhile and explored the shops.  There was a little fruit/oil/spice stand on the road where we bought some spices, and were given some clementines. The south is famous for there lemons, oranges, and olives, and those were super juicy. From the top of the cliff, I looked out over the city and made the commitment to one day go back and really experience Positano. We had to leave pretty quickly though, and reluctantly left around 3:30. After the long drive home, I was grateful to have a bed to relax in, even if the TV only had 2 English channels.

Pompei

Man plastered with teeth... EW
Sorrento

Mt. Vesuvius behind Pompeii

Positano

While I didn't understand exactly what was being said, I think they told us that they were setting up a nativity scene in the rock.
 Teach me to use all these delicious things!

Eventually, the last day had to come, and we spent it eating LOTS of gelato at the Trevi Fountain, and souvenir shopping. We also go to ride the bus. That was quite the experience. People crammed in and were shoulder to shoulder. I was paranoid about pick pockets, but was never touched. It was fun to see the city more, and review. I found a nice scarf, and some things for my family at home. I had a wonderful time, and won't ever forget it.

WE stay -- our hearts together
in Positano on the Amalfi coast
on top a precious hill
we can see Le Galli islands

pastel colored houses smile
and flowers dance our songs
the stars in the evening sing

Positano beneath my feet 
on the coast clear waters 
lay under the sun pebbles and sand

I say we stay and live 
among the cliffs of Positano
enjoying lunch at la Cambusa 

-From "Positano" by Ernest Robles