Pompeii, Herculaneum, Naples

4.16 - 4.17

For my Etruscans and Romans class, our final field trip was an overnight trip to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples (and Sorrento.) We left really early Saturday morning and took the train straight into Naples and then took a bus to Pompeii.

Saturday

Pompeii - that's Mt. Vesuvius! It erupts about every 60 years, and it's been a little more than that...so we were expecting an eruption. No such luck.

Again, Mount Vesuvius in the background with some Pompeii ruins.

Cheese! (One of the people preserved due to being totally encased in ash after the eruption)

Amphitheater

Italian gummy bears

There are tons of stray dogs in Pompeii

After exploring Pompeii (for 5 whole hours...it was a little excessive) we got back on the bus and rode to Sorrento...really all we did in Sorrento though was have dinner and sleep.

Pretty cool sunset on the drive through Sorrento

Sorrento

Sunday

Villa Oplontis - we stopped here before Herculaneum. It's this huge villa that you can tell was gorgeous, and it was also totally covered with the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

That's Lisa

Herculaneum

More stray dogs! Herculaneum is just like Pompeii, but a little better-preserved and intact.

Annnnd more ruins

Cool tiled flooring

All in all it was a good trip! It is fascinating to see all these ancient cities that were completely covered due to the eruption...my only advice would to pick one or the other, not both...I was a little ruined-out by the end.

Amalfi Coast

The Group

4.7 - 4. 10 - Sorrento, Capri & Positano

For the weekend, Lisa and I, along with a big group of people we knew from the Syracuse program, went on an all-inclusive trip to the Amalfi coast (it wasn't really all-inclusive though.) It was really unbelievable, and just as great as any other trip I've been on. We got in really late on thursday night to our hotel in Sorrento(we left after class at 7, and got in at 3am.)

Friday

The big group of us woke up pretty early and took a ferry to the island of Capri - about 45 minutes away.

Pulling away from Sorrento

Sorrento in the distance

The first thing we did in Capri was to go on this really intense hike. Really, no one had warned us about this...I just was thinking it would be an average, leisurely hike. No - it was unbelievably steep and actually quite scary at times. That was the main reason for it being tiring - I was constantly so focused on not slipping or falling. But, when we got to the top it was really all worth it. We literally climbed to the top of the mountain, and could see all of Capri below us. We were inside a cloud! It was amazing.

Capri from the top - the picture really doesn't do it justice. It was a beautiful sunny day, but we were up so insanely high that we were inside of cloud and it was so windy and cold!

I look disgusting from sweating a lot from the hike...but I had to get a picture of me at the top (I'm pretending to hold the island, but my hands are a little too small.)

After hiking down and getting some lunch, the whole group of us rented a boat for the afternoon. The driver took us all around the island of Capri, up to cliffs and caves, and at one point we were able to jump off and swim! I jumped in and it was definitely the coldest water I have ever swam in...I was so shocked I think I stopped breathing. Pretty sure I was in the water for a total of less than a minute...but it was totally worth it. I swam in the Mediterranean! After the boat tour, we took a ferry back to our hometown of Sorrento and relaxed for a bit before going out to dinner.

Saturday

Another early morning. We got up, grabbed a little breakfast and waited for a bus to Positano. The ride ended up being at least an hour and so windy and curvy I couldn't believe it. I'm surprised people weren't getting sick. We got there, had lunch and then relaxed on the beach for the rest of the day...this beach was definitely in the top 3 beaches I've been to.

Here is where we stayed! They were "bungalows" - little cabins that held 4 people each. Luckily our big group was in cabins all next to each other. It was really fun.

Bungalow!

Just a sneak peek of the scary ride to Positano - round and round mountain after mountain.

Also one of the most beautiful rides I've ever been on.

Positano. Mountains covered in beautifully colored houses, clouds at the top, and a beach at the bottom...unbelievable.

Lisa and I decided this looked photoshopped - I swear it wasn't. There is just so much going on - all the houses, the mosaic church, the beach, and you almost forget those mountains and clouds in the background! This place is one of a kind.

Natasha, me, Lisa

Saturday night the group of us put together a bunch of tables and each made a dish for dinner (the bungalows had some really high quality cooking appliances...ha.) We had a feast - like 4 kinds of pasta, chicken parmesan, bread, wine, and Lisa and I made an awesome Carla-inspired salad. It was some good bonding and better than any restaurant would have been.

Sunday, we had the option to go to Pompeii on our own dime, but Lisa and I opted out since we're going next weekend with one of our classes. So, we hung out around Sorrento, looked for souvenirs (none, obviously) and had lunch. It was nice and relaxing after a pretty eventful weekend. Then, we hopped on the bus back and got in around midnight. I'm so glad I was able to fit in the Amalfi coast - it really is a whole different side of Italy! It was an amazing weekend, as usual.

Venice

A Romantic 2 days - 4.1 - 4.2

Venice was a must - I'd always wanted to go. And then I started learning about it in my architecture class and it made me even more antsy to get there. It was amazing and so different than anything I've seen yet - it's a city in the water!

Friday

The water is never out of view. We took a train to Venice on Friday afternoon and got in around 3 - it took us a VERY long time to find our hotel because the streets of Venice are ridiculous...super narrow and easy to lose your way. eventually we found it, dropped off our bags, and grabbed some pizza for lunch before starting exploring.

Our cute little room! The pictures we had seen online had been a little deceptive - but overall it was really fine, especially for one night.

"Spritz" - apparently it's the drink in Venice. It's white wine with seltzer and ice...the orange color is a mystery to me (and it doesn't taste anything like orange.) It's good!

Just your average waterway

Sitting on a dock

San Marco - used to be the biggest piazza in Italy, but now there are a few bigger. It's really spacious and really beautiful - very different from the piazzas I'm used to seeing in Florence.

Anna and Lisa modeling for me

For dinner I looked up restaurant recommendations and we ended up at the one I found - it was very good! This is what I got (although the picture makes it look a little gross/slimy.) It's pumpkin gnocchi with zucchini and scallops - so so good.

After dinner we didn't really want to go to bed, so we went back to Piazza San Marco to see if anything was going on. It was an entirely different thing at night - so much calmer and quiter, and the buildings were beautifully lit. Also, one of the outdoor restaurants had some musicians playing Frank Sinatra. It was a nice way to end the night.

Saturday

We woke up and grabbed a little breakfast as we went in search of a Gondola ride. It was another gorgeous day.

Obviously Gondola rides are strictly for tourists, but I'd say it was a requirement, and it was definitely worth it. Although very brief and quite pricey, we were taken through little passageways and under bridges and just around Venice. It was beautiful, and good to see the town from the water as opposed to from the land.

Rialto Bridge

The three of us on the Rialto Bridge

After the Gondola ride, we took a ferry to Murano, a little island off of Venice that's know for it's glass-work. It was very quiet and serene, and a nice break from tourist-central that is Venice.

Some cool glass blown pieces on a doorway

Glass-blown sculpture!

After Murano, we took a taxi back and then got a train back to Florence. It was a very brief time in Venice, but it was easily worth, and I'm so happy I was able to make it there. It's such an amazing little place!