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Final Days...

Only two more days until I catch my flight to go back to the States. I’m not ready to leave. Well, in a way I am ready to see my family and sleep in my own bed. However, I do not want to leave Italy. I want to stay and explore more, learn more and see so much more of what Italy has to offer. One month is not enough. One month is a sneak peak. Italy has so many amazing parts to it. I love all the good and bad about it here. I feel like since I have gotten to Sorrento, I’ve been living in a dream land. I had two of my childhood dreams come true. I see beautiful sunsets everyday. I feel at home and more complete than I did back home. I am not ready to go back to everything back home. I want to re-live this adventure. I do not want to miss Italy because I want to be here. I have grown so much over this month, but I still would rather stay here. I’ll miss learning a language and culture however frustrating it got. I’ll miss the amazingly fresh fruit and flavors in every dish. I’ll miss frizzy water being an automatic choice at restaurants. I’ll miss the sassy yet still friendly people. I’ll miss every bit of Italy. I love walking everywhere unlike back at home. I’ve become so adjusted to this life. The food, the people, the energy, the attitude. I feel connected to this place. Going home will not feel like home for a while. I have enjoyed every single moment of this journey. I appreciated every new and frustrating thing and every little knack. I had my good and bad days. I was even stuck with a headache for a while, but it did not stop me from making the most out of this place, and I’m so happy I did. Everything that happened on this trip will be a part of me forever. These memories will stick with me because they are so important and a big part of my learning and growing experience. Most of all, though, I will miss the my friends I have made because they got me through everything. They experienced this all with me and really brought it all to life. I will miss every moment, but I will cherish it all the same. Goodbye Italy. I will miss you, please bring me back someday. Arrivederci!

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I will say for a fact, I will miss these people so much. In just a month we made a hue bond! They became my family! The moment here in Italy are ones that we will share forever. Each and everyone of the people on this trip had made an impact on me and I love them all. Of course we've had our good and bad days with one another, but we got through this adventure together and shared so much! I don't know how it's going to be going home and not having this group together. Sometimes it's not the place that has an impact on you, it's the people. I was lucky enough to get both.

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I will say for a fact, I will miss these people so much. In just a month we made a hue bond! They became my family! The moment here in Italy are ones that we will share forever. Each and everyone of the people on this trip had made an impact on me and I love them all. Of course we've had our good and bad days with one another, but we got through this adventure together and shared so much! I don't know how it's going to be going home and not having this group together. Sometimes it's not the place that has an impact on you, it's the people. I was lucky enough to get both.

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I went on an adventure hike and found the most amazing views and places to swim!! Best part about being here in Sorrento! It was just a nice walk away and such a cool place to go! Even found some old ruins!

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Most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen!

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Church in the South

One thing I wanted to do a quick post about was the churches here. I was able to venture into a couple of the churches here in Sorrento in my free time, just out of curiosity. I went into two right off of the Corso Italia, but I can’t exactly remember the names. Anyways, I wanted to make a few remarks on them. While the set up of the churches were quite small in compari son to those in Florence, the layout was basically the same. In one church, it was covered in amazing embroidery with lots of golds and pink and white colors. Everything was beautiful. What was most interesting is that they had actual chandeliers hanging from the ceiling which was new. The whole style of the church was more baroque, but the ceilings had similar frescoes like the ones in some of the Florence and even Roman churches (most Roman churches were Baroque anyways). It’s really fun to see how different and how small these churches are in comparison. For one, the outside was very simple and almost bland compared to the stunning architecture in Florence. i loved seeing the art and the unique bits of the culture down in the South in their churches compared with the North.

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Naples

Early mornings and long hot days are never my favorite combination. However, I was generally excited for out excursion to Naples. Then, I got there. I had seen some of Naples before, but not actually walked around. Strangely, I was disappointed. It was very different from the other big cities and tourist areas. It was the dirtiest and had so much graffiti everywhere. I was shocked by how run down most of the city was. I definitely prefer Sorrento or even Florence. There were at least a couple of saying graces. First, the pizza was as good as I heard it would be. Second, I did enjoy the underground tour. Outside of that, it was very underwhelming and I was happy to head back to Sorrento early. I did appreciate some of the little things and how old the city is. It was also baffling how they managed to ignore an ancient Roman Amphitheater and build apartments on it and through it when they should have put in more effort to uncover it because that would have been amazing to actually see. 

This giant city in the south was very different from the moderate sized Florence in the North, the streets seemed more crowded and dirty. It felt like there was almost no organization there. On the other side, at least I got to see it for myself because it was interesting and a different part of Italy. Maybe I would change my mind after seeing it more.

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Pompeii

I had a childhood dream come true yesterday. I finally got to see Pompeii! Yes, the city lost in ashes. The perfectly preserved ruins that uncovered a lot of what we know from ancient roman times. A once powerful trading city that was said to be cursed by the gods when Mount Vesuvius erupted on it in 79 AD. Toxic smoke and ash filled the people’s lungs, killing them almost instantly, right were they stood in their daily lives. But we all know the story. What we don’t know are the random facts uncovered by scientists almost a couple thousand years later. And get this, the Romans were actually very mart people. I learned things that I never even considered or heard of before. Techniques like using marble to reflect moonlight for fishermen to see, or creating one way streets and pathways for carriages two horses apart, a form of sewage and aqueducts for bath houses and water flow. There were so many interesting little things that captivated me the whole time. I’ve seen my fair share of historic sights, but in comparison, this ranks high up there. It blows my mind that I was walking in a full blown,completely functioning ancient city that was lost for so long. It was a highlight of this trip for me personally. 

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Into the South

There’s a lot I can say so far about being in Sorrento. It’s a change of pace for sure. It is definitely a dream destination. Everything about Sorrento is like a breath of fresh air (even if the air smells a bit fishy sometimes). I was welcomed with frustration. Frustration of the heat and the new town and how unfamiliar it was. I have never been anywhere this unique. While I was going through a phase of frustration, I found that this is probably the most amazing places I’ve ever been to. From the people, to the food, to the serene views. Nothing can compare. The sunset here is one of the most beautiful sights I’ve seen. Looking back at Florence, why wasn’t I here all this time? The air is cooler and fresher. I am not annoyed by crowds of tourist on every street. There’s even more exercise with the combination of walking everywhere, plenty of ocean to actually swim in and all the hiking spots and hidden cliffs surrounding the town. Yes, I liked Florence a lot, but this is a different world. Walking on the streets is more relaxing. Just sitting on the terrace, I can see fireworks almost every night. I can hear music from weddings and parties which is by far the most enjoyable part. Even though I have been feeling a bit off from consistent headaches, at least I can relax here and sit back and enjoy everything that’s in front of me. It was no longer a frustration after the first day, and definitely not as hard to adapt to as Florence was. Also, here you can see and feel more of the culture than back in Florence. While there are tourist, everything is more laid back and everyone seems happier here. I would be too since there’s not nearly as many insane tourists compared to Florence.

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Food is everything. Food defines a culture. The way you eat food and how it plays into society is a keystone. Especially in Italy. Across all of Italy, food is the center of social interaction and family life. You sit down with friends or family and go through at least one or two antipasti, primi, secondi, and dessert. It’s a long get together, usually about two to three hours,  and almost always includes wine. However, the type of food differs amoungst the various portions of Italy. Different regions specialize in different things. Through my experience, I have gotten a taste of the north in Tuscany and a taste of the south in the Naples region. In Florence, specifically, everything is tailored to tourist and basically the same. Looking at the type of food is interesting. All the meat in Florence is extremely salty and the bread was hard and bland. This made some pizza very unique and quite honestly, not my favorite. To me, Florence did not have a personality much food wise, I had great dishes of course, but it was all stuff you could find anywhere and nothing struck out to me. As I moved into the south, Sorrento is a different story. Everything has character. There’s all sorts of seafood specialties. The meat is tastier, the bread is softer and the flavors are more vibrant. I’ve had pizza twice and I can garnet it is better than anything I had in Florence. Every dish has more unique and enticing flavors. There’s more spices and variety Here, lemons are a specialty. I’ve noticed that in every restaurant, there’s lemons something on the menu. They are incorporated in every form. Into pasta, desert, meats, and alcohol (Sorrento being widely known for their limoncello). It’s a lot more fun venturing into the cuisine here in Sorrento and a nice change from Florence.

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Siena

By far one of my favorite excursions has been to Siena. It had the most characteristic feel to it that I fell in love with. While the hills were rather intense, this beautiful city is enchanting. It’s frozen in the medieval period with its architecture and art which paints a glorious picture into it’s past and it’s golden age. No one should miss out on a place like this. I love the fact that you can feel the traditions as they vibrate through the city. The rivalries, the pride, the history. I loved learning about the seventeen different neighborhoods and how they all compete with each other. I knew Italy was very close in their own neighborhoods and has this “bell tower” attitude, but Siena has a very powerful example of this. Kind of like what you might find at a Calcio game in Florence, but more neighborhoods and little competitions. The fact that each neighborhood is like a family and you get baptized into that neighborhood and have a private club, church and school. It is intense. There’s always a sense of belonging and community that is nothing like the US. You take pride in the neighborhood you come from whether you marry outside of it or not. It’s very unique to see. It almost plays on the family culture every american has about Italy, but instead it’s just in a neighborhood. 

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Birthday Adventure!!

I was lucky enough to spend my 20th birthday on the coast of Italy. Cinque Terre was absolutely stunning, but the hike was absolutely draining. Thank goodness  I was able to enjoy a nice birthday meal at a beautiful restaurant looking over the water and then enjoy myself on the beach. While the day was extremely exhausting, it was worth the view and the experience. I loved how friendly the people were and how happy the atmosphere of the towns of Monterosso and Vernazza were. It was a nice break from the city center. Who else gets to spend their birthday hiking the most beautiful part of the Italian coastline?? It was a blessing! 

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The panini boys

Story time: so I was walking around with my friends and we walk up to a panini place. I couldn't read the menu and the boys behind the counter were very cute panini boys and I didn't know what I wanted so I said something completely random. So I end up with this sandwich that I have no clue what is in and I'm scared to find out but the cute boys made it so I tried it and it was amazing. So thanks to cute panini boys, I ventured out of my panini comfort zone. (Btw the panini had eggplant, olives, ruscola, some type of turkey, sausage, and a lot of spicy stuff) worth it. I will definitely go back to that shop for the cute boys and the amazing paninis. Maybe next time I will know what I am ordering.

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Calcio?!?

I’ve taken a rather fond amusement with a particular practice here in Italy, especially in Florence. The entirety of the Calcio Storico games, festival and culture has been an overwhelming part of my weekend and a huge part of the culture here. Before coming to Italy (this time around), I had no clue what this was. Is it soccer? Is it wrestling? What on earth is this weird game that seems like a reinvented gladiator war? Apparently, it’s a mix of all of them, and it’s kind of a big deal. My first exposure to this event was when I heard drums and marching down the street and wanted to investigate. I then recall seeing men in renaissance garb, with horses, many colors, flags and drums. It was amusing to say the least. Then it became color coded. First, I saw the green team march through. These men were not pretty. They were big and mean and ready to fight. They made the crowd rowdy. Then came the red, and then the blue and then the white. all the same story. It was a fun parade to watch. mixed with the drums and flag tossing, I was very entertained by something I knew nothing about. Later, I find out that this was on the way to the bloody series of games that were about to occur. I really wish I could have watched, but talk about these games were everywhere. It was in all the bars, on all the news and even a few of my friends kept going on about the insanity of this game. Then, I find out that the colors stood for the different neighborhoods in Florence that were playing against each other. That alone bring me to a point that I must not. I’ve learned very quickly that Italians do not see themselves as “Italians”, they see themselves as the city or even small neighborhood they come from and take a lot of pride in it. Even in florence, they say they are from a certain neighborhood, not from Florence. I was a really interesting fact that is so different from america, but at the same time Ido see the similarity. Back home, we say “I’m from Stone Oak neighborhood” or “I’m from Alamo Heights” in the San Antonio area until we reach further and further outside the city. even here, I don’t say I’m american, I say I’m Texan because we have a similar pride that the Italians do with their region of origin.(end of note) back to the point, this Calcio game was a huge deal causing excitement I had not seen before. These people were very intense about the game and it wasn't until I caught a glimpse of it that I saw why. IT WAS BRUTAL. It was the strangest combination of blood and sport that I had ever seen. There was blood everywhere and there were little to no rules. and it was EXCITING. It was confusing at first but the rage of the crowd and the insanity on field got my blood pumping even watching from a TV screen.Just seeing this alone opened up a new part of Italian culture that was new and breathtaking in a unique way.

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A couple pictures from our day trips to the beach if Castiglioncello and Pisa! What a wonderful experience! Away from the city, away from the crowds, away from everything. I loved it!! While the small town beach was a little too closed off for me, I fell in love with Pisa! Every corner I turned there was music. It’s like a smaller and calmer Florence! Everyone was nicer, the streets were cleaner and the food was gray. It’s was like a breath of fresh air! Don’t get me wrong, I like Florence, but it’s a little insane here. Pisa was a totally different story. Yes, there were still tourist but not as much. Everything was more relaxed. I guess my only complaint was the heat and little amounts of shade, but Florence has that too. Of course I had to get the typical pictures that everyone gets when they go to Pisa. But the town as a whole was much more than just the leaning tower (which is incredibly beautiful along with the baptistery and church). The whole town had such a unique character to me and made me feel at home. I wish I could’ve stayed there longer and browse around the markets and experience more of the happy town, but sadly the trip was only a half day tour and ended too soon.

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Rules??

I have noticed something here that is very frustrating to me. There seem to be a lot of rules and standards that Italians live by and yet there are also a lot of contradictory standards and facts to those rules. It is something I cannot grasp. For example, you cannot have cappuccinos after two. WHY? It is such a basic rule that every follows and if you order a cappuccino after two then you get weird looks. From what I’ve heard, it’s because Italians believe the milk is bad for your system after too, but wouldn’t that mean cutting out other coffee drinks and desserts like gelato?? Another rule is having a plastic cup with your water bottle so you look better drinking. A strange rule, but they also claim to try and be environmentally conscious at the same time. So why would you waste more plastic? Just to look better? There seem to be so many rules on how to live, dress, act, and eat that i have never experienced before. You have to look nice and present your best all the time. No parmesan with seafood. Don’t eat dinner before 8:00. So many cultural rules to follow. However, what I have learned is that while cultural rules are a strong force of nature, the actual rules are a different story. Italians will break a rule if they can get away with it, even in the smallest way. My Italian Culture professor gave us a few examples: 1) over 50% of Italians do not pay taxes, 2) they will let their dogs poop on the street and not pick it up just because it’s a rule to pick it up, 3) their strikes are always against some government action and go on constantly. They are always trying to go against some rule or action that the government is putting into play. Some say it’s part of the history with italians always being ruled, others say it’s just how it is in this culture. whatever the reason may be, there’s always a rule to follow and always a rule to break.

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Sometimes being here makes me feel like these statues. Sometimes I just love to look at them.