On Friday, we
had to get up early to catch the bus to Florence for our art history class. We
were going to look at some Renaissance art around Florence since that is where
our teacher is from. First we went to a church, then went to the Baptistery and
talked about the doors for a bit. We were going to go into the Duomo, but the
line was super long and we didn’t have the time to wait in it. So, we just talked
about it for a few minutes and made our way to the Uffizi. That place is
massive! We were there for 2 hours and barely made it through a section of one
floor. I think I would get very overwhelmed if I walked around and saw
everything. The Uffizi only has a few of the best pieces from artists. It was
really cool to be able to see that and get the background on paintings that I
never would have gotten without our teacher. She really is great and I know
that I’ve learned a lot from her this semester.
From
Florence, a group of us took the train to Salerno, where we would be staying
for the weekend. It was a 6 hour train ride and every time we went through a
tunnel, our ears plugged up and it was painful. It got annoying after a bit,
but luckily it only lasted for a small part of the trip. The last hour is
always the worst. I have to drive 6 hours to get to school and that last hour
manages to feel like 6 hours in itself. We finally made it to Salerno and got
picked up by the hotel shuttle, which obviously brought us to our hotel. It was
about 9:45 by the time we got to the hotel and we were all starving, so we
quickly checked in and dropped our bags in our rooms. Then, we got dinner at
the hotel restaurant just before it closed. The food was really good and the
old man who waited on us was really sweet. He was sad to see us leave and we
were all sad to say goodbye to him.
Saturday was
just a day of relaxation for us. We got up, had breakfast, and went to sit by
the pool. A couple of times a few of us went for a walk along the beach which
was really nice. We had really nice weather and were able to be outside the
entire weekend. It was a great break from all the rain we have gotten in Siena.
For me, walking on the beach is always a treat since in Vermont, we only have
one beach and it’s not that big. We went to dinner at the pizzeria across the
street which was called Heaven. An odd name for a restaurant and we all thought
that it might be a strip joint at night… It had good, cheap food that we were
all really satisfied with. After some of us went to the beach and hung for a
few minutes before heading back to the hotel.
On Sunday, we got up early to travel. I went
with Katie, Russell, Florence, Beckah, and Jenny to Pompeii in the morning
while Kayla, Lindsay and Lindsay’s friend Sarah went to Ercoleum. Pompeii was
really cool! I’m so glad I got to see the ruins. I didn’t realize how big the
ruins are and it was truly amazing. We walked around for a good 3 hours and
probably only saw about half of it. We met up with the other three girls at the
train station to travel to Sorrento for the afternoon. Immediately we were in
search for food near the water. As we were walking down a street looking at
menu’s one of the host’s of a restaurant started talking to us as we walked by.
When we didn’t stop and said we weren’t interested, he said “Oh, so I guess you
don’t want good food? Sorry we aren’t McDonalds.” Did he think that he was
going to get us to eat there by haggling us? And then you insult us? No thanks.
Why they think that bugging people as they walk by is going to get them to stop
and eat boggles my mind. Let me choose and leave me alone. I will decide where
I want to eat. We ended up eating at a restaurant a few down from this one. The
waitresses were really nice and no one bugged us about eating there. The
service was great and the food was amazing too. I got pasta with swordfish and
pumpkin. It sounds like a weird combination of food, but it was really good! I’m
really glad I decided to try it out. I have found that since I’ve been here in
Italy, I have been more willing to try new things. I might as well try something
while I’m in Italy because it most likely will be good. After lunch, we made
our way down to the water and put our feet in the clear blue water. So nice!
Then we just walked around doing a little shopping. We made our way back to the
train station to head back to our hotel in Salerno. It was a very long day and
we were all exhausted, so we just hung out in our rooms and went to bed early.
On Monday we
decided to go to Positano for a day trip. We got a ferry there which was cool.
I liked seeing all the coast towns and the houses built into the cliffs. I
loved Positano! Upon arriving, I was in love. The beauty of the town can’t even
be described in words. Houses/shops are piled on the cliff with the beach
below. We walked through it a bit before finding a place to get some lunch.
This restaurant had a view onto the water had we been able to sit outside. But,
we were all fine with sitting inside to get away from the sun for a bit. I got
pasta primavera which was pasta with tomatoes, olive oil, and mozzarella. Soooo
good! I was so sad when it was all gone. It was a nice light dish that didn’t
fill me up too much. I was very satisfied with the meal and was just as happy
as could be during this entire trip. We walked around some more, shopping and
looking around. Eventually I went with Beckah, Russell, and Florence down to
the beach. The “sand” was extremely hot and I couldn’t even put my foot on it,
so I kept my shoes on the entire time. I couldn’t sit in the sun for that long
since it was a really powerful sun that I could feel was scorching my skin the
longer I sat there. So, Beckah, Russel, and I went to find some gelato. I got
some crushed lemon ice which was very refreshing and just what I needed. On our
walk back down to the beach to meet up with everyone else, I found a really
cute dress. It is a maxi dress, which I never thought I would be able to pull
off since I’m so short. This dress proved me wrong. I absolutely love it! I can’t
wait to wear it! It was like it was made for me. That night I actually wore it
to dinner. Unfortunately, we had to get back on the ferry to Salerno. I could
have stayed longer, but I know that someday I will be back there. Maybe I will
bring my kids there and reminisce about when I was there. Grandma, that needs
to be your next trip. You and Aunt Nancy should go to the Amalfi Coast instead
of Florida. It is beautiful and there’s plenty of shopping for A. Nancy :-)
We made it
back to the hotel and decided to watch the sunset on the beach. It was really cool
to see that and gave me some good pictures. The sunset on the beach is so much
cooler than any other sunset. After, we went back to the hotel to get ready for
our last dinner in the Amalfi Coast. I wore my new maxi dress and fell even
more in love with it. It was a really nice dinner and the old man that waited
on us was really sweet. His name was Pepino and he was the nicest old Italian
man ever. We got a few pictures with him and he rode with us in the shuttle to the
train station to say goodbye. So precious! We left the next morning to head
back to Florence and then back to Siena. All in all it was a great weekend and
I had a blast. This was probably the best trip I’ve been on in Italy. It was
relaxing and filled with some good memories. It was nice that it was right before
our last couple of weeks here. I am so grateful to have this opportunity and
this trip really solidified that for me. The entire trip I kept thinking, “Is
this real life?” I feel like I’m in a dream. It’s absolutely amazing and I am
having the time of my life. I can’t say it enough, but thank you to everyone
who made this possible for me. Mom and Dad, you really made this come true for
me and I am so glad that you guys are able to take a vacation to Italy and see
for yourself the things I truly love about this city. <3
