Amalfi Coast!

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