Sorrento, Pompeii, and Capri

My travels this past weekend took me south to the Amalfi coast where I visited Sorrento, the ancient city of Pompeii, and the Island of Capri. The weather was atrocious for the entire weekend, but despite the weather these cities were absolutely gorgeous. In pristine weather conditions, these cities would be amazingly beautiful!

We departed Rome, on Friday morning and took a bus to Sorrento ( about 4 hours) through the countryside of Italy, until we reached the coastline. It was particularly scary driving along the coastline in such a large vehicle as you could see the ocean below the high slopes of the cliffs on which we were driving. We then explored the small windy streets of Sorrento, admiring the hand painted goods and porcelain items. We also noticed the HUGE lemons, which are one of agricultural products of the area. Some of the lemons were larger than peoples heads, an amazing sight! We of course sampled the gelato as one does in Italy and then went out for a very nice dinner. This region of Italy specializes in the Neapolitan type of pizza, (which has a thicker crust than the pizza in Rome), it was a nice change in gastronomy.

Pizza napoletana

I was not as happy as I look in this terrible weather!

giant lemons!

The next day we headed to Pompeii. It was particularly interesting walking the streets of the city as we had learned so much about Pompeii in my high school Latin class. Pompeii receives  2.5 million visitors per year, which makes it one of the most visited sites of Italy. It was also only discovered 250 years ago, so it was a lost city for 1700 years. Pompeii dates back  to 79 AD when Mount Vesuvius erupted and froze the city in time under volcanic ash. An interesting note about Pompeii is that they actually spoke Oscan, Latin was not as common. However, Pompeii was the hub in southern Italy for money exchange when traveling to other cities in Italy.

inside the baths

Mosaic lining the floor of a wealthy home

Pompeii's version of McDonalds, but instead of french fries they would serve up different wines( some nearing 43% alcohol) and garum, a not so appetizing mixture of fermented cured intestines of small fish. 

the amphitheater of Pompeii

For the last day in the Campania region, our group traveled to Capri. Capri is an island off the coast, so it was necessary to take a short boat trip to get there. The seas were a bit rough, but we made it to Capri safely and most importantly dry. I really must visit Capri again when the weather is not as terrible as it was one of the most gorgeous places I have ever been. My pictures do not do the island justice. Because the weather was so terrible, we didn't have the opportunity to rent out a small boat and explore the famous blue grotto, or travel by boat to many of the lagoons around the island. We did go on a nature walk which gave us an amazing view of the coast line and the famous two rocks or in Italian,the Faraglioni. There were many shops to look at and a wonderful perfume factory with portraits of famous old movie stars who had visited the island lining the walls. The smell of lemons was also everywhere in Capri. The souvenirs all carried classic blue and yellow designs with depictions of the giant lemons of the island .

Buona Pasqua!

Happy Easter from Rome!
With the amount of Catholic influence on Italy, it is no surprise that Easter is a heavily celebrated holiday here. Having never celebrated Easter before, Rome has been an exciting place to experience during this time. The shops, grocery stores, and bakeries began preparing weeks ago and the beautiful pastries, giant eggs, and religious symbols have been popping up everywhere!

In my Italian culture class, we learned about a few of the traditions that Italian families observe during the holiday. As with most holidays, many have to do with food.

The Easter egg is a staple in most places around the world and is usually synonymous with the holiday, but in Rome the Easter egg is GIANT! I was very excited because I won one of these eggs in a raffle that my study abroad program put on. many different chocolate companies make these giant eggs, and inside of the hollow egg, it usually contains some sort of small present or trinket. As tradition has it, you give these eggs as presents to family members and on Easter Sunday, the egg is eaten for breakfast! Chocolate for breakfast doesn't sound like a terrible idea to me. I was very curious to see the egg and what mine had inside of it. As I unwrapped the blue paper of my egg, it revealed a VERY large hollow dark chocolate shell. I could hear that there was something inside of it so I opened it up to reveal a small plastic container. In the container there were 4 Baci balls( a very yummy Italian chocolate) and a small key chain which had a quote from John Keats in Italian "Le note dell'amore fanno la gioia piu grande." which means "The note's of love make the greatest joy".  There is more chocolate than I should be eating  in a month here, so I carefully put the pieces of the egg's chocolate shell and the Baci balls in the refrigerator for another day.

The Italians also have other food traditions on Easter. It is very common for lamb to be served for lunch. The pasqual lamb, or the lamb of god, is supposed to represent the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Along with the lamb, Italians have various cold cuts of meat with traditional breads. Finally they conclude the meal with a special cake called colomba. Colomba is a bit like panettone. It is shaped like a dove and represents peace and a new beginning. If you get the chance to try it, it is absolutely delicious.

The family is very important in Italy and Easter celebrations are meant to be celebrated with them. Friday and Monday are holidays here, and everything is closed for the entire weekend. Which means, one must prepare early for the entire weekend ( because NOTHING is open) and that people are given time off to celebrate, eat, and enjoy time with their families. It really is nice to see large extended families walking together on the streets and in the parks, just enjoying each other.

Of course, going to church is another tradition here and in Italy there is never a shortage of churches to go to. The Vatican has their own celebrations, and Catholics flock to the eternal city to hear a church service led by the pope. Tickets need to be booked way in advance, but St. Peter's square is packed with people.

Many students went away for the long weekend that we had off from school, but I am so glad that I stayed in Rome to experience Easter here. It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the celebrations and although I do not celebrate Easter for the religious reasons, the traditional and cultural aspect of the holiday have been a lot of fun to see, and taste :).

here are some pictures of the giant eggs in the stores and what the colomba cake looks like!

Sicily

Sicily was not at all what I expected. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect. We had learned a bit about southern Italy in my Italian class, but only that it was very rural and that there was a large cultural divide between the north and the south. So, when I arrived in Palermo, I was not expecting to see such a large and developed city. There is a lot of history in Sicily and many cultural influences from Africa, the Middle East, and its ancient Greek and Roman past.


Day 1:
I set off from Rome very early to catch our morning flight to Palermo with two friends. When we arrived, we took a train to Catania to try to find out Bed & Breakfast. The room was very nice and quiet. We had a lovely view of Castello Ursino( a Medieval Castle built for Fredrick II, King of Sicily)We did a bit of exploring around Catania, found the most amazing park all lit up beautifully in the evening, walked down their main street of shops and then went out for a very nice dinner. Catania was very close to the water, so the fresh seafood was amazing! We went back to the B&B to get a goodnights sleep, as we had to be up very early the next day to catch the 1 bus that left for Mt. Etna in the morning.

Castello Ursino

View from our B&B

Douomo

 Roman Ruins

Day 2:
We awoke very early so we could dedicate the entire day to exploring Mt. Etna. Mt. Etna is an active volcano. So, it is always  in a constant state of eruption. Seeing as it was a volcano and the weather in Catania was in the middle 60s, we all thought it was a good idea to pack shorts to go hiking in. The higher and higher the bus took us, the lower the thermometer measure went. When we finally arrived at our bus stop, we had a very cold shock, so we figured we would check out the prices in the gift shop for sweatshirts and pants. While we were there, I noticed a very strange red liquid with the title Fuoco("fire"). I asked the man in the shop what it was, who then excitedly poured me a small glass and told me to drink it( remember this is 10am). It was absolutely disgusting, but now I can say I have tried the "fire of Mt. Etna". After some crazy ( possibly illegal exploring of some of the craters), we got very hungry and had lunch overlooking the volcano. When we returned to Catania, we were all extremely exhausted! We read about a particular restaurant in our guide book, so we decided to check it  out. Sicily was much cheaper than Rome( which was a definite plus), so we decided to do a full meal Italian  progression. Everything was amazing, and I can also say I tried horse meat. Horse is a very popular meat in Sicily and the owner of the restaurant said it was the best thing on the menu. While, I probably wouldn't order it again, it was very good. 


Day 3
We explored the fabulous open air markets of Catania in the morning and then headed off to Taormina for the day. Taormina is a very small picturesque town atop of rocky cliff formations. We started by laying on the beach, and then met up with a friend from Rome to explore the Teatro Greco. This ancient theater was the highlight of my spring break. The view was unreal. We went in the afternoon, so the lighting was gorgeous on the soft red and white marble. 

Day 4
We awoke early again so we could catch our bus back to Palermo, where we would spend the remainder of our spring break adventure. The bus ride was about 2.5 hours, but the scenic country-side was so wonderful to see. Southern Italy was a very nice break from the crowded streets of Rome. It was nice to see some open land for a change. When we arrived in Palermo, we found our Hotel, set our things down, and went to explore the town. Palermo is a busy area, but it has different districts. We stayed in the Old Historic district, which had gorgeous gothic architecture and many of the cities main attractions. After a little while, we got hungry and as we were in Sicily I had to try one of their famous cannoli! Italy never disappoints when it comes to food! We then picked up some Italian scopa cards and taught ourselves how to play this Italian game. It is actually a lot of fun! 

Fish Market- Catania

Beaches of Taormina

Teatro Greco

Taormina

Day 5
This was our last day in Sicily so we decided to go to the famous Catacombs. This place was very creepy and extremely morbid. I have never seen so many dead bodies in my life! We weren't allowed to take pictures unfortunately, but trust me, it wasn't a very nice sight anyway. Legend has it, that the Sicilian people would pay exorbitant amounts to have their bodies preserved and displayed in this catacomb, the last body to be placed in the tomb was less than 100 years ago! The relatives of the dead would be responsible for paying an "upkeep" fee for their loved ones, if they did not pay the body was not maintained and would be placed arbitrarily on a shelf in the crypt. The crypt is divided into different sections, from priests' bodies, to professionals (people wearing suits), women, and then finally and most sadistically, children. All of the skeletons are hung up along the walls, forever displayed in their last choice of clothing. After the morbid beginning of the day, we headed to the beach, or Mondello. Mondello was so beautiful! The water was crystal clear ( very cold, but amazingly gorgeous) and the weather was perfect! After a long nap on the sand, we headed home for our last night in Palermo. We decided to try all of the famous Sicilian foods that night. We headed to a place recommended by the staff at the hotel. We ordered Arancini(fried rice balls filled with tomato, meat, peas, and cheese), Panelle( fried chickpea patties) and, crocchè( fried potato-like dumplings ). After that heart-attack of a meal we were extremely full and tired! We went back to the hotel for a bit of sleep before our 4 am bus trip back to Rome. 

some street food in Sicily

Cappuccino and cannoli

Teatro Maximus

Modello