Cinque Terre

Today we had our day trip with API to the beautiful Cinque Terre, the area in Italy famous for the 5 villages, interconnected and walkable in about 5 hours time. We met at Piazza San Marco at 7am, a tad but on the early side for most of us. The bus ride was about two hours, but there was a wreck in the area, causing us to detour, making us behind schedule for the day. We heard it was supposed to rain all day, so prayed for it to hold off, which it luckily did for the most part.

We arrived at La Spezia, where we took a ferry to our first town, Portovenere, passing by Giorgio Armani's yacht! We walked with the guide up to an outer tip of the town to a church where we could see a panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea and coastline. She told us that on a day like today, we would most likely see dolphins, but I didn't spot any. We were also educated on the flood that happened in Cinque Terre in October, that damaged much of the area, causing them to reconstruct so many historic towns, with some being much worse than others.

Via dell'amore

On the way down, we stopped at a pesto shop, where we got to try the best pesto I have ever tasted, while watching it be made. Cinque Terre is known for their pesto, seafood, sciacchetra (a dessert wine) and trofie (a pasta shape). It was so wonderful, we ordered a vegetable focaccia with pesto on top as well as a jar to take home. We later saw that it was ranked best pesto in the world by the NY Times! We departed by boat to Monterosso, where we were given free time to enjoy a wonderful seafood and pesto lunch followed by sharing a bottle of wine on the high rocks by the beach. It was an adventure to get up there, but was a spectacular experience to share with others. It started to drizzle as we were getting down and heading to Manarola by train. We walked down the Love Lane/Via dell'amore (from Romeo and Juliet) which connects Manarola to the next town, Riomaggiore. It was neat to see all of the locks and trinkets people have placed on the Love Lane over the years. Cinque Terre is a very beautiful place on the water that reminded me a lot of the Amalfi Coast.

Ciao,
Tarra

FIRENZE!

...It's everything I've ever dreamed of and then so much more!

The Duomo

We made it to Florence by bus which took 4 hours, but it seemed like a lot longer. Once arriving in Florence, the anticipation was dragged out because we had to get off the big bus and wait at a bus stop for a smaller van (which could fit down the alleys) to come get us. Of course we were the last apartment out of 80 people to get picked up. We waited 2 and a half hours for this van, making the eventual arrival to our apartment that much more exciting. Our apartment is adorable, and a lot different than I expected, but in a good way. We are on a quiet, authentic street with all Italian families living around us. At first we didn't like the fact that we weren't near everyone else in our group, but now we appreciate it, and are glad that we aren't in a new and renovated touristy area on the river. To be living with 8 other people would just be too overwhelming, so having just 4 is a good size for us. Our apartment has 2 bedrooms with 2 twin beds in each, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, a living area, and a balcony! Our balcony, which is connected to the living area as well as our bedroom, overlooks a little square with other apartments backing up to it. We cannot see the Duomo or the river from apartment, but it is very quaint, private, and authentic Italian living.

On the Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River

The good luck to return to Florence pig

We turned on the Italian radio while unpacking, and then headed to a corner cafe (which has become one of our favorite spots) and got a panini and glass of wine for only 5 euros! That evening, we headed to our orientation, which was followed by our welcome dinner on the terrace of a hotel, overlooking all of Florence. The next morning, we had a guided walking tour through the historical center of Florence, seeing all the markets, gardens, museums, statue of David, and much more. I touched the nose and put a coin in the mouth of the pig for good luck to bring me back to Florence (an old tale). We learned about the history and architecture of the Duomo and ended by enjoying a light breakfast at a place called Oblate. The Duomo was built in 1436, by 8 teams of men who worked all hours of every day and only got to leave every 15 days. We then had a very long academic orientation, receiving all the information on our classes and Lorenzo de' Medici school services and activities offered. After this, Carly and I walked around collecting necessities for the apartment and some prosciutto and melon to bring back for later.

Our group cooking class

That evening, we met on the bridge and went to our group cooking class with about 25 others at La Tavola. We were divided into smaller groups and our group got to go in the private kitchen to cook while everyone else was in one big room. We made from scratch an appetizer of eggplant stuffed with potatoes, zucchini, and cheese. For the entree, two pasta dishes where we hand cut and rolled every noodle after making the dough, tossing them in a meat sauce as well as a light tomato garlic sauce. For dessert, we made tiramisu which was so unbelievably easy to make. It tasted delicious and we were all so proud of ourselves and excited that they gave us the recipes to take home with us. API has done such a wonderful job so far, planning cultural and welcome activities to get us accustomed to the Italian lifestyle, I had no idea all of this was included, but so glad that I picked the best program!

Carly & Travis in the street act

After dinner, we watched men on roller skates do tricks and then a separate street performance. We were sitting on the curb when he picked out of the crowd our friend Travis who was across the road and then Carly. It was so ironic out of the hundreds of people there that the two of them got picked. He made them do funny things in his acts, but they were up there for a very long time. On the way home, a few of us sat outside at a cafe, and chatted over a glass of wine. Florence is an amazing place and I couldn't have picked a better city to study abroad in. I must live here someday!

La vita e bella (Life is good) in Italy!

Ciao,
Tarra

When in Rome

Tossing coins into the Trevi Fountain

Piazza Navona

Roma is definitely a large, crowded, touristy city that I would not want to stay in more than a few days but it was good to see such a historical place. Our first night, we had an orientation followed by our welcome dinner where we got to meet each other and then got rested for the day ahead of us. Monday, we went on a guided walking tour through the historical center of Rome, going through the Piazza Navona which was built in the 1st century A.D. on the Stadium of Domitian. We also saw the Pantheon (Basilica di Santa Maria ad Martyres). We ended the tour at the Trevi fountain where we threw pennies in the fountain for good luck! Afterwards, we took a bus ride to the Coliseum which was fascinating to see and be in after seeing so many pictures of it all my life. The architecture involved was so intricate and detailed; I was very amazed to hear that no one is sure who the architect actually was (poor guy is receiving no credit).

Coliseum

Tuesday we went to the Vatican City. It was raining so hard all day off an on unfortunately. We took a bus from the hotel to the Vatican area and upon arrival we received headsets so that we could listen to our tour guide throughout the day. We first saw the St. Angel Castle which was so beautifully built and when we reached the top, we were able to see all of the Vatican city (see picture). We had a 20 minute lunch break before going into the Vatican city, so Carly and I sat down at a restaurant, not realizing how long it would take to get our food and have time to eat it too. It was very delicious though! 

View of the Vatican City from St. Angel Castle

We waited in the long line, in the pouring rain, very anxious to get into the sacred Vatican City. It was so unbelievable being in such a holy place, and being able to look up and see the pope's studio where he can be seen at times and I have seen him on tv. St. Peter church is the most beautiful place I have ever been, with the sacredness adding to the experience. As we walked around the church, we learned the history of the building, heard stories of the saints, and saw the statues all around us. There was a map engraved in the ground on the center of the floor with all the churches around the world and size of them each. We got to touch the feet of St. Peter and say a prayer in one of the chapels in the front of the Vatican. To end, we walked through the basement of the Vatican seeing the late popes and the tombs they are still buried in. It was so fascinating to relate all of the stories and history of the Catholic religion that I grew up learning all my life and now to see it makes it so much more real. 

St. Peters Cathedral

Unfortunately, we didn't get to go to the Sistine Chapel because it was raining way too hard and had already been such a long day, and we had a 30 minute walk in the pouring rain to get home ahead of us. To finish off the day, a group of us walked across Rome in the rain to find a hole-in-wall authentic Italian restaurant, where we shared a family-style meal. We split into 2 tables of 5, getting to know one another a bit more, and then walked home in the downpour with the streets almost flooding around us. I was very anxious to get to Florence and out of such a large city and to be able to not live out of a suitcase like I had been doing for the past 10 days. Tomorrow is like Christmas, with Florence awaiting us, a dream I have dreamt for many, many months now! 

Ciao,

Tarra

Last few days in Sorrento :(

Maria Laura & dad picking flowers in her garden

the homemade lemoncello!

Friday, we returned to our restaurant, La Tavola di Lucullo for lunch like we told them we would. We had the three course - portate special with Risotto Gamberi & Limo Shrimps for our fist course and Tonno All'Acqua Patta for our second course. The risotto is a lot different here in Italy, it was more like a rice shape and the tuna was cooked, but still very delicious. For dessert we had an awesome lemon cake, with the consistency of tiramisu, which was very refreshing. They also brought us their homemade lemoncello of course, as well as a spritz, made of prosecco, orange juice, apple juice, and cranberry juice. Dad went next door to see their bar they also owned and met Maria Laura, who came over and sat with us while we enjoyed our dessert. She proceeded to tell us that everything in the restaurant came from her garden which was attached out back, and asked if we wanted to see it! Of course we said that would be a blessing, so she took us to the house she was born and grew up in over 60 years and gave us a tour of her beautiful garden, stopping at every different tree to pick us produce and flowers (oranges, lemons, roses, jasmine, and this huge lily flowers I can't remember the exact name of). We were so grateful and blessed that such a wonderful lady gave us this once in a lifetime experience we will never forget. Both Giovannis and Maria Laura helped us learn much Italian as we helped them learn English. I also got to speak to Maria Laura in French a little, trying not to mix up Italian and French, which was difficult for me. After spending the afternoon there, we told the manager and our waiter at the restaurant that we would be back for dinner and dad asked the pizza boy if he could teach me how to make a pizza later and he agreed.

Giovanni teaching me how to make pizza

1st pizza I ever made

Dad with our collection from the garden

We went shopping a little in Sorrento and I picked up my coral ring and earring set and a few other things in town before stopping at the hotel and then returning to La Tavola di Lucullo for dinner a few hours later. Giovanni, the pizza boy, brought me back behind the counter to teach me how to make my first Italian pizza with a wood-fire oven and all! It was the most simple but the most delicious ingredients that make all of the Italian food so wonderful. Dad ate the pizza Giovanni made and I enjoyed the one that I made. They looked identical (see above) and we were astonished at how easy they were to make! There was authentic live music again along with Italian dancers dressed up to entertain the restaurants customers. After dinner and lemoncello, we walked home with Maria Laura's filled vase from the restaurant, still in disbelief of the amazing experience we had that day. They made us feel like familia there at Ristorante la Tavola di Lucullo, we were so blessed to have come across such a neat hole in the wall spot!

Last meal in Sorrento at La Tavola di Lucullo

On our last day in Sorrento, we relaxed by the beach on the extension you can see to the left. It was such a great way to spend the last day, looking out over the Mediterranean Sea, sipping wine and enjoying some fresh italian appetizers. Dad went swimming in the water but it was way too cold for me. It was so crystal clear and beautiful though, and the sand was black which made it very hot to walk on. Later that evening, we contemplated trying many different restaurants, but the center of town was so jammed packed with people because it was a Saturday night, we ended up agreeing that we would go back to our favorite restaurant, for the fourth consecutive meal, and order our favorite dish for our last night in Sorrento together. We had the eggplant parmesan as our appetizer and both ordered the saffron, zucchini, and clam pasta for dinner, with lemoncello for dessert of course. They also gave us lightly fried whole shrimp as an appetizer as a farewell gift. Ricardo, the manager, also gave me the name of his friend in Florence who owns a leather shop, and as a fashion student, I am ecstatic about checking it out one of my first days in Florence! They were sad to see us go and we were sad to leave, but we will never forget the wonderful memories we had at La Tavola di Lucullo the past few days! 

Sunset in Sorrento

Sunday, we were up at 6:30 and took an 8:30 private car to the Naples airport, which was an hour long windy ride up the Amalfi coast where both dad and I felt the most car sick we have ever been. We caught the 9:50 train to Rome, hoped we got on the right one, an accidentally sat in first class without even knowing it. It was about an hour long train ride, and upon arrival found a taxi to take us to my hotel, where dad dropped me off with my group, bid a sad farewell, and headed to the airport. It was weird being in a crowded city with no water surrounding me like I had in Sorrento, but made the vacation feel over and the study abroad part began. Love and miss you already dad, have a safe flight. A presto (See you soon)!


Ciao,
Tarra