Monday, September 11, 2017
Florence -> Naples: Pizza and smoke, a trapdoor into history
We went to McDonald’s for breakfast today, the first time I’ve had it in a while. It was pretty much the same as the McDonald’s in America, except the menu was in Italian and they had some different items like the McToast with prosciutto, which I had. The bread was stiff and hard, was it supposed to be that way? Their restroom cost 0.50 euros.
Soon we were on a train from Firenze to Napoli; had a better view this time of the Italian countryside, the farms and fields of green and the rolling hills.
As we arrived, the sun turned into clouds and raindrops accumulated on the windowpanes. Naples seemed like a dirtier place than Venice and Florence—the cobblestone streets were littered, everywhere we went the smell of car exhaust and cigarette smoke followed us. The houses seemed more decorated though; the window balconies were made of embroidered structures.
Since Naples is known for their mozzarella cheese and pizza, we waited in line to eat at Gino Sorbillo. There were plenty of empty stands along the road selling pizza and paninis, but this restaurant was the exception, with people standing in the rain waiting for supposedly the best pizza in Naples. The menu was in Italian, so we just asked the server to pick 3 pizzas for us, and this is what we were served: pesto and tomato, mozzarella and spinach, prosciutto and arugula.
I really like pesto so the pesto one was my favorite. The crust was more like Naan flatbread, easy to chew and not very heavy. I don’t know whether it is the best pizza I’ve ever had, but it was very very good. Plus we were really hungry—it was about 3pm when we had our lunch.
We did a tour of Napoli Sotterranea, underground tunnels you’d find on the History Channel. It seemed like a great place to have a haunted house. They were built in the 4th c. BC, when Naples was founded. It was built initially as an aqueduct by Greek slaves using only hammers and chisels; it was probably the biggest aqueduct in southern Italy at 480km long and 38m deep, lasting 2000 years until the 19th century. During WWII it was converted into a bomb shelter. It was really fascinating—we saw one well that hadn’t been filled up, helmets they stored, and Roman cisterns (pic below).
We had to walk through some pretty narrow passageways—these allowed water to be pushed through the tunnels more quickly.
We also saw the remains of what used to be a Roman theatre—archaeologists are still looking for remains of the theatre, but it is difficult because modern establishments (modern as in 300-500 years ago) were built on top of the old ones (2000 years old) (see right pic below). The tour guide led us into a private home and moved a bed aside, revealing a trapdoor underneath which led to a wine cellar, which used to be the east entrance to the theatre (see left pic below).
In another room, which was turned into a carpentry workshop, we saw an arch that used to be the highest arch of the theatre. The windows of this room are now used for a Bed & Breakfast hotel.
I really wanted to go to a TIM store and get my SIM card straightened out; I hadn’t been getting phone service or data, which is frustrating because I paid 20 euros to have just that—phone service and data. I asked a bunch of random store clerks where the TIM store was, and they told me it was right down the street, 5 min walk, so Rachael and Alice waited for me while I went to go find it. But I never found it. I later realized they were talking about tobacco stores that sold TIM phone cards, not the actual store itself. When I went in, the man at the counter directed me to go to another tobacco store down the street, which then directed me to the actual store, saying it was right down the next street. I went down the next street and kept asking people in random shops, who all told me it was very close by. Unlike in Venice and Florence, most people in Naples didn’t speak English, so I found myself using Spanish words like teléfono and tienda, whatever they could understand. I couldn’t understand their Italian though, which was a bit problematic. After walking down many blocks, I finally turned back in frustration because if I kept going, alone and in the dark, I would get lost, and given that I didn’t have service and Rachael’s phone was out of battery, we would then have a real problem. I walked back with still no phone service or data, feeling angry and betrayed and sorry I made Rachael and Alice wait. Life is good, life goes on, I told myself. I will find a TIM store and get what I paid for. Eventually.
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Capri Island: A rough journey, but worth the views
I swear I can’t see where I’m going. We were running late for our 1 hr 20 min ferry to Capri Island because we went the wrong way, even with Google Maps. Looking for the ticket office, we went into the wrong building, and as I ran down the slippery stairs (it was drizzling) in a hurry, my boot slipped off the edge, and the next thing I felt was pain in my left ankle. I stood up wobbling and saw that my right knee was scraped and bleeding. Alice and Rachael ran to the ticket office and got our tickets, and I limped onto the ferry just before it was about to leave. Had I not been injured and bleeding, I would’ve been overjoyed that we had made it. Good thing I’m not playing tennis anytime soon, was my first thought. I asked the food cart person for a bag of ice, which he gave me, looking confused, and sat down with the bag pressed on my slightly lumpy ankle and my knee stinging while watching the view from the top of the boat, which was a pretty one.
To make the trip worse though, I became quite seasick. I felt like I was dying. I shouldn’t have come, I thought. I was considering not coming because there was the possibility I would have a phone interview that day; because my 4G wasn’t working I told the interviewer to call me directly rather than let me know via email, so it ended up being rescheduled. I must’ve looked awful, because a kind man came up to me and advised me to eat crackers and not to drink any water. He also advised me to go outside and towards the middle of the boat where it was less rocky. I nodded but felt so sick I didn’t want to move. I ended up staying inside but moving to the middle of the boat and closing my eyes. A while later the same man woke me up. The ferry was now empty. I thanked him and staggered outside, where I was greeted by warm sunshine, a chilly breeze, and the beautiful coast of Capri.
Capri was named after the cabras, or goats, on the island. Alice had the brilliant realization that the Capri Sun drink (you know, the one sold in those foil pouches) must be named after this island.
Colored houses and buildings greeted us at the coast, and white houses dotted the island. We went into a shop selling lucky bells. Another store was selling everything lemon (Capri is known for their lemons): lemons, lemon soap, towels and oven mittens with lemon artwork on them, a sample of limoncello—alcohol and lemon but mostly alcohol—that I couldn’t even finish—it was too much.
While Alice and Rachael did a boat tour around the island, I half limped around on my own, but felt better and more at peace. I wandered down to the beach and was hit by the smell of seaweed and clams.
There wasn’t much sand—a large wave crashed in all the way to the boardwalk I was standing on and a spray of water hit my face. The shore was composed of small rocks—the waves receding on these rocks sounded like fireworks that just exploded and are falling down the sky. The water was an aqua sky blue, dark blue towards the horizon, the cliffs of Capri white and beautiful. I ate my breakfast of crackers while watching people swimming and tanning. I sat there for a while, trying to decide if I should just sit there for the next two hours. In the meantime I had a staring contest with a seagull perched near me and caught sight of a couple lizards. And marveled at how blue the ocean and the sky was.
Finally I got up and walked 30 minutes uphill to Capri Central. At first I ended up in a deserted private dead end of old cars and oil mills; a man shook his head at me and told me to go back. The (right) road was a narrow uphill rock path, and eventually I came to a square of cafés with multiple tables and chairs arranged outside, and continuing on, streets lined with shops, ristorantes, cafés, and churches.
Had lunch at a restaurant by the shore that was probably more touristy than authentic, but we were hungry and didn’t really care. The food was not bad but not cheap either; I had linguine with clams and mussels (she said the clams were local and from Capri, but I guess I’ll never know for sure). Before that I had kiwi and lemon gelato. Kiwi was good, but the lemon peel pieces in the lemon gelato made it a little too authentic for my tastes.
Our only other plan for the day was to go up to Anacapri, which we did by bus. The ancient Greek prefix ana- means “up” or “above”, signifying that Anacapri is located at a higher elevation on the island than Capri. We took a relaxing chairlift ride to the top of the hill to get a beautiful view of the island, the farmlands and white houses, down to the coast. Sitting in a comfortable chair swing at the top, I probably would’ve fallen asleep had it not been for the hot sun beating on my back.
Alice and Rachael wanted to see Capri Central too, so I made the trek again to the square. I was craving fruit and a cold drink so I got an orange and lemon juice drink for 5 euros. The higher price was probably due to Capri being known for its lemons. Also the man squeezed the oranges on the spot. The acid wasn’t great for my stomach but my mouth was content—the drink was cold and refreshing.
Then walked around and explored the shops a little more. Lemon is definitely a thing here—we passed by plenty of shops selling lemon soap, drinks, candy…you name it.
Had a light dinner of arancini, rice balls coated with bread crumbs and then deep fried, usually filled with ragù (meat and tomato sauce), mozzarella, and peas. Ate while shivering but enjoying the view and the early sunset as it set behind the mountain.
Rachael and I didn’t want to be miserable on the ferry ride back, so we went to a farmacia and bought a pack of 12 gum motion sickness pills for 12.50 euros, which was really expensive and tasted really bad (like super minty medicine), but we were desperate. This ferry ride was about 30 min faster—a high-speed version—and the seats were in rows like in an airplane. I started feeling sick before I even got on the ferry, but thankfully was able to fall asleep for most of the ride.
I went to sleep that night feeling like the boat was still rocking beneath me.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Imagining the past glory of Rome
Took the train to Rome early in the morning. My ankle feels fine when I walk and only hurts in certain positions. Our hostel was right in the center of the city so not too far from the train station which was nice.
Went to il mercato centrale for lunch, which was only a 5 min walk away and full of individual shops selling delicious looking and delicious smelling food ranging from pasta and vegetable bread bowls to hamburgers and tiramisu. Finally decided on a slice of square pizza with anchovy, mozzarella, and tomato. And shared a scoop of fried calamari. It was quite salty but very tasty. I’m getting hungry just writing about this.
We had time in the afternoon to do some sightseeing at the Museo Nacionale Romano and Baths of Diocletian. Emperor Diocletian had the largest thermae (large imperial bath complex) in the Roman world built 298-306 AD. It accommodated over 3000, consisted of hot, warm, and cold halls, and was surrounded by libraries and gardens and gymnasiums, spaces for games and shows. It was abandoned in the 6th c. AD, after barbarians destroyed the aqueducts, and transformed into a church. Beautiful classical music played from a video clip as I walked outside and to the space where the baths used to be and saw a large empty pool that used to be the bathhouse. It looked so empty compared to the past grandeur it must have displayed with its mosaic and marble floors, refined wall coverings, and rich sculptural furnishing, which I could only imagine.
The museum showcased a brooch considered the oldest document of the Latin language and the oldest evidence of writing found in Italy:
I read about Roman demographics, society hierarchy, and culture. That their average life span was 30 years, and each woman had an average of 4-5 children. That they had secular games, celebrations at the end of each period (which was determined by a man’s maximum life expectancy) consisting of sacrifices (of pregnant black sow) and lavish offerings as well as staged performances and symbolic banquets. That production of cloth and textiles was important in each family group. They had an entire hallway showcasing the various artifacts collected from tombs. Each unique tomb contained pottery, jewels, and other objects identifying the one buried there.
I went outside into the courtyard, which was bordered by statues in togas, the formal outfit of Roman gentlemen. Many of them were headless or their arms were chopped off, which was a little sad-looking. I was very sleepy by now and just wanted to nap—I was sleep deprived and it was quite sunny outside.
I was getting impatient about finding a TIM store and had seen one in the train station, so when we passed by it I took the opportunity and made a detour. They didn’t know what the issue was with my service but were eventually able to contact the store in Florence. I walked out with phone service and data at last! I no longer felt lost and empty handed.
I joined Alice and Rachael at the Palazzo Massimo (and paid an extra 7 euros, forgetting the ticket from the Baths of Diocletian applied here too). There were heroic statues of Augustus, the first Roman Emperor who turned Rome from a republic to an empire, and of Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher emperor. I learned that the Romans assimilated Greek ideas after capturing them; apparently wearing a beard is a feature of Greek male fashion, as well as enhancing the facial and intellectual traits of sculpture portraits. At first glance, all the sculptures looked the same to me, so it was interesting to read how small things like hairstyle, facial features, clothing, and the way the eyes are sculpted can indicate the time period the sculpture is from.
There were frescoes and mosaics, some of which were placed in a balnea, public baths run by private individuals. In contrast, thermae were built by the state and were more comfortable and luxurious. People from every social class spent long hours in the baths not only bathing but also doing business and social networking. Imagine having coffee chats in the bathhouse rather than at Starbucks!
We wanted to find a dinner place close by, so I went on Yelp and just picked the #1 restaurant on the list, a fancy restaurant called Alessio that served dishes in small portions. I had their house specialty pasta with tomatoes and clams because it is the dish they’re most known for. I tend to go with things that are unique to each place.
We got gelato at Grom, an Italian gelato company based in Turin and now an international chain store. I had tiramisu (coffee flavor) and crema di grom (milk, chocolate chips, and cookies). It was like ice cream but a little creamier.
Thursday, September 14, 2017
In Rome, but not really in Rome…
because I didn’t do any sightseeing today. Instead, I stayed in our room all day for interviews. Physically I took a break, but mentally I was exhausted and just wanted fresh air. I went out to the market for lunch at 2 and, craving vegetables, had a salad bread bowl, though the artichoke and veggies were quite salty (or was it sour? Probably both).
I stopped by the post office to send postcards and gifts, though it took longer because I had to find the bookstore to buy packaging first. I felt somewhat productive walking around. I went to the gelateria but no one was at the counter. I had no appetite for food, only fruit, so bought fruit at a grocery store, and then saw someone blending smoothies so decided to get a strawberry banana apple and yogurt smoothie, which became my dinner. This is how my body tells me that I’ve deprived myself of fruit over the last two weeks.
Friday, September 15, 2017
Did you know Vatican City is its own country?
Woke up early today to make it to the Vatican City before 8am.
I had a phone interview this morning at 8am—which happened to be when the Vatican City tour began. So I had to skip the introduction. I was being asked a brain teaser when the tour guide started moving towards the entrance of Vatican City, and I had to get up and move, or else wouldn’t be able to go in. I had a bunch of receipts in my notebook, and they fell out as I got up. While I struggled to pick them up, I apologized to the interviewer and she said don’t worry, take your time, thinking I just needed time to think about the question. I was also heading into the crowd, so it got quite loud around me. I finished the call minutes before we entered the Vatican City. Needless to say that wasn’t the best planning. But I got to shake it off right away in a beautiful city with so much history and architecture.
The Vatican City is the smallest but one of the richest countries in the world with over 6 million visitors a year. It is an independent city state ruled by an absolute monarchy with the pope at its head. The pope’s official residence is the Apostolic Palace or Papal Palace, which contains the Papal Apartments, Vatican Museums, and Vatican Library, which includes the Sistine Chapel.
The first thing we saw once we got in was two intertwined staircases—one going up and one going down. My eyes became disoriented trying to follow them.
Our tour guide told us about the Sistine Chapel outside in the garden because she wasn’t allowed to inside the actual Chapel. The word chapel means small—the Sistine Chapel used to be the private chapel of the pope. It was painted in 3 years by various famous artists, all with a common theme to promote harmony—they were restricted on what they could paint and used the same colors. Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Julius II in 1508 to repaint the vault, or ceiling, of the Chapel. He initially refused to paint the ceiling—after all, he was a sculptor and had zero experience in frescoes. Unlike paintings, frescoes are done rapidly in watercolor on wet plaster; the colors penetrate the plaster and become fixed as the plaster dries. So Michelangelo had to put wet plaster on the wall, then make sketches and put the colors on before it dried. It took him 4 years to paint the ceiling, which he painted alone and in a standing position using a scaffold. My neck got tired just from looking up at the ceiling for a few seconds.
She then proceeded to explain the layout of the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. It was like a book of theology, created for the purpose of teaching, she explained. There are 9 frescoes, with the New Testament on the left wall and the Old Testament on the right. The ceiling, which Michelangelo painted, depicts scenes from Genesis: the creation of the world and of man, the Garden of Eden, Noah’s ark.
It took Michelangelo 5 years to paint The Last Judgment, commissioned by Paul III, a Counter-Reformation pope. In the painting, which covers the entire back wall of the Chapel, the heroic figure of Christ is depicted with the saints clustered in groups around him. At the bottom left of the painting the dead are raised from their graves and ascend to be judged. To the right are those who condemned to hell and are dragged down by demons. She told us the funny story of how Pope’s Master of Ceremonies Biagio de Cesena accused Michelangelo of immorality for painting nude figures in a holy place, and in response Michelangelo put da Cesena’s face on the face of Minos, god of the underworld. Unfortunately they didn’t let us take pictures inside the Sistine Chapel; our tour guide gave us 10 minutes to silently absorb as much as we could of the immense, detailed artwork.
We continued into the Vatican Museums. In a room of sculptures, the guide told us that the faces are real but the bodies are created like gods. She showed us the optical illusion arch, which looks like an arch from a distance but as you walk up to it, you realize it’s flat. We walked into an octagonal courtyard—thank the Romans for Greek art, as we only know Greek art through the Roman imitations, she told us. She explained how they represented the Greek gods in distinct ways: Apollo as a hero, the river god lying down to represent the flow of the river, Poseidon always standing.
I learned about the 9 muses and that the words museum, amusement, music are named after muse. I learned that they melted down bronze statues to make armor. We walked by elaborate tapestries and 3D-painting ceilings that made the objects in the painting look like they were jutting out. And down long spacious halls decorated all around by intricate artwork—it was so grand it filled me with awe.
We ended our tour at St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world, designed by Bramante, Michelangelo, Maderno, and Bernini. Catholic tradition holds that Saint Peter, the first Pope, was buried here. The dome was quite magnificent; its architects looked to the domes of the Pantheon and Florence Duomo as models.
After lunch we visited the Castel Sant’Angelo, a castle with papal luxurious apartments that served as places of refuge when the pope was forced to flee the Vatican. The Roman emperor Hadrian commissioned its construction in the 1st c. AD as a mausoleum to house his remains and those of his descendants. In its history it has acted as a fortress, prison, Renaissance dwelling, and barracks, and is now a national museum.
From the castle windows we had a beautiful panoramic view of the city and the Tiber river. Out of all the cities I’ve visited in Italy, I think Rome has the best architecture.
From there we walked to the Piazza navona, a large open rectangular plaza with 3 fountains, surrounded by cafés and museums and other red, orange, white, peach and tan (basically, various shades of color) buildings.
Someone dressed as Michael Jackson was dancing to Michael Jackson, a small band was playing guitar music that established a leisurely and relaxed atmosphere, another woman was sketching face portraits—we watched her draw for a while; she was really good. Bought a gelato cone (can’t remember the flavor), though the gelato melted and spilled down the cone and all over my hands, making them very sticky.
We continued on to the Trevi fountain, the largest Baroque fountain in the city that has also appeared in several notable films, including Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita and Three Coins in the Fountain.
While we were sitting there, an older couple in front of us was trying to take a selfie in front of the fountain and a man came up and offered to take their picture for them. The couple reluctantly agreed, saying we’re not giving you any money, but he insisted on taking their picture. He then took out his own Polaroid camera and had the couple kiss as he snapped shots on his camera, and proceeded to ask for money in return for these nicely taken (but unasked for) Polaroid pictures. Another tactic was worse; I saw several people shove roses into people’s hands, saying it was a gift, and then ask for (more like demand) a donation. People just started refusing the roses outright. I wonder how much they actually get out of tourists this way.
We finished our long day at the Spanish Steps at the Piazza di spagna, built by Bernini.
Dinner was crepes with mushroom (again, looking for vegetables). Dessert was pistachio tiramisu–light, fluffy, and the right amount of sweet. I ate it too quickly.
While we were enjoying our tiramisu, we came across an opera singer performing at the Piazza di spagna. He seemed like another singer just trying to make a living, singing in a deep vibrato voice. Then all of a sudden he sounded like a female opera singer, singing in a perfect high pitch voice! Our mouths dropped open. He was so good with the dual voices. I’d never seen a street performer receive so much change. What is he doing here? I wondered.
The buildings blocked our view of the sunset but it was still very beautiful.
Saturday, September 16, 2017
The Colosseum!
I was out the door by 7:30am. Since I had missed a day of sightseeing on Thursday, I spent the morning visiting the Colosseum area. On the way there I walked through a park square and saw a cat lady with a bunch of cats, a group of older women practicing tai chi, people running and walking their dog. For a second I thought I was in China.
People jaywalk all the time in NYC, but at least the intersections in New York are pretty narrow. I was at a wide street, maybe 5 lanes wide, and cars were passing by. I was standing there waiting for them to pass when a man came up from behind me and just started walking across the street! I was surprised how bold he was, as this wasn’t some neighborhood street but a main street. The cars stopped obediently and we crossed.
I walked through another park, and there it was! The Colosseum.
I started at Palatine Hill, the site where the original Romans lived, where senators and emperors lived, and where the legendary Romulus and Remus were kept alive by the she-wolf. The English word palace comes from palatine; as the first imperial palace, the Flavian palace became a model for all later palaces. I came here first thing in the morning, so barely anyone was here. I wish I could’ve seen the full splendor of the gardens, fountains, and sculptures, and the luxurious marble paneling and frescoes of the palaces. The area was quite large, especially since I hadn’t had breakfast.
The nice thing about going alone is that you can go wherever you want (and make that decision on a whim) and take as much time as you want. I saw the remains of a brick apartment built in the 2nd c. A.D., the palace courtyard that used to hold an octagonal pool and sculptural fountain—and plump pigeons.
The Roman forum was connected to the Palatine Hill (lies in the valley surrounded by Palatine Hill and other hills). During the Republican period (5th-1st c BC), this was the political, economic, religious, and commercial heart of Rome. This was the center of day-to-day life, where ancient government buildings were located and where processions, celebrations, and public speeches were held. I walked through the mess of ancient buildings and ruins, including the Temple of Romulus and honorary columns. The disorderly appearance was due to frequent fires and civil strife, which destroyed these buildings.
The Colosseum, aka the Flavian Amphitheatre, was much more crowded. It was built by the emperors Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian (of the Flavian Dynasty) over the course of 10 years, using plunder from the conquest of Jerusalem in 70 AD. It was estimated to seat 40,000 to 70,000 spectators. What I didn’t know about the Colosseum was that after the 6th c, when gladiatorial contests and public spectacles were no longer held, it was used for housing, subsistence farming, commercial, and spinning wool, and has been transformed into a stable, a slaughterhouse, and storehouse. I also had never seen it from the inside, so I expected to see a large stadium and then a flat battleground at the ground level. Instead I saw a maze of underground passageways, a subterranean network of tunnels underneath the arena where caged animals and gladiators were hidden and then raised up by elevators and pulleys.
In the 1960s, Pop Art raised this national and iconic symbol of Rome to a fetish of Italian culture, kind of like Coca-Cola how stands for American identity, which I thought was interesting. As I was walking around the Colosseum, a band was playing outside with a small crowd gathered around it. It reminded me a little bit of Disneyland. Maybe I was just in a happy mood.
I met up with Alice and Rachael at the Pantheon, a Roman temple dedicated to the gods of pagan Rome and the best preserved Roman ancient building. There was a skylight at the top of the dome ceiling, or what I thought was a skylight—until it started raining inside. It holds the tomb of Victor Emmanuel II, ruler during the Risorgimento. Apparently it’s still used today for marriages.
On the way to the Piazza di spagna, I had gelato at the biggest gelato shop I’ve ever seen—the flavors stretched from wall to wall, and there were multiple variations of chocolate and pistachio and more. It took me a long time to decide on uva (grape) and dolce latte.
Alice, an English major, really wanted to see the Keats and Shelley museum, so we went. There were letters and documents from the writers’ lives, books they had written, a painting of a house surrounded by nature where he wrote his famous poem “Ode to a Nightingale,” on which I wrote an essay way back in AP Literature. We saw the cozy room where Keats lived in before he died of tuberculosis and the view from his bedroom window of the Piazza di spagna and Spanish Steps.
Alice and I spent the rest of the afternoon biking at Villa Borghese park. I made the mistake of picking a bike rental place at the Piazza di spagna, so we had to maneuver through crowds of people walking leisurely in the streets (and narrowly avoid biking into them) and bike up a hill to get to the actual park. For me, the shade provided by the abundance of trees and the cool breeze and the beautiful park made the bike ride quite relaxing and the initial uphill ride worth it. And of course, the view.
We grabbed dinner at the mercato near our hostel. After going through the day on a square slice of pizza, an apple pastry, and gelato, I was ready for some carb-heavy pasta. I ended up having tagliolino al tartufo fresco for 20 euros (I was hesitant about the high price but the cook said this was what they’re known for), tagliolino pasta with thinly sliced truffles from Tuscany. I watched them make it (that’s when I asked about the truffles) and saw one of the chefs slicing pork. Concerned that my pasta only had mushrooms and cheese and nothing else, I half-jokingly asked him to add the pork to my pasta. He seemed almost offended at the idea, and said don’t worry, the pasta is good as it is. He asked me where I was from, and when I said California, he said how funny, two Californian guys asked the exact same thing the other day! You guys don’t understand the Italian style, he said. You don’t add all this other stuff to it.
After that lesson in Italian cuisine, I sat down with my pasta and enjoyed every bite of cheesy, salty, flavorful goodness. Who needs meat or vegetables with their pasta anyway?
Since it was my last day in Italy and I hadn’t had cannoli yet (pastries from Sicily), I treated myself to one: sweet creamy ricotta cheese filling topped with pistachios and almonds. I would say it was better than Mike’s Pastry. The ricotta cheese was so creamy and fresh.
I know these are really long posts, but our days were packed and used to the fullest, and I want to remember all the amazing places I’ve seen and experienced. After 10 days of walking all day, eating out for every meal, and moving to different housing every couple of days, I was pretty tired and ready to go back to a more stable living style. However, I would argue all that money spent on food and museums and such was well worth it. Out of all the cities I visited in Italy I thought Venice to be the most charming, but Florence and Naples and Rome each have its own charm and if I were to live here I would probably live in Rome. Some of my favorite things about Italy:
- Drinking water fountains: not ugly like in America but actually fountains—any running water is safe to drink
- The gelato: so authentic, fresh, local, and delicious
- The relaxed atmosphere: people generally are friendly and willing to help lost tourists, street performers playing music in the streets and the squares, people here really take the time to enjoy life
Italy is an amazing country, and I would love to come back and see Milan, Bologna, Pompeii…
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