Roma

 

 I finally finished my midterms on October 20th, all three of them on my birthday no less, and could catch my breath for a minute before my Fall break began. My boyfriend Grant flew into Rome Friday to travel with me. The train strike, a very common irritant in Italy, put a wrench in my travel plans to get to Rome, but thankfully Perugia has a Sulga bus that takes passengers directly to Fiumincino. We stayed in a hostel right by the train station, which was both cute and convenient. (And they had a dog, which was an added bonus!) The two of us just wandered around Rome that night, and had wonderful pizza at a hole in the wall restaurant near Santa Maria Maggiore. Most of Rome was spent wandering, it's impossible not to stumble upon a ruin or a church in Rome. Thursday Rome had terrible rain, so the Metro, Colosseum, and the Forum were closed, but it's easy to see them from the street (although I wish we could have gone into the Colosseum). We went to the Victor Emmanuel monument, which I learned about and was told it was huge, but it was absolutely enormous in person.

Caroline was in Rome for a class field trip, so we met up with her and her friends Aviva and Melanie for dinner at Ostello di Fiori, a tiny family owned restaurant right next to the Piazza dei Fiori. I had ravioli (of course) with spinach in a rich broccoli sauce. It was the perfect meal for a chilly night. The lighting was awful for taking pictures, so I don't have any from dinner. Aviva, Caroline, Grant and I went to Piazza Navona where Bernini's Four River's Fountain stands in a grand plaza. Aviva told us that the rocks were carved out of travertine, and that the magnificent figures sitting atop it in marble were fitted perfectly into the travertine, rather than carved all from the same material. Seeing it in person makes it a true marvel of engineering, art, and craftsmanship.

Victor Emmanuel monument

The cafe right by the Four Rivers Fountain

Remarkable craftsmanship

Another highlight was seeing the Pantheon. It is truly a feat of engineering, and to have it survive this long in such good condition is remarkable. We discussed in my classes how many ancient buildings were kept in good condition because they were transformed into churches. The Pantheon is almost 2000 years old, and was converted into a church in 609. It is breathtaking and massive.

Rome from the historical aspect is incredible. So much happened in that one spot over thousands of years, and to see how it has struck a balance between old and new was interesting to observe. I loved the ruins, I loved the art, I loved the architecture. This city is extremely fortunate to house such a broad range of historical monuments. However, I have to say that Rome was not my favorite city. Maybe it was because I didn't know anywhere to go or eat, but to me it didn't feel truly Italian. It was hard to get a sense of the lifestyle of the Italians that lived there, and it mostly seemed like a city dedicated to tourists. And aside from the pizza and Ostello di Fiori, the food was expensive and underwhelming. The public transportation system was frustrating as well- I have yet to master any bus system in any city I've been in, but Rome's was particularly confusing. 

I have two more weekends coming up in Rome, so hopefully I will see a different side of it, and see it in a new way. My high school art teacher, Susan Gottlieb (who has a wonderful blog of her own, seen here) will be in Rome later in November, so she will show me the nooks and crannies of the city.

Beautiful wedding at a church we went into.

Sorrento and Capri

I had a very short weekend in Sorrento this past weekend with a day trip to Capri. Two of my closest friends from home were visiting Italy, and I met them down there. Sorrento was a beautiful little town with a lot of character. Being on the water was a welcomed change of pace, especially in terms of food. In Italy, each region has its own food that stems from locally available ingredients. They don't import food as much in the U.S.-the food options change every season. (lots of pumpkin dishes right now in Perugia-in heaven) Umbria has amazing food, but since it is a land-locked region, there is no seafood. Sorrento is right on the water, meaning tons of fish! The area is also famous for it's citrus, and in particular, lemons. They don't just grow average, run-of-the-mill lemons there though, they grow gigantic, pushing three pound, lemons. 

I didn't even know they existed!

The views from basically everywhere were amazing. The windy, narrow roads down from our hotel were a bit treacherous, sometimes with no guard rails, but with a view like this, I could get used to it.

And this was the view from the hotel at night...

We mostly just wandered around Sorrento, but we ate at a wonderful restaurant called Cafe Latino, where we ate in a closed gazebo surrounded by space heaters. I was very surprised at how cold it got at night, considering how far south we were. The waiter suggested I try a fish millefeuille as an appetizer, and I haven't been misguided by any waiters so far, so I gave it a shot.

It was a small local fish wrapped in thin slices of eggplant, topped with tomato sauce. It was absolutely delicious. Since I've been in Italy, I have also been enjoying eggplant. I didn't like it before I left- I obviously didn't have it prepared properly because I have enjoyed it grilled, sauteed, and used as a wrap like in this appetizer. Completely converted. Now all I have to do is learn how to make it myself for when I go home. 

Sunday we went to Capri, which was absolutely gorgeous. The water was beautiful, the steep cliffs that surrounded the harbor were stunning, and the view from Anacapri was amazing.

It was a beautiful day, and though I missed the blue grotto, I felt like I got a good sense of the island. It's just an excuse to go back and see more!!

Firenze and Orvietto

Two weekends ago I went back to Florence to see Caroline and to go to Orvietto. She found Castello Santa Cristina, an old castle on top of a hill in Orvietto, where we went horseback riding with another friend. The trail took us to the largest volcanic lake in Italy, Lake Bolsena. We rode all day, through woods, past Etruscan ruins, through vineyards and fields. The views the entire time were spectacular, and what made it even better was that the guide let us really ride our horses, cantering and galloping. We stopped for lunch along the water, where we had a leisurely meal with some other people from the castle, and took a nap along the dock. It was absolutely amazing to get back in the saddle and ride again. Riding is such a big part of me, and I was on cloud nine the entire day. It made me realize just how much I miss it. I'm more determined than ever to make it more of a routine in my life.

Our guide on the ride was one of the most interesting people I've met. Vicki has traveled all over the world, working her way from country to country. She ranched in New Zealand and Australia, has worked in Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Germany, and has been to South America. Being that free and experiencing such unique aspects of a country sounded amazing. She had so many stories!

The next day we went to the top of Giotto's Bell Tower in Florence since the Duomo was closed.