For this weekend my Italian family and I traveled to the Amalfi Coast! Before I get into telling you more about my weekend adventures, I would first like to explain who my Italian family is. This group of 8 CEA students consists of my closest friends here in Firenze. They are my support system and are my home away from home. I am so lucky to have found good friends like these and I am very happy to share my study abroad experience with them. All 9 of us, took a long bus ride from Firenze to Sorrento late on Thursday night. Sorrento is a small town in Southern Italy and is a perfect place to stay if you want to visit Pompeii/Positano/Capri. And in fact, we visited all three of those places.
Capri was the first destination we visited. This beautiful, rich island is just south of the Gulf of Naples. It is a very popular resort area for tourists and I think know why, it is spectacular. The views are breathtaking, the food is fresh, and the town is luxurious. One of the well-known things to do on this island is to shop. And don't worry mom, I actually did not give into buying overpriced shoes. I have to admit, I was very tempted though. A young college student traveling through Europe has to learn where to spend their money and I had to pass on buying goods from Capri. I did however do something that everyone should try to attempt when they visit this divine island. I hiked to the top of Monte Solaro! Monte Solaro is the highest point on Capri and reaches up to almost 600 meters (almost 2,000 feet) above sea level. This hike took me up a steep, rocky climb through a forrest to reach the top. This was probably the hardest hike I have ever done in my life. Unfortunately, I had been recovering from a cold and halfway into the hike it started to rain pretty heavily. There were many times when I had wanted to turn back but I had to completed this "intense rock climb" (as one of my friends describes it). The view from the top was amazing. I will never regret putting my body through that much pain to see the whole island of Capri. It was one of my most satisfying moments of my studying abroad adventures. Seeing the huge blue ocean and small white-washed town was a magnificent site.
When we all finally got back down Monte Solaro, after climbing down over 1,000 stairs, we went on a boat ride around the island. But because of the bad weather, we weren't allowed to see the blue grotto. Everyone was a little bit disappointed about that but I like the think of it as a good excuse to come back to this little island again. I would love to come back to Capri.
The next day all 9 of us went to my favorite town of this trip: Positano. We had to cram on a bus from Sorrento to Positano. It was so packed that we had to stand up in the aisle way. Now driving through the Amalfi coast in a packed Italian bus was an interesting experience. The roads along the coast are dangerously small and full of sharp turns but the views were amazing. I loved the experience. I thought of it as an hour long amusement park ride with beautiful glimpses of the ocean and cliffs. On the other hand, my other friends did not agree with me. They all felt pretty sick by the end of it. But in the end, it was all worth it. Positano was beautiful. This little hillside ciyty was full of brightly painted houses and blooming buganvilia. This all contributed to the sweet and lovable atmosphere Positano provided to me.
On Sunday, my Italian family and I visited the ancient ruins of Pompeii. Pompeii was just a short train ride away from Sorrento and was a great place to tour. I think of this old Roman town as a good site to explore. I loved climbing/jumping around all the rocks, viewing ancient amphitheatres, and admiring frescos. I have previously visited Pompeii with my family about eight years ago but I did not have any memories of it. I loved revisiting this site and I am so glad that i did.
Overall, my weekend was amazing even though the weather was not the best at times. I had many beautiful experiences that I know I will never forget.
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