Italy
It's been a little over a year since I left for Rome and nearly 8 months since I returned, but it has felt like an eternity since my plane delay in Madrid, when I was minutes away from hallucinations brought on by sleep deprivation. The blog could have been better; the tapering at the end was a product of not being at my apartment much and getting used to Rome. When I first arrived every detail was extraordinary and blog-worthy. Towards the end my feelings towards Rome hadn't changed, but besides uncovering the cultural quirks, I felt like I was beating a dead horse. Rome was awesome. It changed my life. I loved living there. All of these things were apparent at the time, but even though I knew I'd miss it, I wasn't able to predict how much. Returning would be different, but definitely not a bad different. I'm sure some of my memories have already been altered by my imagination, but the city, the monuments, the food, the smells, the people, those would be the same. I can say with great certitude that I will never have a four month period that will compare to my time in Europe.
Since I never fully wrote about all the places I went, I'll go through a little bit about each place, and pick out my favorites. I may have already forgotten the order of trips I took, but it'll be relatively close.
Venice
Venice was the first place I visited, and that's probably good. You may recall that I was not particularly fond of Venice -- this still rings true -- but I understand it's still better than 99% of the world. I maintain that it is Disneyland: Italia and nothing I've heard about it since has changed my opinion. I saw recently on a food/travel show that Venice now has a total of zero authentic restaurants. It's now a full-blown tourist attraction in the worst sense. The city is definitely unique and certainly a sight to see, but it's nothing more than another Italian site to see. A traveler would have to spend well over a month in Italy for me to recommend a visit to see the Bridge of Sighs. I realize I saw a beautiful, warm city when it was covered in snow, but my imagination provided a clear enough image of what it would be in the summer: fake and crowded.
But really it is unbelievably beautiful. Unbelievable in that I do not believe it to be a real city.
Best Part: Walking around the city during a light snowfall before anyone but the locals were awake, seeing the city from the canals, being there for Carnivale.
Worst Part: Fakeness, bad food, every store is a gift shop, being there for Carnivale.
Florence
The historically American city was just what I expected -- welcoming and beautiful. I stayed in a historic piazza just a few meters away from Galileo's tomb. I also has my first taste of Florentine steak, which provided me with my first of many transcendent meals. But, I didn't get a good feel for Florence until I returned with my family in May. So, fittingly, I'll return with my feelings towards Florence later.
Amalfi Coast
Venice was breathtaking(ly cold, but still beautiful), the Tuscan villas visible from the top of the Duomo aren't something I'll forget, but I'll go on record as saying this area southwest of Mount Vesuvius is the most beautiful in the world.
It's been a little over a year since I left for Rome and nearly 8 months since I returned, but it has felt like an eternity since my plane delay in Madrid, when I was minutes away from hallucinations brought on by sleep deprivation. The blog could have been better; the tapering at the end was a product of not being at my apartment much and getting used to Rome. When I first arrived every detail was extraordinary and blog-worthy. Towards the end my feelings towards Rome hadn't changed, but besides uncovering the cultural quirks, I felt like I was beating a dead horse. Rome was awesome. It changed my life. I loved living there. All of these things were apparent at the time, but even though I knew I'd miss it, I wasn't able to predict how much. Returning would be different, but definitely not a bad different. I'm sure some of my memories have already been altered by my imagination, but the city, the monuments, the food, the smells, the people, those would be the same. I can say with great certitude that I will never have a four month period that will compare to my time in Europe.
Since I never fully wrote about all the places I went, I'll go through a little bit about each place, and pick out my favorites. I may have already forgotten the order of trips I took, but it'll be relatively close.
Venice
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| Grand Canal, Venice |
But really it is unbelievably beautiful. Unbelievable in that I do not believe it to be a real city.
Best Part: Walking around the city during a light snowfall before anyone but the locals were awake, seeing the city from the canals, being there for Carnivale.
Worst Part: Fakeness, bad food, every store is a gift shop, being there for Carnivale.
Florence
The historically American city was just what I expected -- welcoming and beautiful. I stayed in a historic piazza just a few meters away from Galileo's tomb. I also has my first taste of Florentine steak, which provided me with my first of many transcendent meals. But, I didn't get a good feel for Florence until I returned with my family in May. So, fittingly, I'll return with my feelings towards Florence later.
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| Top of Il Duomo, Florence |
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| Mount Vesuvius looming over Pompei, its most famous victim |
Where the first two trips were jaunts, going to the Amalfi Coast was an adventure. This was the first trip where I began to see how important it was to have my travel buddy Tally with me. We took a slow train to Naples, a personal car (it may seem a little over the top, but it was the best way) to Pompei and then again to our private little village of Atrani. I wouldn't have had the foresight to plan any of this out. Looking back, this may have been my best trip.
Venice has always been relevant because of its long history as a capital of commerce. Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance, the era when those who had always had the means, finally found a way to utilize wealth and turn it into pleasure. But it was the Amalfi Coast and her naturally stunning environs who paved the way for a modern Renaissance. Even though, "L'esperienza de questa dolce vita" ("The experience of this sweet life") was penned by Dante in the early 14th century, it was here on the Isle of Capri where the phrase gained its full, modern meaning. The area is so beautiful that in 27 A.D., Tiberius, Augustus's successor to the Roman Empire, ran the empire from Villa Jove on the highest point of the island.
Venice has always been relevant because of its long history as a capital of commerce. Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance, the era when those who had always had the means, finally found a way to utilize wealth and turn it into pleasure. But it was the Amalfi Coast and her naturally stunning environs who paved the way for a modern Renaissance. Even though, "L'esperienza de questa dolce vita" ("The experience of this sweet life") was penned by Dante in the early 14th century, it was here on the Isle of Capri where the phrase gained its full, modern meaning. The area is so beautiful that in 27 A.D., Tiberius, Augustus's successor to the Roman Empire, ran the empire from Villa Jove on the highest point of the island.
When I reminisce about my time in Italy, my mind pauses on the image of Maiori just a bit longer than anywhere else. When I looked at my pictures after returning to Rome, I was disappointed that the quality of my photos of Maiori, a village I never visited, were not better. But I guess it doesn't matter all that much, since the image remains so vivd in my mind.
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| Maiori in the distance, with Atrani on the near left |
Venice was breathtaking(ly cold, but still beautiful), the Tuscan villas visible from the top of the Duomo aren't something I'll forget, but I'll go on record as saying this area southwest of Mount Vesuvius is the most beautiful in the world.
Just writing about this trip eleven months later is difficult because I miss it so much.
A 45-minute bus ride from the town of Amalfi to Sorrento on the north side of the peninsula is surreal. Even with the inevitable traffic jams, it's hard to be convinced this place exists outside of a dream.
After arriving in Sorrento we went straight to the marina and took a ferry to Capri. The cliffs, especially from the bay, seem to barely provide enough support to keep Sorrento from falling into the sea.
In Capri, an hour long stroll up and over the island's spine is nothing but perfect. I knew little of Capri beforehand, so seeing the relatively well-known image of the Faraglioni took me by surprise.
The most famous feature of the island was too cold to experience, but the waters of the Blue Grotto were the same color around the whole island, even if they didn't have the same glowing quality.
That night we ate at a little restaurant that rests precariously on the outcrop between Atrani and Amalfi. Da Zaccaria had no other patrons. The owner and only visible human working the front spoke no English. After a few minutes of "reading" the menu, which was exclusively in Italian, the small owner who came straight out of central casting took our menus and said what we believe translates to "You want food? I'll bring you food." Immediately were served the largest olives I've seen, accompanied by the best bruschetta I've seen or tasted. Next came the troughs of pasta and seafood. Italians, at least in the south, seem to rarely include any sort of meat in pasta dishes. The lone exception, I found, was seafood. We were served two or three two-foot-long oval dishes piled generously with mussels, shrimp, scallops, scampi, and other sea creatures that I couldn't quite identify. It all tasted amazing, obviously, and, paired with the scenery of the day, made this one of the best days I had while abroad. Just recently, I googled this restaurant and learned it is one of Mario Batali's favorite places in the entire regione of Campania, one of 20 regioni that comprise Italy.
The Amalfi trip concluded with a hike up to Ravello. It was about four hours round trip. After a stroll back to Atrani, we hopped in our car and zigzagged our way back to the Naples train station, still in awe of everything we had seen.
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| Cliffs of Sorrento |
After arriving in Sorrento we went straight to the marina and took a ferry to Capri. The cliffs, especially from the bay, seem to barely provide enough support to keep Sorrento from falling into the sea.
In Capri, an hour long stroll up and over the island's spine is nothing but perfect. I knew little of Capri beforehand, so seeing the relatively well-known image of the Faraglioni took me by surprise.
The most famous feature of the island was too cold to experience, but the waters of the Blue Grotto were the same color around the whole island, even if they didn't have the same glowing quality.
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| Faraglioni |
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| Town of Capri, Isle of Capri |
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| Looking back on Capri |
That night we ate at a little restaurant that rests precariously on the outcrop between Atrani and Amalfi. Da Zaccaria had no other patrons. The owner and only visible human working the front spoke no English. After a few minutes of "reading" the menu, which was exclusively in Italian, the small owner who came straight out of central casting took our menus and said what we believe translates to "You want food? I'll bring you food." Immediately were served the largest olives I've seen, accompanied by the best bruschetta I've seen or tasted. Next came the troughs of pasta and seafood. Italians, at least in the south, seem to rarely include any sort of meat in pasta dishes. The lone exception, I found, was seafood. We were served two or three two-foot-long oval dishes piled generously with mussels, shrimp, scallops, scampi, and other sea creatures that I couldn't quite identify. It all tasted amazing, obviously, and, paired with the scenery of the day, made this one of the best days I had while abroad. Just recently, I googled this restaurant and learned it is one of Mario Batali's favorite places in the entire regione of Campania, one of 20 regioni that comprise Italy.
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| Amalfi at dusk |
The Amalfi trip concluded with a hike up to Ravello. It was about four hours round trip. After a stroll back to Atrani, we hopped in our car and zigzagged our way back to the Naples train station, still in awe of everything we had seen.
Best Part: Everything
Worst Part: I had one largely mediocre meal, I guess? Maybe it could have been 10 degrees warmer?
Next: Barcelona, London
