This weekend I went to Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast. This area has to be one of the most beautiful in the entire world. The views were so breath-taking that it's amazing that anyone ever leaves.
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| Here's a happy picture! |
So, my weekend started off by waking up at 6 a.m. (12 a.m. for America) in order to get on the bus from IES that would take us to Pompeii. I was so tired that I was able to sleep on the bus for a little bit! (this is an amazing accomplishment for me). We arrived at Pompeii and were instantly amazed at the size of the ruins. Pompeii is a large city and there is still a lot more of it to be excavated. For me, Pompeii was a mixture of sadness and awe. The technological advancements, the art, and the architecture were all wonders of the ancient world. How did these people think of these things, would our own technology be further along if Pompeii had been found earlier?... It was amazing. However, looking at the people and knowing of the excruciating suffering that they endured before they died was heartbreaking. These people looked like they were in pain around 2000 years after their deaths. The art that I saw at Pompeii was just as amazing. The color that has been preserved and the use of perspective was a little overwhelming. Being so close to so much history and walking the same streets that the people I saw would have walked on just confirms that i really am going into the right area of study. We also got to see Vesuvius in the distance, which was really cool. Luckily, it wasn't smoking so we didn't have to run away!
We had a late lunch in Pompeii and then we got back on the bus and left for Sorrento. Sorrento is a port town that has been built into the cliffs on the side of the mountains. It is one of the most picturesque places in all of Italy and everyone fell in love with it's views and the friendliness of the town. Almost every girl decided that this was the place she would go for her honeymoon and many jokes were made about IES Roma: Wedding Edition. Since we were by the sea it was quite chilly at night and I had to bring out a cardigan for the first time. We were also all on the lookout for George Clooney because he supposedly has a house there (not surprising. if I were super rich I would have a house here too). On Saturday we woke up early again (6:45, ugh) and took the ferry to the island of Capri. Capri is not a very large island but I did A LOT of walking. After taking the tram-type-thing up to the town of Capri I made the trek up to probably Capri's second highest peak which is host to the Villa Jovis. The Villa Jovis was home to the Emperor Tiberius when he needed to escape the angry people in Rome. Tiberius was not a particularly nice emperor... From here we walked along the edge of the cliff on a path to get to Villa Lysis. Then we walked back to the main piazza of Capri where we took a bus to the other town, Anacapri. From Anacapri I took a chairlift to Capri's highest peak, Monte Solaro, at 589 meters (1932 ft).
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| View from Monte Solaro |
On Sunday we woke up at 7 a.m. to begin our tour of the Amalfi Coast. The coastline was beautiful but very scary. Our bus was so large and the roads so small and curvy that it was a miracle that we didn't fall off of the edge. Our stop at the town of Amalfi was really cool. We went into the cathedral of St. Andrew were I was able to see the relic that they have of his skull. On his Saint Day the ear is meant to secrete liquid which brings good luck. As we continued our tour though we found out that we would not be able to go to our last destination, Ravello. Ravello had experienced a large fire on Saturday and on Sunday the town was still smoking. We saw helicopters dipping into the sea in order to get water to the mountain village. Even though they were able to put the fire out there was still a threat of the mountain crumbling so we were forced to continue our town down the entire coast on our way back to Roma. This was really cool though because we got to see Sean Connery's villa and drive down the same roads as that famous James Bond car chase. Unfortunately, Italian drivers seem to think that all vehicles can move at the same speed along coastal roads. Let's just say that i would have felt much better if I had been in the car with James Bond.
Next weekend: Firenze
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