Here Comes the Sun...?

My trip to the Amalfi Coast this weekend was my last overnight adventure of the semester. It's hard to believe that there are only 3 weekends left! The weather wasn't as warm as I would've liked for a trip to the beach (it ranged from chilly and cloudy to partly cloudy...at least it never rained!) but the southern coast of Italy is breathtaking. 

It was my 3rd trip and final trip with Bus2Alps (I also went with them to Interlaken and on my Spring Break adventure). We stayed in a hotel in Sorrento and visited different coastal towns each day. 

Capri

Our Friday excursion was to the island of Capri. We took a ferry from Sorrento and, when we arrived, we boarded private boats for a tour around the island and a rowboat voyage into the Blue Grotto. 

The entrance to the Blue Grotto is just big enough to get a tiny rowboat through. Even then, the four of us in the boat had to lay on top of each other. When we glided through the hole, the driver laid on top of us and pulled us through using a rope. Inside the Grotto, it was pitch black and all of the drivers were singing in Italian (but we still didn't tip them!). Our boat turned and we gazed at the blue water that was illuminated by the light shining through holes of the cave. It was gorgeous. Unfortunately, cameras tend to dislike dark caves and my shutter spazzed out. Regardless, you should get some sense of the grotto's beauty. 

When we arrived back at Marina Grande, we hiked about 20 minutes up some stairs to the town of Anacapri. If you're unfamiliar with the products of this region, Capri and Anacapri are famous for lemons and custom, handmade leather sandals. In just one little shop, you could sample lemon-infused chocolates, sip some limoncello (an Italian lemon liqueur), and have a cute, old Italian man make your sandals right in front of you. Unfortunately, the simplest of sandals were about €60. No thanks. 

I erroneously choose to believe that old Italian men like this
make the shoes that I buy at Target. Ignorance is bliss.

Positano

On Saturday, we visited the town of Positano. It's mostly a beach town but has many cute, handmade dress shops. We were supposed to take a private boat to a secluded beach to do some 40-foot cliff jumping but, much to my disappointment, the waters were too rough for safety. Apparently, you only land about 5 feet from the rocks and the Mediterranean is just too strong for its own good. 

It was partly cloudy all day so we laid on the beach for a bit but, by mid-afternoon, we were freezing and decided to go exploring the dress and ceramics shops of Positano. I didn't fulfill my goal of swimming in the Mediterranean this weekend but there's still time. Just putting my feet in the water nearly gave me hypothermia! 

Pompeii

On the way back to Florence on Sunday, we stopped in Pompeii. Last week was Culture Week in Italy so all museums (including the ruins of Pompeii) were free! It was interesting but, after about an hour of walking through the park, my roommate Ella and I were ready to get out of there. Being the morbid person that I tend to be, all I really wanted to see were the dead people. It's insane to look at the frozen figures and wonder what was going through their minds right before they died of suffocation. I thought, "How scared would I be if I saw Vesuvius erupting? How would it feel, knowing that my death is imminent and that there's nothing I can do about it?". Pretty profound to think about...

Southern Italia (Generally)

-Something you notice when traveling through Southern Italy is the fruit trees. There are lemon and orange trees EVERYWHERE! Moreover, all of the towns we visited had these GARGANTUAN lemons at the markets. We called them "Mutant lemons" and they were about as big as the average human head. I have never seen anything like them! 

To put things into perspective, to the left are avocados and
to the right are normal sized lemons. 

-Southern Italy (more specifically, eastern Sicily) is known for a frozen fruit drink called Granita. It's just fruit, fruit juice and ice and they are delicious! A typical combo is lemon granita topped with fresh squeezed blood orange juice. You haven't lived until you've eaten a blood orange. I'm planning on smuggling some through customs when I leave Italy and I PRAY that I can find them in the states. 

-Southern Italians are MUCH more friendly than Northern Italians. The relationship of Southerners and Northerners in Italy is almost a mirror image of the relationship between these 2 groups in the US. People in the North see themselves as more refined, intelligent, and mature. They are a bit rude and see those in the South as lesser Italians. Southern Italians tend to be more religious than in the North and they are also much more hospitable. Yeah, the southern men are more forward towards women, but it's nice to walk down the street and have people say "Buon Giorno" to you. You don't get that in the North of Italy. If I ever moved to Italy permanently, I'd definitely stay in the South. 

Il Capitano! Looks like a Luigi to me!

Dad and Lin come to visit this weekend and I will be playing the role of tour guide! I could not be more stoked to see them! Dad is bringing gum and that is a VERY good thing...I'm going through withdrawals. 

I can't wait to see this goofy lookin' guy!
Just kidding, Dad. You're a stud. 

Baci!

~Britt

Under the Tuscan Sun

Being stationed in Florence this semester, I have been living in Tuscany for the past 3 months. After my program took us on an excursion around the hills and smaller towns of Tuscany, however, I realize that I am just now meeting the real Tuscany.

Siena
About an hour outside of Florence is the medieval town of Siena. I absolutely fell in LOVE with it! Since it is medieval, it is built on a hill and fortified with a stone wall that circles the city. It's exactly what you think of when you imagine a town in Toscana.

The society of Siena is based on 17 different neighborhoods dating back to the middle ages. Each neighborhood is represented by a different animal and that animal is displayed on placards, statues, flags, and signs throughout that particular community. Among the 17, I loved the unicorn, rhino, snail, fish, dolphin, and owl. They were so cute! The neighborhoods exist to make a larger community smaller. Our guide described it as being a part of a big family. There are pretty strict rules regarding the symbols but the bottom line is: once a panther, always a panther. You're actually baptized a second time into the community in which you are born. I love this concept!

Siena is also very well known for its cookies and cakes. I had the pleasure of eating 2 of the most famous cookies at one of the oldest pasticceria in the town, Nannini.

Panforte (literally, strong bread) consists of honey, chopped nuts, and dried fruit. It was given to armies during medieval times to sustain them during battle. If you've ever eaten a Clif Bar, that's kind of what it tastes like...but way better!

Ricciarelli were my favorite of the 2. It's basically a simple almond paste cookie sprinkled with powdered sugar. It's hard on the outside and soft on the inside!

And I have to mention the Pici. It's the handmade pasta typical of Siena. I got mine all'arrabiata (basically, with a spicy red sauce) so it ended up looking like bloody worms. Mmm.

Fonteverde Spa


After Siena, we drove through the hills to a spa resort where we were treated to their thermal baths. There were A LOT of old people. And many of them were wearing very unflattering swimsuits. Despite that, the baths were very relaxing. They are, in essence, giant bath tubs filled with a bunch of things that are good for your skin. The water was so hot and thick that it felt like I was submerged in pudding. I didn't like it at first but I warmed up to it (pun most definitely intended).

Perugia
After a night in a 4-star hotel in the hills of Tuscany and a 4 course, 2.5 hour Italian meal (don't get too excited. It wasn't that great but it was free.), we drove to Perugia, a small, medieval town in the Umbria region (so, not technically Tuscany) that is considered the chocolate capital of Europe. Our guide seemed nearly senile so we ditched the tour and explored on our own.

We weren't incredibly enthused by the city. For one, it was Sunday so almost nothing was open. Secondly, the town seemed mostly residential so there probably would not have been much to do if things WERE open.

What I DID love about Perugia, however, were the views. It was situated on a hill and overlooked the beautiful region of Umbria.

Chianti
After Perugia, we were taken on a 2 hour bus ride through the hills and valleys of Tuscany to Chianti, home of some of Italy's most famous wines...and Sting. I promised myself that I would live here one day. It was exactly what I was hoping Tuscany would be, and knowing that it is basically in my backyard is so ridiculous to me.

Our destination was Castel del Verrazzano, a castle and vineyard that produces Verrazzano wine (as well as olive oil and balsamic vinegar). Our arrival was overwhelming. The views were incredible. The compound contained gardens, fountains, and beautiful trees. Gino, the man that runs the vineyard and lives in the castle, was one of the coolest people I have ever encountered in my entire life. He gave a 20 minute spiel mostly about life in general, and let me tell you, this man has the answer to life. Basically, his philosophy is: Drink good wine, eat good food, and love strongly.

The castle. 

After hearing the hilariously entertaining yet wise Gino, we toured the vineyard and the cellars and were treated to a dinner and wine tasting.

Silenzio! Il vino sta riposando. Silence! The wine is sleeping!

The owner's reserve. Holy crap. 

Obviously, I have always said that I would NEVER drink alcohol as long as I live. Like my "no red meat" rule that was temporarily broken in Berlin, I decided to bend a little bit on this one as well. We were given 4 wines to try, 3 different types of Verrazzano Rosso (red wines) and Vin Santo with dessert. They taught us the different characteristics of wines as we tasted them: what it means to have "legs", colors, acidity, etc. I barely had a sip of each and that was already too much for me! I honestly don't know whose fruity legs I was supposed to be tasting but they definitely have a hygiene issue. My decision to abstain from alcohol was most definitely confirmed by the fact that I am absolutely repulsed by the taste (and smell) of it. Grody to the max.

This was the before picture. You would NOT want to see an
after picture. 

After the wine tasting, we drove through the wine country of Tuscany at sunset and arrived back in Florence. What a beautifully relaxing weekend! Thanks, API!

At the vineyard. 

This weekend, I am going to the Amalfi Coast with 2 of my roommates. It's the last major trip of the semester! I can't believe it!

Ciao Tesori!
~Britt

La Fiera del Cioccolato Artigianale

The Artisanal Chocolate Festival!

Usually, I find it obnoxious when people use the word "epic" to describe anything but harrowing adventures and impressive battle scenes but, in this case, I will make an exception. The Chocolate Festival in Florence was EPIC.

For someone with a sweet tooth as big as mine (which I get honestly. If you know my Dad, you know exactly what I'm talking about!), this was Heaven on Earth. The only problem: $$$. This stuff was expensive. I went 6 times and only bought something once. But, no worries, the samples were nearly sufficient.

It was booths upon booths of Europe's best chocolate, made in every shape, color, flavor and form that you could possibly imagine. When I say every flavor, I mean EVERY flavor.

Some of the strangest chocolates:
-Pepperoncino (red pepper)
-Marijuana
-Various alcohol-infused chocolates (which were disgusting! Grappa in chocolate? Really? Why would you ruin chocolate like that?)
-Various chocolate-infused alcohols (I don't drink but chocolate wine doesn't sound appealing at all!)
-Basil (apparently, some people put it on pasta. Who knew?).

On the bright side, Italians are very well known for their cioccolato fondente (dark chocolate). Personally, I prefer sweet to bitter but this dark chocolate was amazing. And probably the most typical chocolate of Italy is called Cremino, milk chocolate with a hazelnut cream. Yum. I also discovered a love for marzipan at the festival.

If you're not already drooling, just scroll down a bit. You will be.

Chocolate Nikons (Taken with a Nikon D40)

Tools!

Yum!

Cremino

Tartufo (truffles)

Marzipan!

Kiwi

Valentini

Awww.

Hello Kitty

Gnomes are too cute.

Got Milk?

My only purchase (which I am enjoying above ^^^) was a white hot chocolate. I am obsessed with white chocolate (the more teeth-rottingly sweet, the better) and had no idea that white hot chocolate existed. Also, Italian hot chocolate is MUCH thicker than our watery poser hot chocolate. It's only slightly less thick than a melted candy bar. So, needless to say, my white hot chocolate was pure, face melting rock'n'roll on my taste buds.

Enough said.
~Britt