Italy

So we ported in the small town of Civitavecchia (Chiv-a-tuh-vek-ee-a) outside of Rome. We took the hour train into Rome and began our exploration. Both Chrissy and I have been to Rome before, so we decided that Rome would be another take it easy port. We were able to reserve a B and B, which was basically just some woman's apartment to stay in for two nights- only 25 Euro each a night. It was right by the coliseum- it had two bedrooms, a kitchen and a nice bathroom for Europe. After we unloaded our things, we took off to orientate ourselves. On the way to lunch, we passed by all the monuments- coliseum, pantheon, war museum, piazza Navona. We found a small cafe that served great Italian pizza and had a bite to eat. After walking all over the city some more, we went back to the B and B for a little Siesta, mainly because of the oppressive heat. After waking up, we took a night tour of the city and took pictures in front of the coliseum, pantheon, Trevi fountain, Piazza Navona and other Roman structures. We then went to an amazing dinner by the Coliseum. We had gnocchi and sea bream and sliced Tuna. Italian fish is cooked at max 12 hours after it is caught. We finished our night with an espresso and hit the hay.

The next day, we woke early to eat some croissants in our kitchen before heading out to explore the Roman catacombs. Unfortunately, we couldn't find the right bus stop, and so instead saw the circus maximus (where they had chariot races) and then went to the Senate- where Caesar was stabbed. We then explored a new neighborhood neither one of us had been to called the Trestevere. We had some prosciutto and cheese for lunch and then meandered along the Tiber for a while. We then went to the Spanish steps and the fashion district, where all the original Gucci and Prada stores. I bought some Italian shoes for myself because my sneakers were giving me horrible blisters. After that, Chrissy wanted to shop more so I left her and went to the War Museum, the resting place of Ignatius of Loyola (very cool for me!), and saw an exhibit called the sculptures of the renaissance, featuring works by Michaelangelo and Donnatello. Beautiful. We met up again went to go meet our new friend Serena- who's boyfriend was meeting her in Rome. We met them in the Piazza Navona and found out that he had proposed to her the night before! We celebrated with two bottles of Prosecco before heading to dinner, where we had way too much table wine. I had a gorgonzola stuffed steak at dinner, while we all enjoyed prosciutto melons and cheese plates for appetizers. We then wanted to go out, so found a place near the Castel Sant' Angelo. We just got a little crazy after that and had great Mojitos and Passion fruit drinks before heading to another bar. We didn't get back to the B and B until 4:30- great to celebrate with them!!

The train ride the next day to Venice was, as you can imagine, not that fun. It took 3 and a half hours to get to Venice, but the second I stepped off the train, I was jolted back to life. All of you need to visit Venice at some point. It is unlike any other place I have been. There are no cars allowed, mainly because the streets are all pedestrian. The city was built on a lagoon when barbarian invaders overtook northern Italy. The ornate architecture is astounding. The canals throughout the city are a beautiful green hue, and bridges are everywhere connecting neighborhoods. Front doors of homes open onto the water directly. Anyway, we got to our hotel, which was really like a hostel, and met our grandma-like hotel owner. She was so kind and had the best Italian accent. We just started exploring the city first on foot and then on the bus- the bus being a boat that travels the city in a circle from stop to stop on the Grand Canal. I was able to see San Marco's square and the Rialto bridge- and just sat on the boat with my jaw dropped. We then found an outdoor cafe along a small canal where we ate for about 2 hours- pizza and wine by candlelight. So amazing.

The next day, we woke up early and had a croissant with a cappuchino before heading to San Marco square and the Peggy Gugenheim collection. We just got ourselves lost all over Venice, and its so fun. The street names are hard to find and everywhere you turn are little alleyways and pedestrian bridges. So cool. We then went to Harry's bar, the place that the original Bellini was created, so we had a Bellini (very overpriced) but delicious. Then we found an off the beaten path neighborhood called Cannaregio, where we had cheap delicious wine, octopus, spider crab pasta, and wonderful tapas. This was my favorite place in Venice- we were the only tourists there. Venice is by far my favorite place in Italy.

We woke up the next morning to take a six hour train ride to meet the ship in Naples. We were wiped when we got into Naples, but we did meet up with friends and headed to a restaurant that was written up in the New York Times as the best pizza in Naples (the birhplace of pizza). It was amazing- sweet, thick crust and olive oil tomato sauce with fresh mozzarella and basil. Other than that, this day was a day to rest and unpack on the ship.

We woke up the next day to catch a train to Pompeii. Pompeii was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 72 AD. The ash from the volcano perfectly preserved the ancient city until excavators found it in the 1700's. It was huge! I always thought Pompeii would be a few ruins in the dirt, but we were able to walk around the entire ancient city! It is over 30 sq km. We spent 5 hours walking around listening to an auditory guide- we saw the ancient amphitheater, brothels, restaurants, homes, vineyards, forums, and theaters. There were even perfectly preserved frescoes. That was mostly day 6.

Our final day in Italy, three friends and I went on my first Semester at Sea sponsored trip. It was a hike up the volcano Mt. Vesuvius. We took a bus up close to the summit, and then hiked for an hour to the top of the volcano. We walked around the mouth of the crater and took great pictures- you won't see pictures till i'm back in the states because it takes up to much of my internet usage. Vesuvius was absolutely breathtaking- it could blow again any minute- geologists expect its next eruption within fifteen years. After we got back from the hike, we had another pizza and some excellent gelato. When back on the ship, the crew threw us a 4th of July bbq before we set sail.

In the last two days on the ship, we sailed by the volcano Stromboli and in between Italy and Sicily. The Tyrrehnian Sea and the Adriatic Sea are both gorgeous. I've been busy with school work- hard to get back into it after three years.