11/22 - 12/6

11/22 – Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving! I sent my family and friends a few messages before leaving early (9am) for the Masseria Cardilli in Campania. The program understands that Italians don’t celebrate Thanksgiving since it’s an American holiday. (If pilgrims landed in Italy, it would be a different story.) So the administration thought it would be a great idea to celebrate it at this facility near the Bay of Naples. (It’s about 3 hours from the Bay of Naples, but worth the trip.) This is the place where Italians make their buffalo mozzarella – the REAL place.

Now I didn’t know what to expect when I walked in, but I have to start off by saying that walking into this space was equivalent to having a diaper of sour cheese thrown at your face – the smell was THAT strong, granted it IS where they make their famous buffalo mozzarella. We watched the workers take the large balls of fresh mozzarella and put them into plastic bags with salt water – this is how they keep them fresh, and often the reason why REAL mozzarella in the stores looks like it’s in a watery container. Since the facility is practically a farm with buffalo, we went around petting the buffalo. They also had geese who were super mouthy and apparently don’t like people. They were yelling at all of us when we walked by. They had roosters, ducks, peacocks, etc. We really got our hands dirty and had to wash up before our 4 course lunch. After we were done exploring the facility area and finished with the overwhelmingly-informative tour, we sat down to our huge Thanksgiving feast in Campania, with local specialties, produce, meats and – yes – cheese. Lots of food.

So here was the menu:

Water

Appetizers = meats, cheeses, peppers, spinach, ricotta with honey

Primo Piatto (First Plate) = gnocchi (they gave me gluten free pasta) with cheese, meat and red sauce

Secondo Piatto (Second Plate) = huge sausages with potatoes

Fruit dish

Dessert = tiramisu (they gave me pannacotta with blueberries)

Fun fact: if you don’t know what to order for dessert and you can deal with yogurt-ish substances, pannacotta is always a good choice – always. And sometimes they come with different things on top: chocolate, caramel, berries, etc.

After the lunch, we explored more of the area, which included more animals (huge pigs, bunnies, a cute dog, and more) and a little playground in the back of the restaurant. Then we all got on the bus with full tummies and sat for 3 hours on our way to Sorrento – WHICH IS PROABLY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE IN ITALY. We slept soundly and got to the hotel in Sorrento that night, just in time for dinner – more food. But first we took our things to our hotel rooms and OMG the view was gorgeous, even in the dark.

So here’s my opinion on the weekend: I did some research on my family history because I DO have a little Italian in me, I just don’t know where it comes from. Usually people know whether they’re from North Italy, South Italy, or Rome – those are usually the 3 parts. Since I barely know where I come from, I did some summer research before coming here. Apparently my father’s mother’s side (the slight Italian part of me) is neopolitano – Neopolitan (from Naples). So when I got to Sorrento and Bay of Naples, I kept thinking, Maybe I’ll “fit in” here. Maybe there will be some huge sign screaming that I belong here, that my family has some old history here. And when I looked at that view from the hotel room, I knew – it’s the water.

Let me clarify – I’m a water fan. I’ve always been a water child – running around in sprinklers outside, a natural swimmer, and I practically scream “mermaid” with my red hair and blue eyes (which, by the way, are both Sicilian and Neopolitan traits). Everything about me points to the water, that’s just how I’ve always been.

Aside from being a “water child”, I love gnocchi – love it. I’m going to cry if I don’t find it at home. I’ve noticed since coming here that everyone immediately picked a special dish that they call their favorite or that is their “Italian comfort food”. Gnocchi is mine. Why? Well for starters, it’s potato – not pasta. Though apparently, one of the ingredients is something with whey protein which is why they kept it away from me in Campania – and that makes no sense at all to me, so I’m still doing research on it. But there IS gluten free gnocchi. Anyway, “gnocchi” is a dish that’s from – guess where – Naples, which I learned WAY after this trip. Without any clues, hints, or knowledge about the “region’s dish” from where my Italian ancestry came from, I literally pinned it. Gnocchi, the neopolitano dish of the region – more specifically, gnocchi alla sorrentino (gnocchi with red sauce, tomatoes, basil and cheese).

Not only that, but limoncello is also one of my favorite drinks – which is another Bay of Naples specialty. The water areas, from Sorrento to Amalfi, all specialize in lemons and other citrus. Generally in the Bay of Naples area, citrus is a special product – and from this citrus comes my buddy, limoncello, which I also randomly decided was another favorite of mine. And both just happen to be from the area my Italian ancestors came from.

That was just meant to be.

So the hotel view in Sorrento – I was on the 4^th floor with my awesome roommate. In the suite was a huge TV, our own balcony with a table and chairs, A BATH, and an amazing view of the water. All of the special places to go and hotels to stay in on the Bay of Naples are literally on the sides of cliffs. I just made it a lot scarier than it actually is, but that’s the only way I can describe it. If you were to take the side of a cliff and put windows in it, those are essentially the hotels on the Bay of Naples. If you want to get to the water, just be extremely careful because you have to climb up/down steep steps that continue for maybe 80 feet.

The view was gorgeous and I couldn’t wait to see it when the sun came up. The streetlights were shining on the water, where little boats were docked. It was so peaceful and you could hear the waves moving. There was a solid horizontal line of lights coming from islands across from Sorrento. It was beautiful and absolutely romantic.

We had to go to dinner – which was another 3 or 4 course long stuffing. But I survived. The faculty wanted to go out and explore the town so after dinner, I relaxed a bit and went downstairs to meet with everyone going out to explore. There were two bars they suggested going to – a place called the English Inn and an Irish Pub. The hotel wasn’t even a long walk from the main street. We walked in a U shape, past a little shrine of Mary with a waterfall, and another 2-3 blocks. The bars were across the street from each other. The Irish Pub looked more inviting and the faculty even said they thought it was better than the English Pub. So I bought myself a Magners (a drink you need to try, I have no idea if they exist in the US – it’s alcoholic cider, delicious) and sat down with friends. It was a great night, the owner and his wife were really talkative, and there were other Americans there watching the special Thanksgiving NFL games. My friends and I just sat around talking until we finished our drinks, then headed back to the hotel to bed.

11/23 – Friday

I thought the view was beautiful at night, but when I got up and ready for breakfast, my jaw dropped. I sat through breakfast in the hotel watching the sunrise over the water. Since the restaurant area of the hotel was on the 7^th floor, it was the perfect place to watch outside. The Sorrento morning is different colors – pinks, purples, and oranges. Then you see the water evolve from silent and peaceful to busy and boat-loaded. It was unreal.

After breakfast, we left for Naples to see the Naples Archeological Museum which was really cool. After the Museum, we went to Pompeii, which was even better. It was a long day and between driving all over the area and walking around for hours, it was flat out exhausting.

If you ever go to the Museum, go to the Secret Room. As for Pompeii, make sure you know that it’s “Penis Land”.

However, my friends wanted to explore the main square a little more. I figured why not. So we walked all the way past the bars from the night before, all the way down the main street to this huge center. There were Christmas light everywhere with a ginormous Christmas tree in the center square. Everyone was enjoying a meal outside, watching the final decorations added to this Christmas tree. The faculty suggested a karaoke bar near the main center of town – and we found it. First we went back to the Irish Pub for drinks, limoncello shots, and some down time. Then we went to the karaoke bar, bought some more drinks, and sang some great songs.

The Karaoke Bar was a lot of fun, but since we got there early, it was only the 10 of us American students, the bar tender woman, and the guy “DJ”. (“DJ” as in he was just playing youtube videos.) We looked through a huge book of songs and almost all of us ended up singing and making huge fools of ourselves. I will gladly admit that I sang a poor version of Firework by Katy Perry with two other friends. However, everything that happened after that – the Soulja Boy dancing, Cotton Eye Joe, etc – I refuse to discuss.

It was a lot of fun though. The DJ turned on some fun things we knew like Gangam Style and the Cha Cha Slide and the Cupid Shuffle. Unfortunately, my friend took some very unattractive photos of me that night which I don’t want to explain. But it was a great night.

11/24 – Saturday (also Rosa’s Birthday!)

Today we had a free day. So after breakfast, I had nothing to do for several hours. We were allowed to go where we wanted and do what we wanted as long as we were at the group meeting place at the given time. Everyone from CUA planned on going to either Paestum or Mount Vesuvius, and since I didn’t care for either of those places, wanted to go to Capri or the Amalfi Coast.

I ended up joining a huge group of Loyola students to go to Capri. We went to the port to get tickets for the boat to take us to the island and – after a huge debate about whether buying a two-way ticket was better – I bought a two-way ticket. But that was where all the trouble started – only this would happen to me…

I bought a two-way ticket for 33E because it was a better deal than buying 2 one-way tickets – it made sense. I got on the boat after the ticket-checker guy took my ticket and then he came on board. So I asked him, to double check, that my ticket was a two-way ticket. He said no. The guy at the ticket window didn’t give me a two-way ticket – he gave me a one-way ticket. Luckily, two guys in my group were behind me at the window and could attest to my paying 33E and buying a two-way ticket. So I explained to the guy what happened and he said to go with him. So I followed him.

Apparently, that’s where everything went right. I met the entire ship crew, the captain, and made friends with a few other random guys on the boat. They made some calls and told me not to worry about it. The guy that I was following all over the boat was a tour guide, who was probably in his late 60s. He also had a friend, who looked significantly younger than him, named Giovanni. He and Giovanni offered me and the group I was traveling with a 35E deal which included a complete tour of Capri, Anacapri, entrance to the Blue Grotto (which is 25E to begin with), private transportation, a lunch deal at a great place, and a 5E deal to a chairlift that goes to the highest part of the island of Capri. After doing financial calculations, a solid amount of the group decided this is obviously a good deal – 35E, plus a 10E deal for lunch, plus 5E for the chairlift.

Thanks to my ticket incident, we got a really great deal out of the day. In the end, I spent 50E on the day (35E + 10E + 5E), but it was well worth it. WORTH IT! AND I got on the boat to go back to Sorrento, thanked my friendly ship crew, and went back to the hotel.

After I washed up, I went with some friends to mass at a church in the town center. All the students went to a dinner show in Sorrento, which reminded me of Medieval Times. It was a lot of fun, but I was tired from the day so I got back to the hotel and went right to sleep.

11/25 – Sunday

NAPLES = THE DIRTIEST PLACE ON EARTH. Sorry, Naples. The town of Naples looked like leftovers from a frat party pre-game…..x10000000. I’m not even exaggerating. After breakfast and checking out of the hotel, we took the bus to Naples and OMG. There were glass bottles all over the street, garbage cans were overflowing, and cigarette butts were everywhere. Everything was so dirty and I thought for maybe 10 seconds about what Rosa would do if she saw this mess…

NAPLES = DON’T GO THERE ON BLACK SUNDAY. Granted – it WAS Black Sunday when we went, and yes, that exists in Italy. Naples DOES have its good qualities: a pastry called Baba’ that looks like a huge, rum-soaked, penis; the Christmas Street, which is the main street where terracotta nativity scenes are handmade (ridiculously expensive); the birthplace of pizza – I’ve never seen so many pizzerias in my life.

The pizzerias only make pizza so I was basically kicked out since I couldn’t eat it. They couldn’t even throw some lettuce and cheese together to make me a salad. The Christmas Street took a solid 30-40 minutes to walk through because it was so crowded. I also watched a fight break out 4 feet from me while I was stuck in the crowd. Some guy thought another guy stole his wallet and they started fighting…4 feet from me. Awkward.

Thank goodness we didn’t stay in Naples that long. It was way too crowded to really enjoy and we took the bus back to Rome.

If there’s anything you need to know about this weekend trip, it’s that the people in Naples are really REALLY mean when it comes to driving and traffic (I got spat at by a vespa driver for not walking on the sidewalk) and everything from the town of Naples to Pompeii is Penis Land.

PENIS LAND.

11/27 – Tuesday

For Roman History class, we went to the Baths of Diocletian. I also had my last Italian presentation today.

11/28 – Wednesday

The last Italian class! I’ll miss ItaliaIdea.

11/29 – Thursday

For Philosophy, we went to the MAXXI in the pouring rain. POURING. RAIN.

11/30 – 12/3 = Advent Break!

12/2 – Sunday

I went to mass at St. John’s for the First Week of Advent! YAY!

Then went to a restaurant in Trastevere called Le Fate – it’s a great place! If you ever go to Trastevere for dinner, you definitely have to go there! Their student menu is 10E!

12/4 – Tuesday

The last Roman History class! We went to the Church of San Clemente and went to the older 4^th century parts underneath. It’s a church on a church on a church – strange, but very interesting.

12/6 – Thursday

Happy St. Nicholas Day! Make sure you don’t forget to put your shoes outside your door!

Since finals are next week, my life has been uneventful and I’m spending most of my time studying my butt off. I go home in 10 days and I still have so much to do!