i ate a large amount of pizza. oh, and i liked it!

Last weekend, I felt like I was entering into a strange, new land. Where could this have been? Southern Italy. This included a little visit to Naples, Positano, Capri, and Pompeii. Not only are the lights and sounds different, but the people have a different way of life than the northerners that I have spent the last few months with. They do whatever they want when they want. (But, really, that is Italy in general.) However, this breed of Italians are exactly what I thought of when coming to Italy. The men stand around in groups, smoking their cigarettes and pretending to work. Time has no importance to them. This is what they call la bella vita, the good life. With views like that, how can you not just stand around and enjoy. I feel like Americans could benefit from this every once and a while. (I know some people that would be driven crazy by this lifestyle!) We stress out too much. I am including myself in this "we" business.

 Capri.

 

Sunset heading back to Naples from Capri.

 

Positano - on the Amalfi Coast.

Okay, enough chatter about the beauty of the trip. There was some very educational moments implemented as well.
We managed to find an old man (yeah, he was old.) who used to teach in America but I have no idea what he taught. He showed us around Pompeii. (A tour guide, if you will.) We were lucky to have him considering we had no idea what anything was. The night before, I was nominated as tour guide if we didn't get one there. We all know how that would have turned out. First, we would have gotten lost. Second, I would have just made up a bunch of stuff, and they would have believed me. I love my gullible friends. It makes me feel less so. And lastly, I would have to sound responsible and smart (which just scares me). Thankfully, it did not come to that. I was spared that day.

Ruins from Pompeii. This is what would have been the city center. 

Always busy and full of people selling something.

 

Statue in the house of a well-known wealthy family. 

These homes usually had gardens as well as multiple rooms decorated to the nines.

 

Romans had plumbing even back then! Here is a pipe that used to be underground 

and carried water from the aqueducts to different places.

 

One of the people found during excavations. They filled them with plaster to preserve their shape. There are more petrified people shown in my Pompeii album. Many were crouched or covering their faces when the gases hit the city.

 

Reenacting The Beatles' album cover (sort of). Too bad we are in the wrong country and Maggie ruined it by not having an umbrella. This was actually a crosswalk for pedestrians. The reason the stones are raised is because Pompeii usually had water flowing through the streets and the raised stones allowed people to cross the streets without getting their feet wet! Clever little rascals! Also, there was a rule not allowing livestock in the city. I am thinking that they lived in pretty clean environments.

Yet, one of my favorite parts of the whole trip was when we went to Capri. It is this little island off Naples that is usually FULL of rich tourists in the summer months. You know all those people in their fancy, schmancy yachts that sail away to Sunny Island for whatever reason? Yeah. Them. We got there in their low-season, so we avoided the crowds but were greeted with many closed stores. The views made up for it though. You win some. You lose some. Right? I didn't care at all because we got the last trip of the day into the La Grotta Azzurra (Blue Grotto). This was definitely one of the highlights of the whole trip. It is a sea cave that was one opening (which barely fit the small row boat we were in) where the sun shines in and lights up the whole cave in this florescent blue color. I wanted to box that color up and take it home so I could paint something with it. Crayola should make a color based off of it. I don't know though. They might already have one. I haven't bought a box of crayons in a while to verify or deny that.

Inside the Blue Grotto. Isn't this color just amazing!? Like I said, I want to box that up. 

 

To get inside you had to get in a rowboat and then lay down to fit through...

 

...this tiny hole. The rowboat man also had to basically lay down on top of you. But, once you got inside, he sang you Italian songs and rowed you around the cave. Again, one of the best parts of the trip.

Naples is everything you have read about. There is crime and dirtiness everywhere. I ran into the mafia twice. Don't worry though. We just exchanged pleasantries. I even got one of their phone numbers! Oh, and the last six sentences are a complete lie. Naples isn't that bad. I didn't get mugged or kidnapped, so that is positive. They have enough random things that make it worth checking out, but it wasn't the most exciting place on our itinerary. Someone put me in charge of the map when we were there. Somehow, I managed to navigate us in the wrong direction. (Surprise, surprise.) I just wanted to find the Christmas street! A few hours later, we found it. It is craziness! I love Christmas though so I don't want you to think that I am complaining about it.

Eating Da Michele's on the steps because the restaurant was super busy so we got it to go. Bryan caught both Olivia and I mid-bite! They only serve two different pizzas: margherita (sauce and mozzarella) and marinara (sauce, oregano, garlic). This is true Neopolitain pizza! I got marinara and split it with Caitlin who got margherita so I could enjoy both. Everything is fresh and cooked in a traditional oven. Super delicious! Words can not describe.  

 

Typical Italy. Typical Naples. 

 

Naples has a galleria (shopping center) almost identical to the one in Milan. Plus, they have a lot of pride over the fact that their opera house was built before (and is bigger) than the more famous one in Milan. Think there is any rivalry between the two cities? Nah, me neither.

Oh, and the pizza is pretty fantastic. (Notice the picture captions above and the fact that we are stuffing out faces.) Naples' invention has served the world well. Usually, I am unsure of the difference between some of the toppings available and make an estimated guess on what may or may not be good. My method has not failed yet. (Well, not that I am going to admit to.)

Yes, when you order, they deliver a WHOLE pizza. Usually, it is standard to be able to eat most of it. I usually can't eat that much of it though. Still, it is not too shabby.

This was probably one of my top 5 favorite trips. I don't think I can really further explain why though. I am a big advocate for that gut feeling. You know the one where you can't explain why but you know it fits. Yeah, that is what happened when I picked colleges too. I couldn't produce a pro and con list for my parents. Instead, I said, "It just felt right, okay?" The same goes for here. I finally got to see the rest of Italy, and I smiled the whole time I was there. :) I think that counts for something, eh?

Don't forget to check out the pictures on the sidebar of the blog. I have added some of my favorites. Also, all of them should be uploaded onto Picasa (see Links for URL). I still need to write in captions. If will happen soon though. Enjoy and continue to be jealous!

Ciao, ciao!

**Update: I leave in less than two weeks. Where did the time go, and who is planning on greeting me with delicious American cuisine at the airport??**