"You may have the universe if I may have Italy." -Giuseppe Verdi
Oh how I already miss Italy. Although I was able to spend nearly eight full days exploring Italy on my spring break, I still wish that I would have had more time. For the duration of our spring break, Maddie and I were meeting with her mom and aunt for an eight day, pre-planned tour with Collette Vacations. We began our journey from Venice to Rome on April 10th. We had to leave our group a day early, and as sad as I was to leave Venice behind, I was more than ready to see what Rome and the Amalfi coast had to offer. When we arrived in Rome we met Maddie's mom and aunt at the hotel. After living in a foreign country for over a month, it was so comforting to see them and the several other American's in our tour group! Most of our group on this vacation was around the ages of 60-65 or older. For two 20 year olds on spring break, it might seem like this vacation would be a bust. However, Maddie and I loved every second we spent with the people in our group, and I already miss them so much! On our first day of the tour, we went to the Vatican and Colosseum. While visiting the Vatican, I was constantly in awe of every single thing around me. Every statue, building, or monument seemed so grand and Holy! I could not believe that I was really there at the Vatican, and I had to keep reminding myself at what an amazing opportunity I was having! We were able to go into the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. Both the chapel and the basilica left me speechless, and even though there were crowds and crowds of people I still felt as though I had such a special and personal time in there. After a short lunch by the Vatican, our group headed to the Colosseum. As we got closer I noticed all of the beautiful trees and structures surrounding the area near the Colosseum. It was a refreshing sight, as a lot of parts in Rome are dirty and run down. When we walked up to the Colosseum, I was shocked at how much construction was going on. Although there was a lot of construction, I was still so excited to see what the Colosseum was like. The size, structure, and history of it was so fascinating, and I was beyond impressed with everything. After we were done touring the Colosseum, we did a little bit of souvenir shopping before going out to dinner.
Colosseum
The next day we were off to the Amalfi coast, and I could not have been more excited to see what was in store for us! As soon as we arrived at our hotel along the coast, I was astounded by the stunning views of the ocean. During our time on the coast, we were able to visit many small villages including Sorrento, Vietri, and Paestum. Vietri was the closest village to where our hotel was, so we ended up going there several times. It was only a short walk to the beach from Vietri, so Maddie and I got to spend some time relaxing down by the water on a warm afternoon. Sorrento is one of the most charming little towns I have ever seen! There were narrow streets full of local shops and cute restaurants or gelato bars. Paestum is a unique town which consists of many marvelous greek ruins. The larger ruins we saw in Paestum were said to be created under Zeus' order for his first and second wives. We also visited Naples, and a winery next to Mt. Vesuvius. At the winery, we had authentic Italian wine and spaghetti while enjoying the views of the endless vineyards by Mt. Vesuvius. It was so relaxing and fun! However, one of my favorite parts on this tour was visiting a buffalo mozzarella farm! I really had no idea what to expect, and I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed it. On this farm, the water buffalo are treated like royalty. They live in a stress free environment where they can receive massages, and the females only give milk when they want to; they are never forced. Thus, they give the best milk, which turns into the best mozzarella. We sampled the mozzarella, a canoli and ice cream made with buffalo milk. Everything we tried was INCREDIBLE, and I am constantly reminiscing on how good it tasted. Another little excursion we got to do was visiting a limoncello factory. We learned how limoncello is made, and got to sample several different varieties of it. I personally did not like the limoncello; I thought it was too strong and it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Amalfi Coast
Beach in Vietri
Buffalo Massage
Greek Ruins in Paestum
Winery at Mt. Vesuvius
Limoncello Factory
Overall, our time spent on the coast was priceless, and I am so glad that I was able to experience all of the things that I did. It is amazing how attached I became to the small Italian towns along the Amalfi coast while only being there for such a short period of time! As I reflect on this phenomenal trip around Italy, I know there are so many things I am going to miss. For one, I already miss waking up next to the ocean, and looking out of our hotel windows out onto the coast. I miss the hefty, six course meals that the Italians always served us. One thing I think I could never get sick of is authentic Italian food! Between all of the pasta, pizza, gelato, seafood and freshly baked bread, I know I experienced some of the best meals I have ever had in my life. Lastly, I miss the incredible group of people I met on our tour. Although they were quite a bit older than Maddie and I, we got along so great with them! We listened to their endless stories from their childhood, or when they talked non stop about their adorable grandchildren. We smiled and laughed when they teased us, and we nearly cried as we hugged them goodbye. It is such a rewarding experience to become friends with new people, no matter what age they are. I have heard it said before that it is not what you see when you travel, but the people you meet that leave the most lasting impressions, and I did not fully understand how true this was until I met our group in Italy. I may have been sad leaving Italy, but never before had I had such a full heart!
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