Ciao belle!
This past week has been very eventful and full of travel. I have visited seven cities in seven days via three trains, four boats and six buses. I am a bit sore from all the extracurricular activities, but I do not regret it one bit! Here is a rundown on all I did and the things I highly recommended others to do while in Italy.
1. My first day trip was to Lucca and Pisa. We first arrived in Lucca and after reading about the large Renaissance wall circling the town, we wanted to bike it. We rented bikes for an hour and rode around the city twice, which was about five miles in total. When the wall was first built, it was intended to keep out Florentines and Pisans. It has only been renovated three times or so in the past 2,000 years it has been protecting Lucca. The town invested a third of their income to built this wall. It was money well spent because it not only kept intruders out, but high water out as well. The ramparts were armed with 130 cannons at one point. It is evident they were extra safe back in the day.
The view of a private rose garden from the top of the wall.
The main cathedral in Lucca. Each pilar on the second and third level is unique and different from the next one.Â
2. People always say that Pisa is just a tower and that is it. But if you stop and admire the other beautiful buildings surrounding the tower and read up on some history, this trip is worth your while. The tower is a 20-minute walk from the train station and as we walked through the city, we felt like we were walking through Florence. The two cites resemble each other a lot. From the buildings to the river, it is all very similar. I am biased, but I think Florence is still prettier. Once we got to the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa, we spent an hour taking pictures and making sure they were all perfect. It’s not everyday that you can see the leaning tower of Pisa. Back in the 12th century, Pisa was one of the most rich and powerful cities in the world. When the tower was originally being built, it was intended to be the perfect completion to the city. As the tower started leaning, propping it up took a lot more effort than expected.
Me holding up the tower of Pisa.
3.The next town I took a day trip to was Siena. This particular city used to be a major banking and trade center with a strong military. At one point its population was bigger than Paris, until the bubonic plague swept through Europe and cut its population by a third. Siena was never able to recover from the tragic Black Death. It’s economic, military and political strengths turned into weaknesses. But it is a still a huge tourist location and has the most gorgeous Duomo around! The design is a mix of Roman and Gothic style, which is an interesting contradicting look. It costs only four euro to enter the duomo section, and it is worth even cent.
The outside view of the Siena Duomo.
The internal view of the Dumo.Â
4.The next trip I booked was the intense one, if I do say so myself. It was a three days and three nights trip to the Amalfi Coast. We got to stay in Sorrento, while taking day trips to Capri, Positano, Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius. The first day we took a half hour ferry ride to Capri and then waited for another tour boat to take us around the gorgeous coast. We got to go into the famous Blue Grotto, which has been closed for the past five weeks due to rough tidewaters. The entrance was about five feet high and five feet wide, so high waters makes it nearly impossible to go in. This cave is known for its highlighter blue water. The water hits the limestone bottom and creates a pool of glowing blue. It was unbelievably gorgeous! The town has a cable car you can take up to the top, with a great view of the hillside and other islands in the distance.
Me on the boat tour around the coast of Capri.
The water inside The Blue Grotto.
5.We spent the next day at Positano. As soon as we got there, my friends and I paid a couple euros to be driven on a small speed boat to a private beach right around the corner from the main beach. We took this boat ride for one reason and that is cliff jumping. That’s right, I jumped off a cliff of at least 20 feet high. It was an adrenaline rush like no other, but totally worth it! After this little trip, we made our way back to the main island and had some lunch and then relaxed on the beach for a few minutes. The water is absolutely freezing but the sun makes the beach so hot that you have no choice but to just jump in every few minutes. One last thing that I needed to do was kayaking. I found it interesting that the beach people swim and cliff jump into is the same one that boats can ride around and park at. In this same beach we were able to kayak for a half hour. Getting out that far allowed us to have the best view of Positano.
Finally got to Kayak!
Some cliff jumping off the Coast of Positano.
6.Sorrento is the city our adorable hotel was at and we had a nice view of the city surprisingly. We were a half hour away from the downtown area by foot. It was a nice walk, but after a whole day of hiking and walking, your calf muscles need a rest. So after dinner we rested and then headed into town for some dancing and drinking! We went to an outdoor club that was on a rooftop. It is called the English Inn. I definitely recommended coming here. There was great music (throwbacks mostly) and the cheapest drinks I have seen since I have been in Europe. I wish I had more time to explore Sorrento, so next time I come to Italy I will dedicate a whole day there.
Our view while eating dinner.
Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn were the theme for this hotel.
The view from our hotel room.
7.The last city we went to this weekend was Pompeii. What used to be an important Roman city turned into a city of ruins because of the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Covered in 30 feet of hot volcanic ash, the city was completely done and approximately over 16,000 people died. I learned that the city of Pompeii has about 40 bakeries, 30 brothels and 130 bars, hotels and restaurants. They really liked food, drinking and last but not least sex. In the small buildings that used to be brothels there are still drawings with detailed pictures of men and women doing to the dirty. It was a cool to be able to walk through the city and imagine it alive with tons of people walking about the town. Apparently they were given three days to evacuate the city and while the poor people left without dealing with their belongings (since they didn’t have any to worry about), the rich people did not make it out. They were a bit too materialistic in my opinion. Outside the museum of ruins there is an entire street of souvenirs, which resembled too much sex for my taste. There were calendars and key chains that said “Erotica Pompeii” and vendors walked about with postcards of the drawings found in the city. It was an experience like no other. If you ever come to Pompeii just stay clear of this street! After this tour we hiked the active volcano Mount Vesuvius, which was very intense but again, so worth it!
One of the pictures above a room in the brothel.
Snaping pictures in Pompeii.
Succesfully climbed Mount Vesuvius!
This trip was honestly one of the best ones around Italy. There is so much to do and so many places to go all in one coast. I am glad I went because if not I would have regretted it. If you are ever in Italy, take this is trip because it is a trip that you will not forget.
Unitl next time, Ciao!