Italian Adventure

Although it’s been a long while since I’ve written, I have a feeling that this one is going to be very long.

As most of you know…my spring break was last week and I went on a weeklong excursion to Italy. I hit all the greatest spots and ended up in Rome on Easter weekend, which couldn’t have been more impressive.

We began the journey on Thursday April 2nd when we left for the airport at 10 pm after loading our bellies with Chinese food from the only Asian restaurant in Toledo. We got to the airport around midnight and had quite the night ahead of us. Our flight didn’t leave until 6 am, but because public transportation doesn’t start running until 7 am on Saturdays (and cabs from Toledo to Madrid run about 100 euro), we had no other option than to sleep in the airport. Trust me…sleeping in the airport IS as bad as at sounds. Our flight took off on time and landed in Milan at about 8:30. We then hopped a bus, which took about an hour to get to the city center. We had planned on checking out the Cathedral in Milan. But by 11 am with no sleep we all were exhausted (and Milan, although it is the fashion capital of the world is really quite industrial looking and far less than breathtaking to look at). So we ate some food (our first taste of real Italian) and hopped right on a train to Venice.

Although I had heard that Venice was unimpressive, all of my misled preconceptions were taken away immediately upon stepping on the island. The old town has a quaint feel that oozes the idea of Italian small neighborhood. The concept of a city with the canals for streets is just as mind-blowing in person. The Piazza San Marco boasts a beautiful cathedral and is lined with elegant restaurants. The entire town is lined with shops filled with Venetian glass (and I had to indulge). Although I have bought very little during my entire European escapades (I like to think the memories and photographs will be enough and less damaging to the bank account), I bought 5 pairs of Venetian glass earrings. Every one of theme is intricate and unique with beautiful detail. Don’t worry, some are souvenirs. In Venice, it is hard to find lodging on the main islands because real estate is expensive because some of the city is deteriorating. So, my friend Conor found an apartment to rent, which was massive and allowed us to save some money by cooking meals. Overall, Venice nightlife is non-existence, and the weather was not on our side in the town. The first night we were too tired and lost (tricky canals) to explore the nightlife, and the second night it was close to a torrential downpour. Though we set off in the rain, we eventually stopped to gather warmth at a classier looking wine bar. We ordered one bottle of wine, and the owner took a liking to us. When we tried to leave, he gave us three more bottles of wine and appetizers for free. Such is the life of an American tourist in Italy.

After Venice we took a train to the Tuscan city of Florence. I had always heard great things about Florence, and the descriptions were all spot on. A smaller city, Florence is very walkable. All of its great sights are within a 10-15 minute walking distance of each other. Also shockingly, Venice was the town of American tourists. For the entire duration of the two day stay, I only saw American college aged girls in my hostel, and apparently you don’t even need to know a word of Italian to get by in Florence. The pictures that I have from Florence are among the most gorgeous of the bunch so be sure to look at them on facebook.

Although we couldn’t see the statue of David because the Uffici was closed on Monday (and that was our main day there), we saw all of the other sites that Venice has to offer. The Duomo church offers the most impressive view of the city (after climbing 437 stairs!!) and the Piazza di Michaelangelo gives you a downward view of the town’s nightlife (and not to mention a bronze replica of the David). Florence also has a a large leather market where I bought an Italian leather belt and a pair of super hip yellow sunglasses (which I by accident left in Rome and shed a tear about earlier today…hopefully somebody else from my group recovered them). My friend Dan’s friend from high school is studying in Florence so she acted as our official tour guide for the weekend. Overall, Florence is a highly recommended Tuscan treasure.

The third stop of our trip was the little known area of Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is a stretch of 5 tiny hiking and beach towns. Because of the contrast between mountain and sea, I would contend that Cinque Terre is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The first day we sat on some rocks and just listened to the sound of the sea and soaked up sun. After our 4 days of vigorous traveling, we definitely needed the break. We went to a nice dinner that night and then for a drink at the only bar in town, Bar Centrale. We retired early because we knew we had a big day ahead of us.

The next morning we woke up at 9 to head to the beach. Cinque Terre is an area of five towns that are all connected by hiking paths. The fifth town, Monterosso del Mare has the best beaches. So we took the train to the last town to soak up some rays. At about 2 we ate some lunch on a waterfront restaurant (very Lake Geneva, but much cooler) and then started off on the 4-hour mountainous hike it takes to get back to our apartment in the first town. We hike for about 3 hours before we decided to take the train back (because we had dinner reservations for 8:30), but the workout was one of the best I’ve had in Spain. That night we ate and then went to Bar Centrale again, but this time we made some really cool British friends who we almost convinced to come to Rome with us the next day.

All traveling had been smooth sailing until we left on Thursday to head from Cinque Terre to Rome. We intended to stop in Pisa for two hours (in order to see the leaning tower), but when we got off the first train at Pisa and tried to get tickets to take the 3 p.m. train to Rome, there were no seats left. We had to get on another train about 20 minutes later, and therefore did not get to see the leaning tower. I did, however, buy a postcard of the infamous landmark.

When we arrived in Rome, I immediately went to meet up with my best friend and roommate Kim (who is a very hard woman to contact because her cell phone got stolen and her computer broke). Since the University of Notre Dame had planned a Notre Dame abroad reunion for Easter in Rome, there were approximately 100 ND kids in the ancient city this weekend. The first night we ate dinner and went to a bar where I knew about 40 people. It was a nice little treat to remind me at home and a great precursor to how fun senior year is going to be…everyone is connected somehow at our school of 8,000. I also got to see Alexandra Dinverno (a friend from high school) because she lives in the same housing complex as Kim.

The next day we got up to do all the necessary touristy things of Rome: Trevi Fountain, The Coliseum, The Forum, The Pantheon, the Piazzas, etc. After our touring, Kim and I and our two other girl friends, Mary (also in Rome) and Katie (my good friend in Spain) made a fabulous Italian dinner to save some money and have a good time. We made pesto pasta with caprese salad and grilled zucchini. For desert we frosted a cake with nutella and sliced strawberries and kiwis to put on top. Definitely one of the better meals I’ve had so far. Later that night, we had another ND reunion.

The next day I had to wake up at 6:30 so that I could join the ND organized tour of the Vatican (definitely worth the 6:30 wake up call). We got to see everything: St. Peter’s the Sistine Chapel, the Catacombs, etc. with a personal tour guide. The visual impact of the Vatican City cannot be described in words. It is suffice to say that it is a must see site in your lifetime.

Again I went out to dinner with Kim and Mary and some of our guy friends at school. We went to this cute little neighborhood called Trastevere, which was able to give us a taste of authentic Rome. I had delicious spaghetti carbonara (be jealous, Moe…it’s a Roman specialty). I left shortly after dinner because of the dreaded morning, which was to come…

Which brings me to Easter morning: I had to wake up at 3:30 to make sure that we were at the airport by 5 am. Our flight was on time and we landed in Madrid at 9 but we didn’t get to Toledo til 2 p.m. Exhausted, I showered and headed to school so that I could write an essay before mass in the Toledo cathedral at 6:30 pm. After mass I got to Skype my whole family that made me miss home a little bit. Thus, I’m ending my night writing this journal entry/email so that you all could know what a great time I’m having, but also to let you know that I will be home in 24 days.

My best friend from home, who most of you know, Britany is coming, along with my other good friend Adam from Barcelona this weekend to visit me in Toledo and Madrid. On Sunday I am going to Maria Luisa’s daughters house in the suburbs of Toledo to have a goodbye dinner since it will be my last weekend. Scary how quickly time flies.

Ciao bella! Miss and love you all!

The next time I write it will be about my adventures in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.