Journal entry from October 18th, 2017
So a lot has happened over the past few days. On Thursday afternoon, after finishing my last mid-term exam (which really wasn’t so much of an exam as it was a walking tour/ lecture of Florence’s literary sites) my mom and aunt Jen arrived. I reunited with them outside my study center after 20 minutes of frustration trying to describe to them how to get there. My mom had called me exclaiming that she had gotten lost on the way and found herself “standing in front of a giant blueish dome-thing”. She meant the Duomo. After she and Jen finally found their way and we reunited with warm hugs, we went next door to have a drink and a pastry at a coffee shop down the street. Then met up with all my roommates at a restaurant and had dinner in a cute outdoor garden. We had bread and pasta and wine (what would become the staple of our diet for the next week). We talked and laughed and had a great time. When it was over my roommates had to go catch a bus to Prague and my mom, Jen, and I walked back to our Airbnb.
The next morning I woke them up early. We put on our walking shoes and I took them through the ancient walls of the city out to the neighborhood trail that has become my daily running route. At the top of the trail lies around 100 steps leading up to the San Miniato church. We climbed and took in the beautiful panoramic views of Florence from the top. We explored the inside of the church and the vast cemetery that runs around back. With its towering cypris trees and elaborate gravestones and family dedicated mausoleums. The rest of the day I toured them around all of Florence’s major sites. We saw the Duomo, Pitti Palace, Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Republica, Piazza della signoria, the Uffizi, and the works. that night, after another pasta dinner we walked to Santo Spirito, which is quickly becoming my favorite Piazza, and stumbled upon a jazz band playing in the square. It was adorable as any Friday night in Italy, post-pasta-feast evening stroll can be.
The next morning we packed a bag and set out for the San Lorenzo Market across town. I had never been there before so it was new and exciting even for me. If you know me well, you know I love a market (especially a farmers market). And it was incredible, to say the least. A huge Indoor/outdoor market with rows and rows of vendors selling handmade leather products, scarves, and clothing outside. With a ground floor of fresh fruit and vegetable stands, pastries, dried fruits, and pasta. Upstairs, in a high-end food court with vendors selling everything from fresh pressed juices to oven-cooked pizzas, and even vegan Asian food. My mom and I shared some vegan dumplings and a summer roll, yum! In the afternoon we found a bus station to take us up to Fiesole. I showed them the town square and the little church on top of the hill with its gorgeous views over Florence in the valley below. We set out to find ourselves a hike. We walked around trying to find a trail but after getting lost a few times and running into several dead ends we finally decided to stop at a roadside cafe with a view overlooking the Tuscan hills. We had a picnic of bread, olives, dried apricots, dates, and pears. With the sun shining over the golden Tuscan hills against a backdrop of a blue sky and a cool breeze, it was lovely. After finding the bus back down into Florence, shopping around some more, and cleaning up for dinner, we went to have another delicious pasta dinner sitting outside in Santo Spirito. We had a glass of prosecco and spaghetti with red sauce (which was the best I had tasted in Italy yet!).
On Saturday we got up early and called a cab to the Santa Maria Novella Train Station. We got our tickets, a coffee, and a croissant, and hopped on a train to Naples. The train ride was beautiful. Passing through the heart of Tuscany with scenes of golden hills, rolling olive groves, and classic red-roofed Tuscan homes. When we got to Naples we were picked up by a private driver who would take us on a tour of the coast right down to Positano. His name was Tony and he was quite the character. Talking on and on about his life, business, and family. He was what my Jewish family would call a real “yenta” (in the best way possible). He took us on a 5-hour tour of winding roads on the cliffside of the mountains running all the way down the coast. We made a stop in a small coastal town called Rovello where we ate lunch and explored a few of their beautiful hotel villas with stunning views of the ocean. Once we finally arrived in Positano, dropped on the side of a steep, windy road by Tony the Taxi driver, we were at a loss. Three girls with overpacked suitcases and no sense of direction is not a good recipe when trying to navigate down hundreds of steep steps to find the villa where we were staying. We started aimlessly trudging down the steps with our bags until finally a cute Italian boy of about my age came to our rescue. He helped us with our bags and lead us to our villa which, let’s just say, had a 5-star view. The balcony right outside our room had a panoramic view of the whole town which towered out over the black beaches and vast ocean below. With little boats dotting the waters and mountains seemingly growing out of the sea on either side of us. The sunset that night gave a pink-orange glaze which hung like a fog over the expanse of the Mediterranean that opened up in front of us.
On Sunday morning I woke up to the sunlight shining through the window curtain. There couldn’t possibly be a view that compares to the one outside my window that morning. We had a small breakfast of fruit and tea on the terrace overlooking the water as the sun burned away the morning fog. We headed out into town and shopped around. Popping into lots of cute stores overflowing with painted pottery and limoncello. After a day of shopping, climbing steps and admittedly devouring an entire vegan pizza by myself, we retreated back to our villa to catch yet another incredible sunset over the coast. The air was cool, the views spectacular, and the company even better.
Monday was more of the same. We strolled around town, relaxed on the beach, and devoured another spaghetti dinner without shame. The next morning we left the villa early, recruiting someone much more accustomed to the foreboding stairs than us to carry our bags down several hundred feet of them. We were picked up in a private taxi and shuttled up the coast and back to Naples where we boarded our train to Florence. The past few days had tired me out completely but in the best way possible. I’m so lucky to have had spent such a fun few days in one of the worlds most beautiful locations with two of the worlds most beautiful people. Much love to my amazing Mom and Aunt for everything.
More adventures to come <3 ~Bella