Southern Field Study

Day One: A very short trip in Naples complete with our first sampling of a real Naples pizza. Honestly though, I was not all that impressed. We went to the Archeological Museum and then pretty much had to get back on the bus for our ride down to Sorrento where our hotel we would be staying in all four nights was located.

 A new favorite: Fried pasta dough-what's not to love?

 A Moment of Contemplation

 Glass eyes=Creepy!

 The amazingly balanced porcellino

 First Beware of Dog sign

Day Two: Pompei and Mount Vesuvius

We had a guided tour of the well preserved city of Pompei. None of the buildings have ceilings because when Mount Vesuvius erupted 24 feet of ash and rubble covered the town causing all of the roofs to collapse. Most of the walls however are still standing. Our tour guide pointed out which areas used to be shops and which were at one time someone’s home. The most fascinating part of the tour was the theater. Center stage there is a spot, discovered through the use of geometry, which naturally amplifies your voice so everyone in the theater can hear you clearly even at a whisper.

The sad history of this city did not hit most of us until we were shown the preserved bodies of the locals who apparent by their facial expressions died a most painful death.

Our next stop was Mount Vesuvius, the cause of the destruction we had seen below. Hiking this volcano was not easy as the pathway is completely made of loose ash and pebbles. Many people fell and slid in their attempts. Reaching the top, my legs and lungs were burning. The hike was well worth the view, both around the volcano and inside of it. I’ve never been on a volcano before and I can say the experience is thrilling and terrifying at the same time because as our tour guide put it, this volcano is still very much an active one. Sadly, if Vesuvius were to erupt, millions of people would die because there is no evacuation plan for the cities below.

 Falling in! Oh Dio!

 The wind was fierce and we only had just enough time to walk one stretch of the volcano’s rim before we had to begin our descent.

Day Three: My favorite day of the Field Study. In the morning we explored Sorrento and then took a ferry to Capri. As soon as we stepped foot on the island we got in line to be taken to the Blue Grotto. Once we arrived in the small cove, we had to get into these small canoes which were steered into the grotto. In order to fit through the small opening in the cliff, we had to lay down flat in the canoe as our driver pulled us through with one “heave ho!”. 

 Pictures didn't turn out that well unfortunately

Inside, I was speechless as our driver began to sing in Italian, steering us around the small cove so we could see the most brilliant blue any of us had ever seen before. The color is something I will forever remember.

After we got back to the mainland, we decided to explore and hiked all the way to the top of the island where we found a natural arch.

 I went into this store and bought some little trinkets. The owner makes everything shown. She gave me a delicious cookie and when I was leaving wanted me to join her for a cup of coco cola haha.

 I love my blue doors!

 Of course we did some shopping in the local shops and then joined more of our group to relax a bit before heading back on the ferry to Sorrento. On the ferry ride back I wasn’t feeling too great and the next morning even less so.

Day Four: Amalfi Coast

In the morning, I did not feel like going down to breakfast with my roommates and when I finally forced myself to get up for the day I actually fainted. There was no way I was going to miss going to the Amalfi Coast and so of course within twenty minutes of getting on the bus I was asking if anyone had a plastic bag. I was relieved when we reached Amalfi, but not excited for the day’s tours. We toured the main cathedral of the town and then were free for a bit before lunch. At lunch I attempted to eat a Cabrese salad, but ended up allowing everyone else to sample off of my plate instead. 

 Similar to Porcellino in Florence, apparently if you rub this guy's face you will have good luck for the year.

After lunch we went on an interesting tour of the oldest paper mill factory in Europe. We were able to watch how paper is made and also view the different machines produced and improved over the years. The entire mill is run of off the natural element of water, which runs downhill to other factories and is recycled there for other purposes.

After the tour we had to head back to the bus where we had to wait for Miguel, a student who somehow is always lost. I have to say that the drive back to Sorrento was my favorite part of the day. Rather than going back up the coast to Sorrento, we went down the coast and then cut through Naples to come back. The drive down the coastline was not only beautiful but incredibly thrilling. The tight curves are enough to make anyone sick (thank goodness I was sitting in the very front of the bus thanks to my previous bout nausea) and the crazy drivers are enough to make anyone want to pee their pants! I took a video to show just how crazy it was.

Day Five: Caserta

In Caserta we explored the royal palace and gardens. Walking the entire length of the garden would take you all day! We didn’t have enough time to walk all the way to the top where this beautiful fountain was so we actually took a bus. I wanted to rent a bicycle but they were closed for the day. This fountain is depicting a hunter who has been turned into a stag after a bathing goddess caught him spying on her. His dogs turned on him, tearing him to pieces for his offense.

 Such a happy little guy!

 Reenactment, we do such a good job.

 The bus ride home was slow going because of strikes that were going on causing traffic delays and because of the stomach flu that was quickly spreading through the bus causing several stops along the way. Pulling into Viterbo was such a relief. As we disembarked and dispersed to our different Italian lodgings, I was surprised by the amount of trash on Viterbo’s streets. It was almost as bad as Naples! Apparently while we were gone there was a festival in town and the Viterbese went wild! Unlike Naples however, all of the trash was gone by eight in the morning on Saturday restoring Viterbo back to its small town charm.

Next up: Barcelona!