Ciao from Italia! When I last posted I had just arrived in Milano and I believe that was over a week ago... Here's a summary of my travels since then:
In Milano I stayed with and visited two fellow Lawrentians (Mike and Elena) who currently live and work in Milan. I took an Italian course with Mike during my Junior year at Lawrence. It was nice to see some familiar faces. They were excellent hosts and tour guides! In Milan I saw its Duomo (cathedral), the famous La Scala opera house, the expensive and fashionable Brera District, small churches, and of course, the Milanese people dressed to the "nines" in high and at times, extravagant fashion... In Italia, La Bella Figura, or making a good impression is very important and a daily ritual. Therefore, no matter what, but especially in public, you should always look your best. It was interesting people watching.
From Milan I traveled to Firenze (Florence), which is considered the cultural and historical heart of Italy. It is in the Tuscany region and it conjures up many romantic notions of Italy, with rolling hills, cypress trees, villas, and terracotta hues. I stayed at a very nice hostel in Florence and my room had incredible views of the famous Duomo. I spent 3 full days in the city and saw a lot: The Duomo, Orsanmichele, The Uffizi and Bargello (museums with priceless and famous paintings and sculptures, especially from the Italian Renaissance), Piazza della Signoria and its Loggia dei Lanzi and the nearby Plazzo Vecchio, the famous churches of Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce, plus many other small churches and buildings. One of the highlights was a hike through some of the hills above the city at sunset. There were spectacular views of the city, countryside and mountains! While in Florence I also celebrated my 2 month mark of traveling and had a good meal at a good ristorante that my family and friend Spencer ate at 4 years ago. An answer to a small experiment I was running came through while in Florence: I was wondering if I could or would run into people I knew from the US during my travels. Well, I did and it was by chance... I was running a bit late one morning and had just stopped to see a small chruch and when I was exiting I heard " Hey guy from Lawrence..." I looked over and there were 3 people waving at me. It took me sometime to recognize them but the 3 people are current students from Lawrence who are studying in the ACM's Florence Program. Small world! The final highlight of Firenze was the incredible weather which made everything just perfect!
After Florence, I headed to Salerno which is where I currently have set up shop. My trip to Salerno was incredibly long and tiring: an entire day's worth of travel by train from Florence to Roma, Roma to Napoli, Napoli to Salerno, with many stops at small towns and villages along the way. Nevertheless, I arrived and was warmly greeted by Raffaele and Olga Baorto (parents of Michelangelo, an exchange student my family hosted in '97-'98) at the train station. I will spend some time in Salerno with the family taking in the surrounding area but also to practice and improve my Italian language skills. I visited Salerno's Duomo, which is very beautiful, its Old District, and yesterday Raffaele and I sailed to Amalfi where we explored the town. I then took a bus up the mountain to Ravello which is just gorgeous. There I visited the Villa Cimbrone Gardens and had stunning views of the coast and sea! Italian traffic and driving is a bit crazy and scary at times. Well try riding in it on a moped... It has been very interesting weaving in and out of traffic and in between cars. I am constantly affraid that my long legs and7or knees are going to be ripped off from car mirrors or other passing scooters! It is fun though!
Italy is a beautiful country with a beautiful language and culture, a diverse and tumultous history, and an interesting population. I am constantly amazed at its rugged beauty and way of life and enjoy learning more about it every day.
After Salerno I will make a stop in Rome to visit Michelangelo (Miki) and then in the weeks ahead, start traveling towards Spain.
I wish I could share pictures with you now, but at this time I am not able to post them. Hopefully soon...
Ciao a tutti!
NPL
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3 comments:
WOW. Just imagining your trip and sights. Some I have seen myself. Wish I was there.
Janet
That is interesting that you bumped into someone who recognized you. Small world is right! Interesting update and it sounds like you are still seeing and experiencing good things. I just picked up my goose and deer hunting licenses yesterday and I plan on going goose hunting tomorrow morning and t-zone hunting sunday. Yesterday I chased geese off of our fields 3 times.... 200, 50, and 75 each time. Hopefully I'll blast some down tomorrow!
YUM....I happy you were able to find that great restaurant again. I have fond memories of our delicious meals in Florance and our great trip in 2004 with Spencer celebrating your high school graduations!
Love you, Mom
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