Isabel & Stephanie – Page 3 – Ultimate Europe Trip

Yes, we are nerds

4 Comments / Milan / Isabel & Stephanie / June 27, 2022

Yesterday marked our last day in Italy and our only day in Milan. We had another great breakfast at the hotel in Venice before hopping on the train. After a quick ride, we eventually found the machine for the Milan transit tickets and we were very lucky to have another tourist offer to help because it was the most confusing self service machine we’ve seen on the entire trip. The other weird thing was that the metro station looked deserted other than us and two other tourists that had gotten off our train. After we got our tickets, we went down to the tracks which were also empty. We started to get worried that that line might not run on Sundays, but then it showed up and we took it right to the hotel.

We dropped our bags and then ignored the crowds going shopping and going to appreciate the fashion of Milan. Instead, we followed our own interests and went to the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology. It was very well done and had a lot of very interesting exhibits.

Each room was transformed to be the exhibit, it wasn’t just cases with descriptions, which meant that you felt immersed in each topic. Many of the exhibits even had games you could play or videos you could watch. We started in the basement with Italy’s Industrial Revolution and learned about their factories and machines that could speed up things like nail and pipe production. The next exhibit was centered around waste and recycling and had a lot of interactive games/displays to emphasize different aspects of recycling, composting, and waste.

Following the waste exhibit, there was a very interesting hallway that illustrates the use of color in society and some of the stigmas around different colors based on how they’ve been used in the past. Along the hallway was a series of squares each painted the color with a short blurb on its relevance. The topics ranged from Black Friday to Black Panthers to Silver Economy to Red Hand to Blue Monday and so many more. They were really cool to read about and it was interesting how many of them were directly related to the US. Isabel took a long time in this exhibit and finished to find Stephanie watching a video about AI and its influence in different fields including medicine, education, and hospitality.

Another interesting exhibit was about food and how food production and storage changed over the years. It was set up with large screens playing videos of people from different time periods telling their story. It was as close to seeing moving and talking pictures (like in Harry Potter) as exists. One of them told a very interesting story about refrigerators becoming available in homes (rather than just stores) and the shift from going to the store every day to being able to store leftovers and essentials. We also heard from a man who described his job as a “link” because he was like a link in a chain that transported ice cream to the stores. He emphasized the importance of keeping the temperature low enough in every step which meant that every link was vital to the end goal.

Our favorite exhibits were the space exhibit and the da Vinci exhibit. The space room covered all of space history including the US reaching the moon, lots of different spacesuits, a moon rock, and games where you could build a spaceship and see if it would reach an orbit. It was really cool to see and we had fun looking at it all. The Leonardo da Vinci exhibit felt like they were trying to put us into his head with projections of his art on the walls and his inventions displayed all over the rooms. It was a lot of fun to see it all and very interesting to see how they combined his sketches of living things with his architecture and his artwork and his weaponry.

We headed outside to look at the other buildings and were very happy to find a good truck (there hadn’t been restaurants near the museum for lunch) and so we got some food before heading into the next buildings. The first had a lot of trains from different time periods and the next had a huge boat, a small plane, and a hang-glider. It was crazy how huge the boat was considering it was inside the building. This was the last thing we looked at before we headed back out.

We decided it would be a smart idea to go check into the hostel so we could move our bags into the room and take some stuff out of the day pack, so we headed back that way. After checking in, we realized we had a cube to ourselves inside of the dorm room. It was kinda crazy but it was very nice and much easier to sleep without as much light or noise.

After moving our bags, we decided we should actually see what Milan is all about so we went over to the Duomo of Milan, which is breathtaking. We walked around all sides of it and wandered up and down some of the streets around it which were covered in huge fancy stores. The streets were filled with people carrying lots of shopping bags going from store to store. We definitely didn’t have the money for that (especially after Murano) so we stuck with walking around outside.

When we started getting hungry, we went back to the hostel because we decided that the restaurant prices would be better near a residential neighborhood than next to shopping central. We ended up at a cute Italian restaurant and ordered a 4 cheese pasta, risotto, and salmon tartar with avocado. The risotto and salmon were both delicious but the pasta was a little undercooked and had too much peppercorn. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and cashed in our tokens to get a welcome drink at the bar before going up to shower and get settled in our cube for bed.

We got a good night sleep before a very early morning and are now officially in Switzerland!

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Venezia

2 Comments / Venice / Isabel & Stephanie / June 25, 2022

Yesterday, we arrived in Venice and fell in love with the city immediately. How could you go wrong with canals and boats replacing streets and cars with endless alleyways to explore (without worrying about cars or bikes). After dropping our bags at the hotel, we set off to explore, our only goals were to get lost and admire the glasswork in the shops.

After wandering for a little while, we stumbled into a Venetian restaurant and ordered their fixed price fish menu. We didn’t know exactly what we had ordered but we were very happy after the first course arrived and we were served a delicious bowl of penne with salmon. The second course was more of a shock when we were served a whole fish (eyes, teeth, fins, and all). The meat tasted good but it was definitely a challenge to pick around the bones and we had to put the head to the side so we couldn’t see the face while we were eating. We were also served a salad with the fish. Also, apparently we didn’t do a good enough job picking the fish off the bone because the server (who spoke almost no English) thought we didn’t like it and brought us limoncello shots and chocolates on the house in what seemed like an apology.

Embarrassed, we took note of where we were (so we didn’t come back) and set off to explore some more. We had purchased a transit pass for the water boats so we decided we’d get on one and see what we could see. We made it most of the way around the island before we got back off to look around the more touristy district. We had a great time getting lost again, looking at gondolas, climbing over bridges, and admiring the buildings towering over the canals (this time dodging more people).

After awhile, when our water ran out, we headed back to the hotel to refill bottles and take a short break from the heat. Once we cooled off we decided to grab a quick dinner near the hotel and get some rest because we have a lot of early mornings in a row.

Today, our early morning was exciting because we had booked a trip to the glass factory in Murano to watch glass blowing and make glass jewelry. We met a guide in Venice who escorted us on the water bus to Murano and dropped us off at the factory (we’re not sure why, we could’ve taken the bus ourselves). The first part of the tour was watching a master and his two assistants working on a chandelier that they were commissioned to make. We also watched the master make a Ferrari horse which took him less than 90 seconds. In order to become a master, you have to be able to make literally anything with the glass and it typically takes a minimum of 10-15 years to reach that level. Everything you see from Murano is handmade and does not use any machine or molds which makes it is one of a kind and that much more special.

Following the glass blowing demonstration, we went to a different room to make our own glass pieces. We were allowed to choose either a bracelet, earrings, keychain, or mosaic and we both chose to make bracelets. It was fun but nothing we hadn’t done before. The fact that we left with bracelets made or Murano glass beads was more special than putting the beads on a string. When we finished our bracelets, we were led through their seven showrooms to see all of the glass pieces that they were selling. We couldn’t resist buying some, and are very excited to enjoy it when we get home.

With sadder bank accounts, we headed to the water bus to go back to Venice. After a quick pit stop at the hotel to refill water, we took the suggestion of someone at the hotel and went to a local restaurant for lunch. This time, we played it safe with a salmon club and a tuna tataki burger (both amazing). We then back to the Rialto bridge to find a gondola. We didn’t want to get one of the ones at the most touristy area so we headed toward the interior canals and searched for awhile before we found a free one. We climbed on board and got a whole different perspective of Venice. It was so much quieter and more relaxing to see the city from the canals and we had a great time (until we had to get off).

After the gondola, we wandered some more with the intention of finding the synagogue but we accidentally missed a turn and ended up right by the hotel, so we took that as a sign to go refill our very empty water bottles and cool off before going back out. When it was time to go back out, we realized it was actually time for dinner and so we went to a grocery store nearby to get a makeshift picnic which we ate at a table near the hotel.

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Galavanting with Galvani

6 Comments / Bologna / Isabel & Stephanie / June 23, 2022

After stopping back at the bakery we found yesterday, we made our way to the train station in Florence and hopped on board to head to Bologna. We eventually made our way out of the train station and our first stop was, of course, to drop our bags. We found the cutest hostel where we ended up with lots more space than we were expecting (and no bunk beds!). We looked around quickly and then stopped for gelato at a very local shop next door (it was already way too hot to just walk by).

Before the trip, we had found an exploration game in Bologna that is similar to a scavenger hunt for different monuments and attractions around the city. It’s also similar to a self guided tour but has a story and puzzles to go along with it, in addition to history and directions on where to walk. We really liked it because it was interactive, so we stayed engaged, but it was also self paced so we could take a break to go look at shops or get lunch or explore different areas more (or less) based on how we were feeling. The only downside was not having a physical person there to answer questions or give restaurant suggestions.

Bologna is full of towers, monuments, and porticoes which were really fun to explore. It felt like a much more medieval city than anywhere else we’ve visited which was entirely because of the architecture. One highlight was Bologna’s leaning tower which actually leans more than Pisa’s (but is harder to take cool pictures with). We also thought Neptune’s statue and Galvani’s statue were very cool with fun stories. The last highlight that we both enjoyed was an intersection of two tunnels where two people could stand in opposite corners and whisper into the corner and hear each other. We also loved that most of the sidewalks are covered (which helped protect us from both sun and rain). This was because, as Bologna’s population grew, people wanted to expand the size of their homes without taking over the sidewalks and roads so they built patios above the sidewalks with pillars holding them up.

After the game was finished, we made our way back to the hostel to officially check in and give ourselves a few minutes to cool off. When we were ready, we set off and explored some more of the city and went back to see more of a few areas including a street with lots of meat, cheese, and fruit vendors where we ended up for dinner. We found a cute restaurant, got a table in the street, and ordered an amazing charcuterie board and a salad with pears and parmesan. It was the perfect dinner and was exactly what we heard is a must in Bologna. On our way back to the hostel, we ran into a store to buy some water because we heard it’s crazy expensive in Venice. Tomorrow, we’re off to the canals!!

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Best birthday present

3 Comments / Florence / Isabel & Stephanie / June 23, 2022

For the first time in (what felt like) forever, we turned off all of our alarms and let ourselves sleep in. When we woke up, we took our time getting ready and getting ourselves organized before heading out. We got a late breakfast at a really cute cafe nearby which surprisingly served iced coffee (probably just to cater to tourists but it was hot so who cares). We also had read reviews that said they had the best cannolis so of course we also had to put them to the test. Everything we tried was amazing and we were excited to hear they open early so we might come back for breakfast before our train tomorrow.

After breakfast, we set out to wander through the market which turned out to be mostly a leather market with shops selling belts or purses or jackets. It was really cool to see but not the market we were expecting. We had been hoping to find some fruit to add a healthier component to our brunch, so we headed into a grocery store and got a large container of melon which we ate in a nearby square.

We headed back to the same bus stop as yesterday to meet our guide for a Chianti wine tour that visits 2 vineyards. We had a very interesting guide who spent most of the bus ride telling us fun facts about Florence, Chianti, wine classifications, olive oil classifications, and information about different places we were passing.

The first vineyard we visited was Sant Appiano which is a very cute place that was originally owned by the Pitti family (like the Pitti Palace in Florence). We tried the following five wines…

Spumante “brut”
- Floral and somewhat fruity
- We both really liked this one
IGT Toscana Rose Secretum
- Very light with the body of a white and flavor of a red, hints of red fruit
- We both loved this one and ended up buying a bottle
Vin Santo del Chianti DOC
- Strong dark red fruit flavors like blackberry and lots of tannin
- We both agreed that we liked this less than the previous two even though this one is much fancier
- This was probably our least favorite of them which is good because it was going for about 98€ a bottle.
Cottaccio
- Very acidic and tannic
- Might be better with food but neither of us liked it much alone
Supertuscan Syrah
- Less acidic than the other reds but similar tannin level
- You can taste the flavor from the French oak barrels it aged in
- Hints of berries like blackberries and maybe some caramel
- Isabel liked this one more than Stephanie

The next vineyard was Tenuta Torciano which has been in the same family since 1720 and we learned that the original owner had 18 kids which we were told was because of the aphrodisiac qualities of their truffle olive oil. They make high quality wine, truffle oil, and balsamic vinegar that can only be purchased directly from the vineyard (so we had to buy some balsamic). The atmosphere was amazing and we could feel the family values in the hour we spent there. In addition to 2 truffle oils and the balsamic vinegar, we tried the following 4 wines…

Veranaccia S Gimignano
- Very sweet with hints of pear, green apple
- We loved this one and were very tempted to buy some
Morellino di Scansano DOCG
- Very light and not very tannic
- We also both really liked this and it was definitely our favorite red of the day
Baldassarre Super Tuscan wine
- Good balance, more tannic than the first two wines here with flavors of dark chocolate and cherry making it very rich
- We both liked this one, it was probably our second favorite red
Rose (forgot to write the specific name)
- We both liked this one but definitely liked the rose at the first vineyard better (so we were happy with our purchase)

Overall, we both agreed that this was one of the best days we’ve had so far and this was one of the top excursions we booked (it was a belated birthday present for Stephanie and she said it was the best birthday present)!!

After the second vineyard, we headed back to Florence just in time for dinner. We took the suggestion of someone on the vineyard tour and went to a very local Florentine restaurant, called Trattoria Da Giorgio. Stephanie had been hoping to get a Florentine steak and this restaurant had the option of a fixed price menu with the steak, a side, water, and wine, so Stephanie got her steak with a salad, lots of water, and more wine, They also had a different fixed price menu with a first course, second course, side dish, water, and wine which Isabel ordered. She had gnocchi, Turkey with lemon, farro salad, lots of water, and more wine. It was all delicious and we were so happy to have gotten the suggestion.

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Cinque Terre

4 Comments / Florence / Isabel & Stephanie / June 22, 2022

We don’t love waking up at 6am, but we were sure that today would be worth it. We quickly got ready and then sleepwalked to the meeting point and boarded the bus to La Spezia. When we reached La Spezia, we were hurried off the bus and onto a train to Manarola.

Manarola is gorgeous and, after getting coffee and croissants at the only cafe open, we wandered along to water to look at the gorgeous buildings from the coast and then wandered up their Main Street to see the water from higher up.

The second town we visited was Monterosso which had a lot more to see but was slightly less pretty. We wandered along the water for a bit and got a gelato to share before heading back to the meeting point to go to lunch. On top of the food, the meal included bottomless wine and water which was a major plus. The first course of lunch was a seafood salad which had an impressive variety of seafood over a bed of lettuce with olives and tomatoes. The seafood was amazing and very fresh. It was also very cool to get to try small amounts of all different local seafoods including octopus and mussels cooked 2 different ways. The second course was homemade pasta with a pesto sauce (the pesto here is amazing) which was even better than the seafood salad. The final course was panna cotta which was the perfect end of the meal before we rushed out to explore the rest of the city before the meeting time.

Instead of a train, we changed it up and took a boat from Monterosso to Vernazza which gave us a gorgeous view of both cities but also was so shaky that we both ended up getting a little nauseous (especially because it was right after lunch). It was a lot of fun to be on the water but the boat was tilting almost 45 degrees from side to side.

Luckily, it wasn’t a very long ride and we arrived in Vernazza to another beautiful town. The temperature had been rising all day and we still hadn’t been in the water so we decided it was a good stop to wade into the water to try to cool off. We were a little disappointed that none of the stops gave us enough time to really swim (and then dry off) but we had a good time sitting on a rock with our feet in. We also got some time to stroll through the town before we had to meet at the train station.

The last town that visited was Riomaggiore. We didn’t get to see Corniglia, but we didn’t mind too much because it is primarily (if not entirely) the national park so we wouldn’t be able to see much without the park ticket and we wouldn’t have time to explore the park if we did have the ticket. In Riomaggiore, we started by wandering down to the harbor and taking in the view of the water. We decided it was too hot to spend much time there since there wasn’t much shade so we headed over toward the old town instead and wandered in and out of shops until it was time to meet back at the train station. The tour was very no nonsense about the meeting times and even left one woman behind who didn’t make it on time (which is good for those of us who were on time). From Riomaggiore, we took the train back to La Spezia and then boarded the bus back to Florence.

Overall, the trip was amazing and we really liked the style of it. It was nice to have someone help us with the transportation, provide a few details about each city, and organize lunch, but we also loved getting to explore the cities on our own. The only thing that would’ve been better was a longer stop in any one town to be able to take some time to swim and cool off.

When we got back to Florence, we headed directly for a pizza place that was recommended to us. We were tired and getting hungry so we wanted something quick, easy, and on the way. We arrived to find it closed (even though google thought it was open- when will we learn to not trust google for restaurant hours) so we went to a different pizzeria across the street. We ordered a four cheese pizza which ended up being delicious and we left happy and fed. Back at the hostel, we quickly got ready for bed and fell asleep almost immediately. Luckily, there were no more doorbell rings!

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Ciao! (a day late)

2 Comments / Florence / Isabel & Stephanie / June 21, 2022

We said goodbye to Naples with another early morning rushing to the train station. The metro didn’t seem to be running so we ended up taking a taxi to the train station and then enjoying the ride to Florence. Again, our tickets were first class (even though we booked second class), but this time the conductor didn’t let it slide so easily. We showed him our receipt for second class and explained that we tried to change it and he eventually let it slide, but told us he was supposed to charge us the difference in the prices. When we made it to the Florence train station, we decided we didn’t want to risk it anymore so we changed the rest of our Italy tickets to second class.

Once everything was sorted out, we walked to the hostel to see if we could check in early or at least use their washing machine. They wouldn’t let us check in but they did let us use the laundry, so we got that done while we were waiting to check in. After we were done, we brought our bags up to the room and then headed out to find lunch. At that point, we were starving and wandered into a pizza place and shared a margarita pizza before going across the street for gelato.

Our next stop was Piazza di San Lorenzo which was the starting point for our walking tour. We waited on the steps of the church until our guide arrived and began the tour. We learned that the church we were sitting at was originally a Roman temple and most of the materials from the temple were used to build the church when the Romans were conquered in Florence. Also, the castle on the opposite corner was the first home of the Medici family and it’s style was copied in many other castles throughout the city.

After leaving the Medici castle, we walked over to the Duomo and learned about the history and symbolism of the cathedral, the bell tower, the dome, and the baptistery. After leaving Duomo, we walked over to the square that marked the city center and then walked over to Uffizi to hear about Leonardo and more about Michelangelo. Overall, the tour was very interesting but it felt more like a lecture than a walking tour (we only walked about half a mile throughout the 2 hour tour).

It was still a little early for dinner (at least in Europe) so we took our time wandering along the river and into some of the shops as we made our way back toward the less touristy restaurants that were in the direction of the hotel. We heard about a Chinese restaurant that was supposed to be really good and decided that halfway through our time in Italy was a good time to try something other than Italian, so we headed that way. It ended up being a great decision, all the food was amazing and very reasonably priced. We started with spring rolls and steamed dumplings and then had vegetable fried rice and a hot plate with rice noodles and shrimp and then finished with chicken with cashews and chicken with fresh pineapple. We loved it all and left very happy with the decision.

On the way back to the hostel, we stopped at a cafe for cannolis and ate them in a park near the hostel. When we got back, we took some time to relax and got to know one of the other girls in our room before getting ready for bed. The beds were comfortable, but we didn’t get as much sleep as we hoped because someone started ringing the doorbell (yes there is a doorbell to the dorm room) at about 2:30am. Nevertheless, we still woke up on time and are now on our way to Cinque Terre!

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A bit of Capri

2 Comments / Naples / Isabel & Stephanie / June 19, 2022

Following our (mostly edible) breakfast, we headed to the port to meet our guide and go to the beautiful Capri. The boat took almost an hour and then our guide rushed us off the boat and onto another boat to go see the blue grotto.

This boat was much smaller and took us on a short ride around the island to get to the blue grotto. When we arrived, we had to wait and wait and wait while everyone else went in. We waited for an eventful 2 hours which including dancing to YMCA, a Lithuanian woman calling the police about the corrupt boat staff and excessive wait time, and our boat captain honking at the girls in bikinis on other boats.

When it was finally our boat’s turn, we climbed into a third, even smaller, boat which navigated us into the cave. To get inside, we all had to lay down in the boat which was very difficult to do while sharing the boat with an elderly couple (who we didn’t want to crush).

Since it took so long to get into the blue grotto, our guide changed plans and we climbed up the steps on the side of the island rather than taking the boat back to the port. At the top, we boarded a bus and were taken to a cute restaurant in Anacapri (the top region of Capri). We were served salad, pasta, and ice cream. Isabel’s pasta was with mussels and Stephanie’s was bolognaise. After lunch, we were given a hefty 20min to explore the island, aka 20min to look at the souvenir shops by the restaurant, before we took another bus back to the port. Overall, we ended up having a good time and enjoyed getting to see Capri and the blue grotto, but we wish we had more time to see more of the island and learn more about it.

We made it back to Naples and took a little time to rehydrate and relax before dinner. Most of the restaurants are closed on Sundays, so we went back to reception to ask for a suggestion which led us to a very cute restaurant whose tables spilled into the street. We ordered a calzone to share along with a side order of zucchini and a side order of peppers with olives and capers. Everything was amazing and we couldn’t leave without trying more, so we ordered a slice of Baba, a Napoli dessert that is somewhat similar to a rum cake (but better). It was a great last evening in Naples and we took a short stroll through the neighborhood before heading back to the hostel to pack our bags. Tomorrow, we are off to Florence!!

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Pompeii was a mall?

4 Comments / Naples / Isabel & Stephanie / June 18, 2022

We are very happy to have another hostel that includes breakfast which made this morning much easier to get ourselves up and ready to go. After eating, we hopped in a taxi (buses weren’t running yet) to the train station and got a train to Pompeii. We felt like we won the lottery when the train door stopped right in front of us letting us get on first so that we had seats. The views from the train were gorgeous with Vesuvius on one side and the ocean on the other and it was a relaxing ride along the coast. As we got closer, we even got glimpses of Capri (tomorrow’s expedition)!

The station at Pompeii was very small but was also very ready for the crowd of people rushing off the train. They directed everyone into the ticket office where they were selling tickets and exchanging online purchases for tickets before sending everyone on their way. We had booked a guide so we waited for our guide who led us through the restaurant to pick up headsets.

Throughout the tour, we learned a lot about the history of Pompeii and what we were seeing. The first thing to note was that our tour guide described Pompeii as “basically a big mall” because most of the buildings were actually shops owned by middle class workers who lived above their store. He also pointed out that even though Vesuvius erupted and destroyed Pompeii in 79AD, only about 70% of it has been uncovered. Part of that is because the archeologists built a research lab on top of some of the ruins.

We also learned that the roads all had to have high curbs and stepping stones across them because it was unhealthy to step in the streets which were covered in sewage. The market place had no roads through it and was only for pedestrians to keep the waste out. It also was originally made with marble floors, but the Romans were said to have stolen most of it after the eruption. It is also possible that the stolen marble was used to help finish the Colosseum which was opened about a year after the eruption. Now, the former market’s floor is mostly gravel with some small patches of marble.

In addition to the marble on the floor of the market place, the rich also liked to have fancy floors in their homes. One of the upper class homes we visited had a lot of colorful tiles on their floors and even included lots of precious gemstones. Most were stolen (either by the Roman’s or archeologists), but the guide did show us one amethyst stone that is still there. Apparently the gems would glisten in the light and create cool light shows.

Throughout the tour, we went into some former houses, but we also went into lots of shops. Some were fairly nondescript, but it was really cool to see the others. For example, the bakery had a very obvious stone oven and wheat grinder. The guide mentioned that they had found more than 40 bread ovens throughout Pompeii so far which shows that bread was an important part of their life and they are it a lot. Also, at the time, bread was made of flour and lava dust. When they are the bread, the lava dust would wear down their teeth until they had very short teeth. This, along with the fact that their water what lead in it contributed to the fact that their life expectancy was only about 40. The water fountains were, in fact, a big part of their life (even if the water killed them) because each was designed with its own carving. The streets didn’t have names so people used the water fountains as landmarks to find each other’s houses or stores.

Toward the end of the tour, we learned that as far as they can tell, most of the citizens of Pompeii did in fact leave before Vesuvius erupted, likely because the earthquakes scared people and they feared something bad was coming. Based on what they’ve found, they believe the population was about 15,000-20,000 but they only found about 1600 bodies, some of which were covered in plaster and preserved.

After the tour was over, we wandered around some more and saw the amphitheater (where the gladiators fought) and some more of the shops, houses, and gardens before heading out. We stopped at a restaurant right outside the ruins for sandwiches and cold drinks before catching the train back to Naples.

By the time we got back, we were exhausted so we took a short break at the hostel before heading back out. Our first stop was to the grocery store before heading to dinner. We went to an amazing pizza place suggested by someone from the hostel and we loved every bite. One pizza was shaped like a star and had ricotta stuffed in the crust and the other was half margarita and half tomato sauce with garlic and basil. All three pizzas were delicious and we were so happy we went there. Definitely better than the ones we made yesterday. After dinner, we wandered some more in the direction of the hostel before going back and getting ready for bed.

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The pizza loves you

3 Comments / Naples / Isabel & Stephanie / June 17, 2022

Our morning started with our final breakfast in Rome delivered to our room by one of the b&b owners. We enjoyed the breakfast before heading to the train station. We were a little worried because there was supposed to be a scheduled strike by the bus drivers that started right around the time we needed to get on the bus, but we didn’t run into any problems.

The train from Rome to Naples was booked with our second class Eurail passes, but somehow we were given first class tickets. No complaints from us! The seats had a lot more leg room, we were given bottled water and snacks, and there were less people fighting to get off when we arrived in Naples. It was a great experience and we loved riding in style.

In Naples, we headed straight to the hotel where we dropped our bags and got lots of suggestions from the receptionists before heading out for lunch. One of the suggestions that we got was a lunch restaurant which we were excited to try. We each got a pasta dish, Stephanie’s had tomato sauce and meatballs and Isabel’s had fish. Both were amazing and we were also given a plate of some sort of zucchini (on the house) which we couldn’t get enough of! At this point, we aren’t sure whether we want to go back there or make sure to hit all their other suggestions.

After lunch, we went to see Castel dell’Ovo which is right on the water and has gorgeous views of the islands as well as the city and beaches. It was really cool to see and we wandered along the water for awhile before (trying) to get back to the hotel. Unfortunately, after the bus we wanted to get on didn’t show up, we hopped on a different one that had our stop listed, but what we didn’t realize was that it was going the opposite direction. Eventually, we did make it back to the hostel, checked into our room, and took some time to get organized before our next adventure.

We ended today with a pizza lesson which was very chaotic but ended up being a lot of fun. The meeting point was outside a pharmacy in the pouring rain and the guide was only 10 minutes late. Then, the group all hurried across the street to the restaurant where we realized the group was twice as large as we expected and larger than the guide seemed to expect. Once everything settled down and we started making the dough, it got a lot better and we had a really good time getting to know the other people there. Our guide, Renaldo, taught us how to care for the dough and repeatedly told everyone that the pizza loves us (while also telling us we were all doing it wrong). We made everything from scratch and then got to watch the pizza being cooked (1.5min at 400 degrees Celsius) before getting to eat and enjoy. The pizza might have been the best pizza we’ve ever had and made us very excited to get some more Napoli pizza tomorrow!!

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Another day, another gelato!

1 Comment / Rome / Isabel & Stephanie / June 17, 2022

Yesterday, we woke up to another grand breakfast and learned that hot dogs are considered a breakfast food in Italy. After breakfast, we headed out toward Vatican City where we wandered around as much as we could before finding gelato. As always, the gelato was delicious and reenergized us to continue walking. A little later, we found a cute Italian restaurant for lunch where we each ordered pasta dishes, both of which were amazing.

After lunch, we took a hike up Aventine Hill to find the “secret keyhole” that lines up perfectly for a view of St Peters Basilica. We made it to the top and the view was definitely worth it. After enjoying the view for a little while, we were ready to head back down. Stephanie found a lime scooter which she was very excited to try out while Isabel walked.

When we got the bottom, we realized that we had ended up in the Jewish Quarter and were looking up at the Synagogue. We spent awhile wandering through the neighborhood and looking at some of the shops before heading back to the hostel for a short rest.

After resting, catching up on some emails, and getting more organized for Naples and Florence, we headed out to find some pizza for dinner. We found a cute shop close by where we could get carry out and brought our pizza back to the room to enjoy with a bottle of local wine we had picked up the day before. Everything was delicious and the wine paired perfectly with the pizza. After dinner, we went for a short walk around the neighborhood before heading back to the room to get packed for the next leg and ready for bed.

Gelato

Another day, another gelato! Read More »