sorrento2018blog-blog

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June 27, 2018

It’s hard to believe but it’s already the last week of my first session! So this week consisted of just preparing for my finals for my art and literature class. The first 5 weeks flew by and it’s so bitter sweet because I am also preparing to say goodbye to some of the most precious friendship I have made in such a short time. 

Today my art teacher took us to Bagni Della Regina Giovanna to sketch the landscapes and views. It was quiet the hike and I was definitely not prepared for it. We started at school and walked up hill for about 50 minutes on the side of very busy, curvy, and small roads. It was pretty scary! Once we got to where the actually hike started we walked downhill on a beautiful path that brought us to the bath. It was the most beautiful swimming hole because once the sun is high enough, the light makes the water in the hole a beautiful emerald green, which is why it’s so famous. From above the bath, where we sat to draw, you can look out to the open sea where people also hangout of the edge of the cliff and relax all day, swimming in the ocean. Laying on rock isn't as comfortable as sand but it was quiet the experience! I didn’t get to go swimming but I definitely will be going back too. 

The field trip made me realize how adventurous my art teacher truly is! She seems so quiet and kept to herself but she is not afraid to do anything and nothing bothers her! I loved this class because she took us to amazing places like this one, where we got to use our imagination and draw what we wanted. It’s pretty cool because you also get to focus on the people around you and draw them as well. Just like people watching except you’re writing it down by drawing what they’re doing!  The only bad part about this field trip was I had to run back to class so I wouldn’t be late for my next one! I walked in huffing and puffing into my next class, thank god my professor is easy going!

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June 24, 2018

Did you really go to Sorrento if you didn’t take a boat tour around the Amalfi coast? Absolutely not. Carly, Madi, and I got back from Ischia on Saturday morning and decided to continue our relaxing weekend by taking a rivet boat tour along the Amalfi coast and Positano. I remember when I came here six years ago with my family one of my favorite parts of the whole trip was taking a boat around the island of Capri, doing the same thing to Amalfi and Positano was a no brainer for me!

We started our tour around 10 AM. We got picked up at our apartment and brought down to the port by Marina Piccola, where we met our skipper, Federico and hopped on the boat to begin our day! It was a windy morning so the ride out of Sorrento was not so smooth. The water was VERY choppy and for someone who never gets sea sick, I was feeling a little nauseous. The first place Federico stopped was a quiet beach hidden beneath rocks. The cool part about this beach was it had a waterfall that poured fresh water from the mountains. If you looked closely at the top of it you could see it was man made; this was from the Romans who had used the waterfall to get fresh water. The water coming down from it was freezing, but it was so beautiful. After that we drove along the coast some more admiring the beauty of it. I still can’t believe I’m living in on of the most beautiful places in the world, it still doesn’t feel real. The coast is filled with beautiful homes, plants, and mountains and even in person it looks almost too good to be true. 

Our next stop was Positano! This island never fails to amaze me. The houses all on top of each other on the cliff are just as beautiful as the photos I’ve seen. Everything about this island is magical (but very expensive). Federico anchored the boat right in front of the Island. where we got to swim in the open water while drinking Preseco and having snacks. This is the true way to enjoy all the beauty that the coast gives you. We were able to experience swimming in the beautiful clear blue water and jumping off the boat with the amazing islands right behind us. Even Frederico hopped in to swim with us! He was young, maybe a little older than we were and was definitely trying to flirt with us the whole time! But hey its better than having an old man who isn’t fun right? The only bad part was poor Madi was sea sick most of the time because of how rough the water was that day. 

After swimming, we got back on the boat and headed for the Amalfi coast. Carly and I got off in Amalfi and had lunch in the town while Madi rested back on the boat. We didn’t get to see much of Amalfi but from being there for just a short time it seemed very touristy, which obviously is normal for such a famous town. It still seemed very beautiful and is definitely a town I will want to go back to to experience more of it and see what it is truly like. 

The day was winding down and the sun had drained us so after seeing Amalfi, we got back on the boat and headed back to Sorrento. We got to enjoy the evening on the boat and laid in the front of it taking in every last minute we had on the water. It couldn’t have been a more relaxing day. Federico helped end our trip in the most magnificent way by stopping the boat right by the port and watching the sunset with some limoncello! 

Madi, Carly, and I strived to have a relaxing weekend because we had done a lot of traveling the weekends before. We want to do as much traveling as we can but sometimes forget we are living in one of the most beautiful places in the world and we want to enjoy and experience that as well! Safe to say we did a great job relaxing while seeing more of our second home as well. 

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June 22, 2018

Ischia didn’t fail to amaze me for the second day in a row. We woke up early, had breakfast in the hotel and started off our day by touring the Castello Aragonese d’Ischia. This is one of the main things the island is known for because it’s a huge stone castle, on it’s own little island right next to Ischia. To get there you walk on a bridge that takes you right to the entrance of the castle, from there you take an elevator up and that’s where the tour started! 

The castle holds so much history, Romans used it as a defensive fort while building houses there then after a while it became the headquarters of the island and a home to noble families. The castle contained everything from prisons, gardens, churches, and even a scary cellar where they left nuns to decompose after they died! The best part about the castle were the beautiful views everywhere you looked. There were flowers blooming every inch inside of the castle and all the outlooks overlooked the entire island of Ischia. If you want to see breathtaking views of the island, the castle is the best way to see it! I’m so happy we were able to see this part of the island, especially because we were able to learn the history and how Ischia came to be the island it is now. 

After touring the castle we went snorkeling! Personally I think this was the best part of the trip because I think snorkeling is awesome but it wasn’t like what you would expect. When we started off we thought it was just going to be normal snorkeling where you take a boat out and see cool plants and animals that live there, but it was so much more than that. About 10 of us got on a small wooden boat with a little engine (I didn’t think we were going to fit but we did). On our first stop we dove into the water and got to see roman ruins that had sunken years ago. These ruins were ports were they would fish and dock their boats. It’s crazy to think that we were looking at docks which romans actually used. Because it was underwater and abandoned it was hard to imagine what they actually looked like before sinking but it was an awesome sight. Our tour guide even took us into a little cave where there was engraving on the walls from when the romans were there. 

Our second stop was more towards the open water but we were still by the island. Here our guide showed us sea grass, which sounds boring but it was absolutely stunning. The oxygen that came from the grass made up almost 20% of the air that we breathe in Ischia. It covered the whole ocean floor and when we went under water and looked at it, all you saw were the bubbles of oxygen making their way up to the surface. It was such an amazing view. We saw a few fish as well, starfish which we got to hold and sea urchins that were clinging to the rocks on the bottom of the ocean. I love the ocean and the world beneath the waves, its a totally different life so I am so glad we were able to find the time to snorkel!

After a long day of touring and snorkeling, we went back to the hotel and got ready to experience the night life in Ischia. It was much different than Sorrento or other places I have experienced since in Europe but I loved it because it was much more family based. Every corner you turned on there was a different band playing their own music right outside of the shops. Every store was opened late for people to go into and all the restaurants were packed. Families were dancing next the the bands and having a great time. It was so cute to experience. The best part was the it was full of locals. Of course there were tourists there as well but most of them were Italian families going out with other families and friends. That was my favorite part of Ischia, the fact that we weren’t surrounded by tourists everywhere you looked and there were so many locals that were happy to show you their Island. Ischia is by far one of the best places I have seen so far!

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June 21, 2018

I’m not sure how I woke up early to catch the ferry the morning after my 21st birthday but I managed to do it and I’m so glad I did. Carly, Madi, and I decided to explore and stay on the island of Ischia for the weekend. The ferry was only about an hour ride from Sorrento. When we got to the island we took a cab to our hotel and immediately laid out by the pool to relax after having such a long night. The hotel was beautiful (for college girls on a budget, we got pretty lucky). The funniest part was when we went swimming in the pool we had to wear a swim cap! Us Americans aren’t used to having to wear them unless you’re on a swim team so we thought it was hilarious when we put them on and couldn’t take each other seriously, but hey those were the rules if we wanted to go swimming! 

After relaxing by the pool we walked down the main strip with all the shops and then toured the island by taxi. For about three and a half hours a driver drove us around the whole island, stopping at beautiful outlooks, telling us the history of the island, and showing us famous spots of Ischia. I think these types of tours are the best way to see everything if you don’t have a lot of time and aren’t staying there for long! The driver also dropped us off at Sant’Angelo where there were many shops and beautiful beaches to see. It was a great way to see all the main parts of Ischia. 

The island is beautiful and green with so many plants and flowers everywhere you look. Personally I like Ischia more than Capri because there not many tourists and you get more of the local feel. It isn’t as busy as Capri and more relaxing as well. They are both beautiful and must see islands but if I had to choose, I would choose Ischia! The town was just so calming and quiet with the most stunning views everywhere you looked.

Ischia is known for quite a few things; thermal baths, it’s flower gardens, and it’s castle. There are thermal bath spas everywhere but we did not have time to do them nor did get to see the flower gardens. It’s difficult finding time to do everything when you are staying there for only two days! But by taking the taxi we were able to see where everything was and learn what Ischia is famous for and why. Within the first few hours I was already in love with the island and never wanted to leave! 

For dinner we ate at a restaurant right on the water called “Al Pontile”, then went back to our hotel to get some rest so we could enjoy the next day without being too tired. 

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21st Birthday!

My 21st birthday was my most fun and memorable birthday yet! I went out with Madi, Carly, Charlee and Savannah on Tuesday night and we waited until midnight to celebrate at the bar! We went to our favorite bar, Insolito, where we hung out most of the night. All my friends here were great and made my birthday feel so special. I truly couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls to be surrounded by. On Wednesday, my actual birthday my roommates started off the day by waking me up and surprising me with breakfast downstairs at our favorite gelato place called “David Gelateria”. They came out singing happy birthday to me with pancakes loaded with Nutella, whipped cream, strawberries and candles on top. It was already a great start to the day! 

I had to go to art class, but after I was done we went to eat at Fuoro 51. Here they served us the best wine I have every had and we got cheese and meat platters for lunch. It was absolutely delicious. My weakness and cheese and sausage platters so I was in heaven.

During class I kept getting missed calls from a random Italian number and couldn’t figure out why they kept calling me. They called again while I was at lunch, I finally was able to pick up and come to find out it was delivery guys coming to my apartment to deliver me flowers from my sweet mother. It was so cute and I got the most beautiful bouquet of red and pink roses. What a surprise! Carly and Madi also bought me a bottle of champagne to celebrate! 

For dinner we went to our favorite restaurant, Taverna Allegra. We all love this place so much because a man plays the guitar and sometimes the owner of the restaurant will sing to all of us while we are eating. The food is so good there so with the amazing service and great food, it’s a top notch place; it’s very authentic. The best part was that they played the guitar and sang happy birthday to me in both Italian and English when we were done with our meal! 

After dinner was when the real celebration started. My roommates and I first started the night at Insolito then went to a club in the main Piazza of town. We spent the night celebrating and dancing with all our friends here. I am so lucky to have found such amazing friends who made my birthday feel so special, especially being so far away from home. I couldn't be more grateful for how the day went and I will definitely remember it for the rest of my life. Turning 21 isn’t a big deal in Italy but nothing can top being able to spend it in Sorrento, Italy!

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Gelato making class at Bougainvillea on June 19th. Learned how to make lemon and hazelnut gelato!

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All the delicious food I had in Milan (including the raw fish) and the Duomo!

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June 19, 2018

So we didn’t end up making it to Cinque Terre or Lake Como because we didn’t have enough time, but on the bright side we were able to take our time and tour the city of Milan! On Friday we started the day off by touring the Duomo. Of course the catherdreal was stunning. We were able to tour the main part of it, the basement where there were ruins from when it was first built; including tombs and pools were people were baptized. The best part was this duomo allowed you to climb stairs to the roof and enjoy a spectacular view of the city center and the amazing architecture of the top of the building. This was my favorite part of the tour! The whole tour took about 3 hours and was worth every moment!

After touring the Duomo we ate lunch at Granaio Cafe è Cucina where I had an amazing sandwhich! We did a little more shopping because there are so many cool shops to explore, then headed back to the apartment to get ready to eat! We ate dinner at a fancier resturant called Castella Brera! The appetizers and dinner were amazing but our dinner came out different than we expected! We all ordered fish, I ordered yellowtail as well as Carly and Madi ordered tuna. To our surprise all our meals came out raw ha! Don’t get be wrong, it was delicious but there was a lot of raw fish in one plate and it was more than we could handle. We ate as much as we could. After we went to a roof top bar that overlooked the duomo and had a few drinks.

The next day Savannah and Charlee arrived in Milan. While they explored the duomo, the rest of us explored more of the city. We went to a pizza restaurant called “Piz” where I had my favorites pizza since I’ve been here, nothing has topped it and I’m not sure if anything will! It was amazing, they also gave us free champagne and paninis while we waited for our seat. For dinner we ate at a local resturant called Caminetti del Sempione. Here was my favorite dinner I’ve had so far as well! They made the pasta in a fresh block of cheese then we ordered chocolate fondue for dessert! I was in heaven.

Overall it was an amazing weekend in Milan and I am happy I’m able to experience towns in Italy I haven’t been able to see yet. Milan definitely made it to the top five list of my favorite cities!

Sunday we spent the day on the train traveling back to Sorrento then just relaxing because we were exhausted from touring and traveling so much.

Yesterday we found out that our literature class has been canceled the rest of the week because our professor is at a conference. We our taking full advantage of our free time and spending it at the beach and recovering from traveling so much and preparing us for more trips!

Tonight I am taking a Gelato class then going out because tomorrow is my 21st birthday!!!! I can��t wait to celebrate with my friends here and enjoy my 21st in Sorrento, Italy!

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June 14, 2018

So I’m obsessed with Milan. The city is absolutely gorgeous and I have never seen anything like it. Our apartment is right outside of the center and only a short train ride away from it. The train ride to here from Naples was about 4 hours. We met a nice Italian man named Luca who was an architect. He talked our ears off about everything and also gave us tips on where to go in Milan! He was the sweetest man and come to find out he designed the Adidas store in Milan.

Today Carly, Madi and I spent the day shopping. My wallet definitely isn’t happy with me but the shops here are beautiful and my motto is I’m only here once so I’ll regret it if I don’t get it! I may have spoiled myself with some clothes and shoes.

Shopping all day took a lot out of us, especially haveing to deal with the busy crowds but we’re all very pleased with our purchases. The shopping mall here is so expensive with high-end stores but there are also many affordable stores. There are a bunch that we have in America but others that are only here. There were really nice boutiques but also bigger stores which reminded me of stores like Forever 21 and H&M.

After a full day of shopping we were pooped so we ate at a resturant called “Piscinin” it was a small, local restaurant and the food was great. The owner, Vito, kept us there late talking and trying to speak English to us. We talked for so long we ended up being the last people to leave to resturant.

Overall it was an amazing first day in Milan! Tomorrow we are going to try to see Lake Como!

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Barcelona

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June 13, 2018

This past weekend was a great one because I got to visit Barcelona with all my roommates! We left late Friday night, didn’t get into Barcelona until 12:30 and didn’t get to our airbnb until about 2 in the morning. Our flight there was pretty scary because it was cheap and there was a bunch of turbulence so after we were all pretty exhausted from the stress of traveling!

The next morning we woke up very early to catch an all day hop on hop off bus that toured around the whole city of Barcelona. Because we only had about a day and a half in the city this was the best way and quickest way to be able to see everything in a short amount of time!

Our first stop was Sagrada Família! I’ve never seen such a beautiful and uniquely designed church in my life. Every corner of the church was designed with detailed and intricate carvings. Each carving had a significant meaning, about the life of jesus and stories from the bible. Nature was also interpreted into the building as well which gave it its unique look. Inside was just as magnificent, the architecture was nothing like I have ever seen before. There were huge stain glass windows that represented each season, and the choir above was sculpted with a curvy balcony. It was a great experience and I highly suggest that anyone visits Barcelona to make this spot a must see!

After touring the church we hopped on the bus again to Park Güell. I was stunned by the uniqueness of this park as well. We hiked to the top where we got an amazing outlook of the whole city. It was very hot and at this point we were pretty tired, starving, and still exhausted from not getting much sleep. If you know you’re going to be walking around in the heat make sure to be prepared because we definitely weren’t! After eating lunch we got back on the bus and toured the rest of Barcelona, seeing everything we could.

At night I got to meet Anthony and his friends for dinner because they were in Barcelona as well! It was great being able to see family again after a few weeks and I’m so happy it all worked out. We ate at Artespañol and had some authentic paella! Anthony and I got to catch up and he got to meet my roommates. After dinner we split up, my roommates and I went to George Payne to get drinks then after met Anthony and his friends at a famous club downtown called, Shoko. The only way to describe this club is to have you imagine the crazy ones in the movies with strobe lights, dancers, and people EVERYWHERE. You couldn’t move without bumping into someone. It was a cool experience and I’m happy we got to see it but definitely wasn’t something I could do every weekend! After the club I said goodbye to Anthony and went back to our airbnb.

The next morning I have the best breakfast since being abroad. We went to a resturant called, Ugot, that served brunch. I got eggs benedict with smoked salmon on top, it was love at first bite (or maybe I was just REALLY hungry).

After eating we explored the streets of La Rambla. There were markets spread out everywhere selling clothes, antiques, shoes, authentic food, and so much more. I wish we could have stayed longer but Carly and I had to leave late afternoon to catch our flight back to Naples. Savannah and Charlee got stuck there for another day because their flight back was cancelled 30 minutes before we took off for Barcelona!

Our flight back was another traumatic experience, it was delayed for hours without knowing why and the turbulence so was bad people next to Carly were literally praying... needless to say we almost kissed the ground when we got off the plane. Because our flight was delayed we missed the last train home but luckily a bus driver hooked us up with his friend who brought us back to Sorrento. Another man also took the same taxi, he was from London and was really sweet he has dj’d all throughout Europe, this man clearly lives the life. The best part of this trip is meeting people from all over the world and being able to hear about their different experiences.

Barcelona was amazing, our first trip out of Italy was pretty successful and I hope to go back one day and spend more time there. I’m currently on a train to spend the weekend in Milan and Cinque Terre! I’m truly living the best life while abroad and I couldn’t be happier that I can do all this traveling!

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June 8, 2018

It’s already the end of my second week here in Sorrento! Time is definitely flying by but I am enjoying every second of it. This week I was able to spend more time exploring the city, while also becoming more familiar with the locals. On Monday, I finally caved in and bought a few things that I have been eyeing through the windows since the day that I got here! My will power to walk past something I really want to buy here is tested everyday because everywhere you go there are stores and vendors. 

I haven't just been shopping I promise! During the week I am spending most of my day in class. I am taking drawing on location and Italian literature for the first part of my summer. My literature class has only four people and our professor is the sweetest man I have ever met. We are currently reading about how one is given an identity and what happens if you try to change it. It’s a very interesting class and our professor, Domenico, is teaching us Italian while we teach him English. The beginning of art class was a little boring because she had us sketch leaves and shells for four hours straight, but this week we finally went out side and sketched gardens and watercolored. The class is drawing on location so I am exited to see the different places we are going to go to. I’m not the best artist but my goal is to get a little better by the end of these five weeks!

My friends and I have gone out some nights to the popular bars on the main road here. Our favorite is called Insolito and the other is English Inn where most of the students go on the weekends and sometimes during the week. The other night my friend, Madi, and I went up to the English Inn and we were one of the few people there. The bar tender said if we left and got twenty people to come to the bar he would give us free drinks. As soon as we walked out of the bar we saw a huge group of people from our program walking down the street, we told them to all go to the bar and everyone listened! So moral of the story Madi and I are great advertisers and got the English Inn a lot more business on Wednesday! Needless to say the bar tenders were pretty happy and so were we haha. 

Last night I had the best dinner yet. The restaurant was called Taverna Allegra; it was hidden in one of the many alleys in Sorrento. The food was delicious but the best part was that there was a man playing the guitar the whole time, and throughout dinner there owner of the restaurant would sing to us. At one point he even serenaded me, it was the cutest thing. I thought of my uncle lou the whole time because I knew he would have been in awe. I most definitely will be going back there. 

This weekend is my first big trip to Barcelona! I am going with my roommates and meeting my brother there! I can’t wait to experience a whole other country, I’ve never been to Spain so I am very excited! 

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June 4, 2018

 The past few days have been very nice! I spent Friday morning in class then went to the beach and got to know a few more girls in our program. We all went out to eat at Da Emilia, right on the water! Of course I loved the restaurant because it was my grandmothers name but the food was great as well! We didn’t do much after because we had to be up early on Saturday for our trip to Capri. Saturday morning we took a ferry to Capri with our whole program. When we got there we hopped on a bus to Anacapri where we got to take a chair lift up a mountain that overlooked the whole city of Capri. The views were absolutely stunning (just like the one above). I could have sat there all day it was the most relaxing and beautiful scenery I have ever been to. After the chair lift we walked around and drove to the different parts of Capri that have the most shops. My favorite part about the shops and vendors in Italy is that if you find the right shops, they have handmade and uniquely crafted stuff, literally anything you can think of; earrings, plates, rings, jewelry boxes and so much more! I want to buy everything (don’t worry i’m not). After we took the ferry back to Sorrento. Later that night we went out and experienced our first night out at the bar here. Italian clubs love American music haha. I had a great time and I’m making so many great friends here! Today we finally had the chance to sleep in ! When we woke up we all headed down to the beach! The beaches here are awesome because you can pay to sit on a dock on the water or sit on the beach. Today we sat on the dock where you can just go down steps into clear blue water. I still can’t believe I’m living in such a beautiful place. I never want to leave. Although it feels like I’m on vacation, I still have class during the week and need to focus on that! Classes here are great because the professors want you to learn and immerse yourself in the culture and art to truly get the best experience while abroad.

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May 31, 2018

Today my roommates and I didn’t have class so we took a day trip to Positano! We ate breakfast at a restaurant right below our apartment where I had a banana and Nutella crepe (my favorite combination in the world). After, we hopped on a bus to Positano and I was not prepared for the ride we were about experience. The roads were small, windy and right on the edge of a cliff thousands of feet above the water. Although it was a beautiful sight, for someone who isn’t afraid of heights and doesn’t get motion sickness easily, I was dizzy after that ride!

This being our first trip in a country we barely know, of course we got a little lost. We got off the wrong stop then had to wait a whole hour in the heat for another bus to come to the take us to the center of town. We ate lunch then walked around the shops and checked out the gorgeous beach. Everything was so expensive because they were all high end boutiques but everything being sold was still so beautiful. I still can’t come the realization about how lucky I am that I am living and so close to the most magnificent places in the world!

We headed back to Sorrento in the evening, ate at a little restaurant by our apartment and made friends with the man who ran it! I am getting more familiar with the town, people, and becoming more confident speaking italian! Even if I am not that great the people here love to help you and correct you, they would much rather you learn their language than speak english!

My roommates and I are still getting a long so well and I’m having a blast making these memories with them and traveling with them! We just planned out first trip for next weekend and I couldn’t be more excited!

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May 30th, 2018

My first few days here in Sorrento, Italy have been nothing but amazing! I left home on May, 26th and arrived in Naples in the afternoon on the 27th. My flights went smoothly and when I got to the Dublin airport I was lucky enough to meet girls in the same program that I was, so before even getting to Naples I was already meeting people! Of course, I was exhausted by the time I reached Italy and the forty minutes bus ride to Sorrento with windy small roads definitely didn’t help but, I was and still am so excited that I couldn’t focus on being tired.

When I arrived to the airport in Naples, I met two of my roommates, Savannah and Carly; my direct roommate Charlee arrived later that day. Thankfully I was paired up with three of the sweetest and most genuine girls in the program. We got along right away, have so many similarities and we are already becoming such great friends. Making friends was definitely one of the few things I was nervous about before coming on this trip so it was a huge sigh of relief when we bonded so quickly! It’s safe to say I am so excited to travel, share my experience and make memories with these girls. 

The first day we arrived, Carly, Savannah, and I were brought to our beautiful apartment. It has a balcony that over-looks a little bit of the city (mostly apartments) but who cares because its Sorrento and everywhere you look is gorgeous. We were so jet lagged but wanted to wait for Charlee to get here so we ate at a pizza restaurant right under our apartment called “Il Leone Rosso- Pizzeria” (we are hoping to become familiar to the waiters because its so close lol). When Charlee got here we went straight to bed because we couldn't even open our eyes and let me tell you I have NEVER fallen asleep as fast as I did that night. 

It was a hassle getting up in the morning and I was still jet lagged beyond belief, (if you know me you know I am not a morning person) but we all managed to get up early and head to orientation. Sant’ Anna Institute is an old but charming school. It’s right on the coast and my classes over look the water and it has a beautiful garden which you walk through to get to class. For the next 5 weeks I will be taking an art class a literature class. Both my professors, Domenico and Simonetta, are the sweetest humans, hopefully my drawing skills will be much better by the time I’m done here! 

On Monday after orientation, we ate at the most beautiful restaurant I have ever been to and I’m not exaggerating. It was on the main street of Sorrento called “O’ Parrucchiano” where you literally eat under a garden full of lemon tree’s! I don’t even have to tell you how delicious the food was or has been everywhere I have eaten so far because we all know Italy has the most fresh ingredients in the world.

Tuesday was our first day on our own and I was completely ready for that. We woke up, ate crepes at another beautiful restaurant in a garden and explored the city on our own before Savannah and I had our first class. That night we went to dinner then got drinks at a bar around 8:30, it was still pretty early so not many people were out, my roommates and I still weren’t sure about how the night life was here in Italy and when people normally go out so we asked the bar tender that was serving us. She told us people normally start going out around midnight so we obviously had started way too early haha but its okay because now we know and won’t make that mistake again!

Today I had my first art class where we just drew sketches for 3 hours straight. I never was a drawer but today I learned how relaxing it is to just sit and draw even if you aren’t great at it, those 3 hours flew by! After I met my roommates at the beach where we spent the rest of the day. It’s been a tiring few days getting used to the knew culture, timing, and becoming familiar with my new home for the summer but I am loving every second of it!

Sorrento is absolutely stunning everywhere you look. I love walking down the small streets with vendors who are selling everything you can possibly imagine. The views are magnificent, there are lemon trees and orange trees everywhere you look. Everyone is riding vespas (I’m so tempted to rent one) but the one this is drivers here are RUTHLESS. They will hit you with your car if you don’t get out of the way, I wish I was kidding I have almost gotten hit maybe 10 times in 3 days. Other than that, I am living in the most beautiful place in the world and I couldn’t be more grateful. I am looking forward to becoming more familiar with the town, traveling, becoming more confident in speaking Italian, and most importantly becoming a local here!