#ALSO WE WILL ACTUALLY COOK-A DA PIZZA NEXT POST

[ask-the-totally-real-peppino]

Maybe he can wear gloves while handling the food?

Peppino: "One step ahead of you! These have-a never been used, so they will do for now."

Peppino: "Here you are."

Peppino: "Now, I'll-a probably need to find more appropriate gloves for food handling, and-a probably in a bigger size... Do I need anything else...?"

Pep: *confused burbling*

Peppino: "Oh, Pep! Here, let-a me help you."

[gyeomork]

Connections

(jackson wang x reader) 

genre: fluff, light smut, college au

warnings: sexual content, mild cursing

word count: 3.8k

a/n: i don’t capitalize my letters in this so if that bothers you, i’m sorry :( also italicized words mean they’re speaking english. also i lol don’t know what im talking about with all that “reading people” shit i just took a wyld guess but i hope you enjoy anyway ^3^

i enter my first class of the year, psychology 3. i take a seat, not really paying attention to who i sat next to. i take my laptop out of my backpack, place it on the table, flip it open and get ready to take notes. it was a new school year and i was not about to slack anymore. sophomore year was a complete shit show and i could not afford that this year, literally. i was skipping class like it was an olympic sport but guess what? tuition still had to be paid. i open up google docs and title the new document ‘19/8/19 notes, assignments & hw ’. the professor begins to speak and my full attention is now on her.

an hour passes and the class was wrapping up. “ok class the homework is for you all to make a powerpoint presentation on the person sitting next to you. you must analyze them as a person, describe their character traits and so on and so forth. think of it as an ice breaker activity and a way to make a new friend. more instructions will be posted online. i count 24 of you so i expect 24 emails on friday 23/8/19. presentations will be the following monday, if there are any questions feel free to email me. class dismissed.” i close my laptop and reach for my bag when i hear a deep familiar voice next to me say “hey! how’s it going?” i look to my right and see jackson, jackson wang. god not again. this man was handsome to say the very very least and a heart throb. i should know because i had him in psych 2 last year. we would almost always end up having to do a project together and almost always turn it in 2 minutes before it was due. it’s not like we were the best of friends and every time we met up we didn’t do work, it was just that we never really did meet up. every time he would text and ask i would be too scared to be in the same place as him because of how intimidated he made me feel. when we did meet up it was the night before so i absolutely had to go, for the sake of his grade. we wouldn’t talk much but when we did he was, for the most part, really nice. “hi.. jackson. it’s going.. good” i say quietly. “oh, that’s good. well if you’re free right now we could go get coffee to jumpstart this little project” god he had the cutest smile on his face. “oh yeah sure just let me get packed up” i said trying to avoid his gaze like the black plague.

after to fumbling with my belongings under the immense pressure his eyes were putting me under, we were finally able to leave. on the walk to the cafe, jackson sparks up conversation. “so, y/n, last year we never really talked much and i was a little let down because you actually seemed really cool. so i’m glad i get to do this project with you. i wanna get to know you” he looks over to me and grins widely. i return a small smile back. “where are you from?” he asked sounding genuinely curious. “the states” i mentally curse at myself for giving such a short, dry answer but he hums anyway. “i’m from china but i came here for a change, you know” “yup” i curse at myself again. a small silence passes, extra emphasis on small. “since you’re from the states do you-“ “speak english? yes” we both chuckle and god he was adorable. “oh cool so we could have our own semi-secret language” i give him a ‘you’re ridiculous’ look and we chuckle again. “so did you teach yourself english or did you go to an international school?” finally! i’m making semi-decent conversation. “international but i did do some studying on my own. so what about you? how did you learn hangul?” “ i loved watching and still do love watching dramas so one day i just got really annoyed with having to read the subtitles and just started teaching myself. i never really expected myself to get proficient at it, it just happened. then i thought i should put some use to it more than just dramas so i came here” wow the way i just rambled on just then. “ so how do you like it here?” he continues with the questions. “at first it was kind of hard to get used to because i went from using english every day and using hangul sometimes to using hangul every day and english sometimes” jackson nods in understanding. “ and then there are slang words that you need to learn and sayings and really understand the culture” he adds on. “ yes! exactly” regret of being so intimidated of him last year now fills me. he’s so easy to talk to. ugh am i stupid?

we reach the cafe and he opens the door for me “let me get that for you” “kam-sa-hap-nee-da!” i said in the most american accent i could do and he lets out an actual laugh that ascends me to the heavens. we both join the medium sized line. “you can just tell me what you want so you can go have a seat and i’ll bring it to you” this man is an angel. “iced americano, venti sized please and thank you” i say with a close-mouthed smile. “coming right up” he reciprocates the same smile. i make my way to a small booth in the corner by the window. i take out a small notepad and jot down things i’ve noticed about jackson. eventually, i get lost in thinking about how sweet he is and how easy he is to talk to and how his laugh is opposite of his deep voice and how his smile makes him look like a baby and then how he turns all hot again and oh my god i have a crush on jackson. like a cue, jackson comes and sets his and my coffee down and takes a seat across from me “thank you so much” “no problem” we both take a sip in unison. “analyzing me already?” he asks grabbing my notepad. all i had written was ‘really good energy’. really y/n? what the hell is that supposed to mean? he makes a ‘not bad’ face and sets my notepad back in front of me. i keep sipping and look out the window. “ok, ok” i could see him trying to hold in a snicker in the corner of my eye. i whip my neck to look and him and ask swiftly “what? why ‘ok ok’? what?”. “hm? nothing” he replies, still trying to hold in that laugh. “wah~ making fun of me already. at least i have something written down” he raises his eyebrows at me. “i have plenty of stuff written down in my head” “oh really?” i say in disbelief. “yes!” “ok. then prove it” i sit back and cross my arms. “just in the last 10 minutes, the things i’ve noticed ok. ready?” i just nod. “shy; when you laughed or smiled you didn’t show teeth. closed off; you chose the booth furthest away from other people. passive; you did nothing when i snatched your notepad. trusting; you trusted me with your drink and that i didn’t do anything to it. physical traits; well put together, pretty-“ i felt my face heat up and i had to stop him. “alright, alright you proved your point.” i waved him off and he laughs. “you asked for it” he says, laughter still in his voice. “i asked for you to prove yourself not show off” i say fake sulkily and extra pouty. he laughs even louder and makes a few heads turn. “ok jackson! people are looking.” i whisper shout and smile at him fully this time. “oh! you’re smiling” he points “you’re not shy around me anymore!” “ok you have to teach me how to read people like that” i rest my hand on my chin and my elbow on the table. “well, for starters, we could go back to the ‘getting to know you’ questions. so, when’s your birthday?”

after hours of talking, we had to leave simply because the cafe was closing. jackson looks at his watch and widens his eyes. “it’s 22:58 (10:58 pm). oh my god. do you have class tomorrow? i’m so sorry for keeping you out so late, i’ll walk you home. where do you live? oh my god i’m really so sorry” he apologized profusely. “no” i say flatly. “n-no?” he furrowed his eyebrows. “i don’t have class tomorrow it’s fine” i let out breathy laugh. “do you?” i raise my brows at him. “no” he sighs out in relief. “alright come on. let me walk you home” i barely take two steps when i stop and drop my head into my hands. “my.. RA. it’s past curfew. i’m dead” i say defeated. “oh my friend i can stay with- she has class tomorrow and she’s probably sleeping” i say gaining hope and losing it instantly. “i guess i’ll just take the warning, it’s only one” i start dragging my feet i the direction of my dorm. “you could.. stay the night with me. my RA isn’t as strict with the rules”. was that nervousness i heard in his voice? jackson? the same jackson that told me stories of him being bold and fearless? jackson? wang? never. “i don’t want to be a burden-“ i wave him off. “ you won’t be” he insists. i look into his eyes and really sink deep into those two chocolate pools. all that is visible is purity and good intentions; i trust him. “ok” i smile. “thank you” “no problem”

we get to his dorm and as he is unlocking the door he informs me that his 3 other roommates won’t be there until late that night so we’re safe from the teasing. he opens the door and lets me in first. it’s dark until jackson comes in and turns on the kitchen light. he sits around the island and i join him. i take this time to look around. right across from the kitchen was the living room that was in good shape for 3 boys, diagonal of the living room was the laundry room that was neat too, there was a walkway from the front door in between the laundry room and the kitchen leading to the living room, and one long hallway/walkway passing in between the living room and the kitchen continuing both ways to god knows where. there was also a sliding door in the living room leading to the balcony. “you must be hungry. do you want me to cook or is takeout ok?” come to think of it i haven’t eaten since lunch.  i was so absorbed in jackson that i didn’t even realize how hungry i am. “yeah, takeout is fine” “is pizza ok?” he says pulling out his phone. “oh pizza is more than ok” i say, starting to get excited “ok miss pizza what would you like on it?” “pepperoni please~” “alright.. and the pizza is on it’s way” he hops off the chair with ‘hmph’. he walks over to me and holds his hand out to help me down. “thank you” i take his hand and get off the chair. “come on i’ll give you everything you need”. he leads me to his room at the end of the short hallway without letting go of my hand. he turns on fairy lights that aren’t too bright but are enough to make everything visible. he turns to the left to his walk-in closet to retrieve me a hoodie and some sweatpants. he tells me that when i go in the bathroom there should be an extra toothbrush behind the mirror. i say thank you for the 100th time today and go to sit on his bed to wait for him. “i can put something on if you want” he come and sits next to me on the bed. “mm..” i think about all the shows that i need to catch up on and finally choose one. “can you put on ‘he is psychometric’?” “ohh yes! what episode are you on?” he gets excited. “the last one and it’s so good, i just never have time to watch” “me either” he puts it on the tv and the pizza arrives. “that was quick” i say shocked because my pizza takes at least an hour to come. “yeah the place is right down the block; convenient” he comes back to the room with pizza and shuts the door.

we finish ‘he is psychometric’ and both of the pizzas. “i’m gonna go change” i take jackson’s clothes to the bathroom. i change into the comfy clothes that smells like him and brush my teeth. i pull my hair into a bun that i ruled ok for jackson to see and leave the bathroom. “oh you look good in my clothes but don’t go stealing it now” he says like he’s my father and gives me a stern look. i giggle and say “ok” sarcastically. he goes in the bathroom to change as well. i pull my notepad and pencil out my bag and sit in front of what seems to be his work desk. i write more analyzations and now have to flip the page thanks to jackson teaching me how to properly read people. i’m on a roll until jackson presses his hands on my shoulders and yells “boo!” “oh my god!” i jump and turn around in the swivel chair. “i’m sorry i had to” he laughs at me hysterically. “yah~ don’t do that! stop laughing!” i smack him on the shoulder repeatedly. “ok ok, yah!” he grabs hold of my wrists and is now inches away from my face; staring into my eyes. “i-i’m tired. where can i sleep?” i had to break the growing silence. jackson lets go and backs away “you can sleep on my bed, i’ll set up on the couch” he said walking towards the door. “no” i command, stopping him in his tracks. “ when the guys get home they’re going to ask why you’re on the couch and from the stories you’ve told me, you’re not a good liar” he turns back around but still doesn’t move. “you’re right” he says grinning. “well get on the bed so that when i turn off the lights you won’t trip and break your neck” “alright, no need to reference that traumatic story ok, that was a very scary experience” i say getting on the bed. “i’m just saying if you had a night light-“ “ok! jackson! good night!”

i was on the edge of sleep when i felt a heavy arm fall around my waist and a warm body touching all of my back side. steady breathing was blowing on the baby hairs on the back of my neck. he was sleeping. i suddenly started to feel uncomfortable in the position i was in and couldn’t take it anymore. while adjusting and re-adjusting my lower half, i inevitably brush up against jackson’s area. he didn’t respond so i assumed he just didn’t feel it so i continued on the quest to getting comfortable, all the while rubbing against him with my ass. suddenly jackson grips my hip. “you better stop playing with me” he growls lowly into my ear, ultimately ruining my new underwear i got from victoria secret on sale but i couldn’t possibly be mad at him. the ache in my core was way too strong to ignore so i reply as seductively as i could “who said i was playing?” while pushing up against him. he groans and i feel him grow beneath me. he attaches his lips to my neck and sucks and nips and licks away. he finds my spot at the base of my neck and i let out a low moan. when he feels as of though he’s left a satisfactory mark, he licks and kisses the spot. he turns me to face him and wastes no time in connecting his lips to mine. passion begins to fill the room as he climbs on top of me. the hands that are on my waist start travelling under his hoodie i had on. his warm hands on my bare skin was setting me on fire. one of his legs that was positioned between my legs started to rub against my core. i moan loudly into his mouth and he doesn’t miss his chance to stick his tongue in my mouth. i break the kiss to catch my breath and jackson moves back to my neck to leave more marks. i was lost in my own pleasure when i come to my senses. “jackson” i breathe out. he removes his lips from my neck for a brief moment “yes baby”. “what about the guys?” “fuck the guys” he tugs at the bottom of his hoodie and he looks up at me asking for permission. i nod and he removes the hoodie swiftly as he begins kissing his way down my body.

i wake up the next morning with the comforter covering more than half of my face so the sunlight seeping through the window didn’t bother me too much. i was initially startled about where i was but i soon remembered. then i remember the events of the night before. i turn around to see the beautiful man that shared the events of the night before with me. the light highlighting his features perfectly. from his fluffy, messy hair to his soft, plump lips. i move to brush away the hair that was in his face and move down to caress his cheek. how did this even happen? and how did it happen so quickly? i guess it’s the jackson effect. he flutters his eyes open and when he sees me, he immediately gives the softest smile. he pulls me closer in his arms and whispers “good morning princess”. i hum and say good morning back. “how’d you sleep?” he kisses my forehead. “really good” i take a deep breath, inhaling his intoxicating natural scent. we stay like that for a while until we realize that we have to leave before the guys wake up and tease us. or the extreme awkwardness considering the fact that we may or may not have gotten a noise complaint. jackson gives me fresh clothes to leave in and i freshen up, doing most but not all of my morning routine due to the shortage of time. i grab my bag and exit the room with him. we’re walking down the hallway when i forget my notepad on his work desk and go back for it. on the way back to him i hear voices coming from the living room, i stay out of sight to eavesdrop. “jackson i swear to god you should do my- no our homework for the next week” one voice says, putting emphasis on ‘our’. “i shut my door, turn my music on my speaker up all the way, and even covered my ears with 2 pillows but could still fucking hear you two. jackson i swear to god if you don’t warn us next time” another voice says and lets out a deep sigh. “you guys i’m sorry i really didn’t plan-“ another voice cuts him off . “no you’re not sorry, you’re gonna be sorry when your ass is doing my physics homework for the next week” “i don’t even know how to do physics” “well you better figure it out” i couldn’t hear anymore of this, i had to save him. i walk out into the living room “um.. g-good morning” i wave awkwardly. damn! this is exactly what i wanted to avoid. they all look up at me with wide eyes “good morning” they say all out of sync. jackson stands next to me and holds my hand “this is my girlfriend, y/n” my heart drops, comes back up, does some somersaults, and skips numerous beats. “y/n this is jinyoung, jaebeom, and mark”. i give a small closed-mouth smile. “well, this was fun but y/n and i have places to be” he looks down at me and smiles “let’s go” jackson starts walking to the door and drags me along. i look back and wave goodbye and so do they, still looking baffled. jackson locks the door and we start walking down the hallway. ”i could tell you were uncomfortable so i had to get you out of there” he says with a hint of urgency in his voice and i laugh. “thank you but were we really that loud?” i ask putting emphasis on ‘that’. “i don’t know but what i do know is that i’m that good” i roll my eyes at him “yeah ok”. “so ‘girlfriend’ huh?” he looks down and scratches the back of his neck. “y-yea” his ears turn red. “you haven’t even taken me out on a date yet.” i scoff in fake disbelief. “i was hoping that i could go on a date today and then i could confess to you but i guess i got a little ahead of myself” “you think?” we chuckled. “confession? how long did you like me?” “ever since i had to do that first project with you in psych 2. whenever i’d ask to meet up and you said you couldn’t it always made me think you didn’t like me. and when we did you were kind of standoffish so i gave up. until you sat next to me yesterday” he smiles thinking about it. “i’m sorry that i made you think that i was just so intimidated by you and your good looks and what not.” “good looks?” he raises his eyebrow at me. “take the compliment or i’ll take it back” “oh no thank you thank you”

we leave his dorm building to the parking lot and his car. “i changed up our schedule for today a little bit.” he unlocks the doors and we get in. “what did you change?” he starts the car so the hot air doesn’t literally suffocate us. “after we visit your dorm we have to go to the mall”. he takes my hand and intertwined our fingers. “the mall? why?” i look over at him and furrow my eyebrows. he looks at me and smirks “to get you back that cute little underwear i tore off you last night” brings my hand to his lips and kisses it.

[spytap]

Italy 2017 - Part 3 of 4: FLORENCE

This took a lot longer than I expected, but I had a lot of thoughts (and even a twist ending.)

So here’s a theory: Florence is Italy’s Greatest Hits album. 

It has all the big names: The House of Medici, Machiavelli, The Renaissance. You’ve experienced them a thousand times over, to the point where they’ve become part of the background radiation of modern culture. If there was a classic rock station for art and architecture, they’d be playing Florence 24/7 like it was Bohemian Rhapsody or Don’t Stop Believin.

But there’s a flip side (#OldMediaReference) to that analogy: the thing about Greatest Hits albums that makes them equally interesting and frustrating is that because they’re composed entirely of snippets in time, they’re not really complete albums in and of themselves.

Oh sure, obviously you can enjoy everything on a Greatest Hits album when you take them as singular experiences, but they’ll never really come together with the cohesion you’d expect from an entire album. They’ll always be slightly fragmented, with stylistic changes that reveal themselves as products of their specific moment of creative inception; never quite gelling into a singular whole.

Put more simply, no Greatest Hits album will ever feel as complete as Dark Side of the Moon, or My Kind of Blue, or To Pimp A Butterfly. They may be chock full of beautiful, meaningful, or culturally relevant snippets, but absent the context of time, place, and stylistic symmetry, they’ll always ultimately feel a little…shallow.

------

We came into Florence knowing it was almost everyone’s favorite city in Italy. When I asked for recommendations on things to do/see/eat in Italy, 95% of them (not an exaggeration, I just counted) were in or around Florence. A dozen times or so, I heard people say “Florence is my absolute favorite” or “it’s magical,” or “no city in Italy can match Florence” or something similar. So we had high expectations as the train pulled into the station and we clamored out onto the track alongside several hundred of our closest friends.

Navigating any city on foot and with luggage is difficult. Navigating any city on foot, with luggage, and in the rain is outright hard. Navigating Florence on foot, with luggage, in the rain, where your apartment is smack dab between the biggest outdoor market in the city (open rain or shine) and one of the biggest tourist destinations in the country - well that’s an exercise in personal murder restraint.

So we began our journey into Florence splashing through the puddles, trying to avoid sinking a wheel into a missing or uneven cobble, explaining - for the fifth time this block - that no I don’t need new luggage; as you can plainly see I have luggage. It’s right here. In my hand. Please get out of my way.

Fifteen minutes of rather terse urban navigation later, we reached our apartment, nearly tossing our suitcases as we crossed the threshold of the doorway just to be rid of them. After a quick overview of a very-not-to-scale paper map, we figured out that we were actually very ideally placed for the city. So doing our best to discard the negative energy we’d accumulated between the train station and the apartment, we ventured out into the great unknown to go get lost just as - as if by way of an apology - the city immediately pulled out sapphire blue skies and fluffy white clouds.

Let me be upfront: I … never really gelled with Florence. It was beautiful, and I’m genuinely glad we spent so much time there, but in many ways it felt so polished and so familiar that it just never really felt like a real city. The feeling I got walking around the city was that I could have very easily just been in a well-made theme park land. I also don’t think that feeling was helped by the fact that out of all the cities we visited in Italy, Florence was where I felt most surrounded (and at times, overwhelmed by) tourists, and the one where we heard near constant English somewhere around us.

And again, Florence is unquestionably gorgeous. I have easily 100 photos of, around, up, and on top of the Duomo. It’s a stunning piece of architecture and design, and we devoted three quarters of an entire day to just exploring its wonders. But after seeing Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo, and touring a half dozen choice tracks from its greatest hits catalogue, I still didn’t get any sense of the city itself. I knew what it *was* - that was made absolutely crystal clear all around you - but what I was searching for was some sense of what it *is*. Today. Right now. 

And the part that bothered me most about Florence is that I don’t think I ever found it.

Let me sequence break a bit here, and take a step back. My personal travel philosophy is that I tend to prefer semi-blind exploration over planning, and getting to know a city by its food and layout. I like to wander, and let a city and culture open themselves up to me - as opposed to seeking out elements that I’d bookmarked in advance. That sense of not knowing and then finding is more thrilling to me than checking off a previously-considered to-do list. Does this mean I sometimes miss the “can’t-miss” elements of a city? Absolutely. But it also means that I get a better sense of what the people who live there experience and find important, and have a thousand large and small adventures that are uniquely mine and almost irreplicable.

To be clear, I often have one or two things that I’m interested in experiencing, but I try to keep it to one planned or expected thing per day - such as a specific attraction or area of the city - with the rest of the day devoted to getting as thoroughly and properly lost as possible.

So when we were setting up the trip, I only had a couple specific things I wanted to do beyond “eat and drink my way through Italy.” Generally my unstated goal for each city was to find the most authentically “here” food experiences, to see the streets as its citizens do, and to do my best to discover what really and truly matters to that city.

So the irony (or personal hypocrisy?) of all of this is that for the four days we were in Florence, the food and wine were, without exception or equivocation, absolutely superb:

We had the best pasta I’ve ever had in my life in Florence - made by dumping freshly made, just cooked noodles into a wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and then mixing the cheese and pasta up with an absurd amount of cream and freshly-shaved black truffle. 

I had the single largest steak I’ve ever eaten, at somewhere between two-and-a-quarter and two-and-a-half pounds, served perfectly crusted on the outside and just this side of raw in the middle - Florentine style.

We took a day trip out to Chianti and drank the best Italian wine I’ve ever had, and then went to the Tuscan Wine School the next day to surpass it again by discovering a dozen different ways to turn Sangiovese grapes into joy.

If you go beyond simple culinary hedonism, everything you’ve ever read about the architecture of Florence is, somehow - impossibly - actually understating it. For all my comments above, there’s a very good reason the Cathedral di Santa Maria del Fiore is one of the most visited cathedrals in Europe. Even today, standing in front of it, it seems absurd - like something CGI-ed into the background without thought or consideration to real world physics or historical technology. How does it…why does it…just…exist? Right there? Still? And we can go inside?

Turns out that goes doubly so for the inside, which defies all attempts to properly convey or communicate scale of size or effort. Suffice to say that whole lives were lived singularly devoted to the construction of this one building. Whole families. For generations. This singular structure was their entire purpose in life.

Pick a museum and start wandering through, and you’ll stumble on names that probably ring a bell such as Michelangelo, Botticelli, Caravaggio, or Da Vinci. They’re all there, because like First Avenue & 7th St Entry, they all got their start there. And then you find yourself standing in front of The Birth Of Venus, or Adoration Of The Magi, or Annunciation, or David. 

It’s surreal. And overwhelming. And humbling. 

But…

Beth and I have talked about this a lot, but I came away feeling like Florence as a whole was so focused on highlighting portions of its past that I never got a sense of what it meant today, hundreds of years removed from its former glories. To continue the classic rock analogies, Florence felt like seeing The Rolling Stones live: no one’s shelling out to hear the new album, so everything is tailored toward making the experience about the familiar.

After a while, it felt a little like a video game: no matter where we went, we were pulled back into one very specific period of Florence’s past - like the developers were using an invisible hand to bring us back onto the gameplay path. We found ourselves in a cycle of tourism which, while perfectly comfortable, remarkably easy, and occasionally awe-inspiring, lacked the sense of adventure, or intrigue, or curiosity that Milan and Genoa provided. To steal from game design terminology a bit, in Milan and Genoa we discovered things, but in Florence I never felt like we had much agency.

Perhaps this feeling was why my favorite moments in Florence were the quiet ones: a post-dinner gelato and walking through a square at midnight. Hiking up to Michelangelo Park at sunset and gazing down at the city while the sky lit up purple and red. Pizza and people-watching on the upper level of the market. Everything about our day in Chianti. The quiet moments were the ones where I could feel like I was starting to appreciate the city and not just being moved through the “attraction -> shopping -> attraction” pathway.

So that leads to the big questions: 

Did I enjoy my four days in Tuscany? Yes (mostly.) It (obviously) wasn’t my favorite city of the trip, but it was still four days in a beautiful, historic city with incredible architecture, excellent food, and an almost endless supply of inexpensive but superlative wine.

Will I go back? I may; one day. I feel in many ways that I’m being unfair to the city. Perhaps I was too taken by Genoa, and judged Florence by an unfair set of expectations upon which it was never designed to compete. Perhaps that I owe it to the city to give it another chance. Perhaps, having done all the big attractions already, I can wander around with no destination in mind and finally find the connective tissue that makes the city more than just Renaissance Disneyland.

But as I write this out, now comfortably back in California, it strikes me that maybe I’m just …well, maybe I’m just wrong. Maybe, like standing in front of a Caravaggio and thinking “wow it’s…really dark” I’d focused on the wrong elements and missed the point entirely. Maybe the most important element of Florence’s identity today *actually is* that it forever reminds us of a very specific time.

The grand irony of Florence is that by celebrating its past so overtly, Florence stands as a demonstration to the modern world of what a place and its people can do when they deliberately choose to cast aside a slavish veneration of the past. That we can choose to reshape ourselves around comprehensive cultural progression. That even in the darkest of ages we can choose to pull whole civilizations forward towards renaissance and discovery. And there’s something beautiful to that sentiment.

Perhaps that’s what Florence is today: a timeless reminder that the moments in human history when we allow ourselves to dream and be driven by a sincere desire to explore and support artistic and intellectual creativity are the moments in human history when we build the great works that will forever define us.

And even if we’ve heard that refrain a thousand times before, maybe there are moments in human history where we need to be reminded of that, and hear it again as if for the first time.

------

Leaving Florence, we head off to the last stop on our journey: Rome. We’ll only have a few days here, so we won’t have much of a chance to really get to know it with any real amount of intimacy, but amongst the literal ruins of Western Civilization I’m hoping that we can at least get a glimpse of the city’s heart and soul. 

And maybe eat a cannoli.

[katistrophe]

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a - age: 21 b - biggest fear: losing people I’m close to c - current time: 21:55 when I started d - drink you last had: hot milk e - every day starts with: fumbling to turn off at least three alarms f - favorite song: so so many, but Philip Quast’s version of Stars is what always makes me stop dead in the middle of whatever I’m doing g - ghosts, are they real: *shrug* (I kind of hope though) h - hometown: tiny little town in BaWü, small enough that I need to give a next biggest town for the next biggest town I can think of i - in love with: books, tea j - jealous of: people with actual social skills, wtf, illegal k - killed someone: wait, what? Not unless goddamn wasps count l - last time you cried: all of Monday, when one of my cats had to be put down m - middle name: Tabea n - number of siblings: 1 o - one wish: it’s a toss-up between immortality for pets and getting my schedule in order this semester right now, both seem equally likely p - person you last called/texted: my mom and my sister in a group thing q - questions you’re always asked: ...not really any I can think of? r - reasons to smile: my other cat, music, tea, reading (Discworld in particular), talking to/RPing with friends... s - song last sang: not sure when I last sang properly, but I was humming an attempt at Belle qui tiens ma vie while cooking today because I have it stuck in my head since my sister’s choir sang it... years ago... t - time you woke up: 5:00 u - underwear color: black v - vacation destination: that’d involve having time for vacation... maybe something like the family road trip around Lake Constance again? w - worst habit: probably oversharing on ask memes x - x-rays you’ve had: I assume there were some for when I broke my arm and my leg (separately) as a little kid, I think one of my hand was done to estimate how tall I’d get because the guess was “ridiculously”, then I can mostly remember several of my head/teeth for braces and checking my wisdom... tooth, singular y - your favorite food: spaghetti with lemon-cream sauce, pizza (we need to do the Klatchian Hots one again sometime), my sister’s legendary mug cakes... z - zodiac sign: Leo

Tagging... @nebty, @toipilas, @mater-lachrymarum, @theherondaels, @tatzelwyrm, @black-cat-aoife, @toughbreaks, @chili-das-schaf... 

[hellolifeinlille-blog]

Aloha!!

I’m starting this blog post by firstly saying sorry that I haven’t kept my blog updated in almost two months. I’m sorry for being so so rubbish, but here I am filling you in on the past two months which have been super busy!

Picking up where I left off, after we visited Palais des Beaux Arts, Lucie, Christina, Ellie, and I all went ice skating in Wasquehal! It was so much fun, and it was like Bambi on ice in real life. We had such a good time, and I haven’t laughed that much in ages! Ellie, I’m sorry I didn’t take any candids of you on the ice but thank you for taking mine <3

Then, one Saturday (when it seemed like Lille drained of Language Assistants) Lucie, Julia and myself took the train all the way to Lens to visit the partner extension of the Louvre. It was okay – not the best gallery I have ever been to, but the main salle was really spacious and more my type of gallery rather than the cramped exhibitions. After the museum we went for lunch to a little brasserie and we were amazed that this was a restaurant that DIDN’T HAVE MENUS!? You literally had to ask the waitress for what you fancied and she would do her best to get something similar to you. We all had steak (I obviously had mine with peppercorn sauce) and it was yummy scrummy in my tummy!

Then, surprise surprise, Greg visited and we celebrated our one-year anniversary and my 21st birthday! For our anniversary, we had a limit of £15 to spend on each other. So, I treated Greg to some new books – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Angels and Demons, and The Da Vinci Code! I love buying other people books, I think they are such satisfying gifts just to hold! Me, being the lucky devil that I am, got given a photo album with all the photos of me and my Greg from the past year! Is that not the sweetest thing you have ever heard in your life? So so kind of you, thank you so much Greg <3 And, if that wasn’t enough, the next day Greg and I celebrated part 2 of my 21st birthday celebrations and Greg gave me tickets to see Jon Richardson (my favourite ever comedian) and a Tiffany’s necklace! I was a literal heart-eyes emoji! I was so overwhelmed by all this love I cried, but I have worn it every day since and I love it. Greg, if you’re reading this (and you better be!) thank you thank you thank you! X

As 4 language assistants are all born in the same week (Julia, Beth, Lucie, and myself) we decided to organise a birthday meal at Fuxia so that everyone could get together and celebrate as one big group. We chose Fuxia because they have a really good reputation for Italian food. I treated myself to a goat’s cheese, pear and honey pizza which was so delicious! It was such a lovely evening and afterwards we all went for Crunchie Cake at Julia’s and we played Golden Gate. Best birthday party ever.

With the whole world shook by the news Donald Trump is actually the POTUS, Franny, Alisa, Kalen, Christina, and I took our disgust to Paris to protest against the Muslim Travel Ban. What a horrible rule to bring in, and I truly hope as many people protested as possible. After a day in Paris screaming about our disbelief and the prejudice going on in America, we decided to head towards Le Marais (the old Jewish quarter of Paris) and get some falafel! Best day ever, and I was so glad to get some of my social justice-related anger off my chest.

I managed to tick another country off my bucket list since I posted last! Me, Luke, Julia, and Becca spent a day visiting Luxembourg! As excited as you might think I sound – I’m not. It was pretty rubbish. If you go in winter everything is shut, so there’s nothing to do or look at!   So we spent most of our day looking in bookshops and in bars, restaurants, coffee shops, ANYWHERE just to make the time go faster! I personally wouldn’t visit again, but at least I can say I’ve been!

I’ve also been for birthday cocktails with Julia, Beth, and Lucie, visited Le Waf to celebrate Marley’s first birthday, and me and Beth had a girly afternoon of scrumptious salads, shopping, and getting our nails done to treat ourselves! I had my nails done silver and blue so that I looked like Elsa! But all this pampering must have been for a reason, I hear you say! Well, delighted reader, it was because MY FAMILY CAME TO VISIT! My mum, dad, Cara, and Lloyd all came to celebrate my Mum’s birthday (and to give me my presents!) and we had such a special day. For my birthday, my parents bought me and Greg a trip to Dublin whenever we like! We are so lucky. I bought my mum some perfume from a little parfumerie  by my house, and I think she loved it! To celebrate, we went on a huge bike ride, to Palais des Beaux Arts, and to Le Waf so that everyone would find something interesting to do! I had such a great time with my family, and I do really miss them when I don’t get to see them every day. I’m so grateful for everything they do for me.

Because my family were driving back to Wales, they offered to take me up to Liverpool so I can stay with Greg – how kind of them to pay for my crossing as well! I arrived in Liverpool at around 8:30 and Greg had cooked me the world’s best pie! Steak and ale, my favourite. After plenty of smooches, Friday Night Dinner, and vegetarian breakfasts we did our two favourite things: tea out at the new Mowgli on Water Street, and a cheeky hour at Ghetto Golf. We don’t need to go into the ins and outs of who won and who didn’t… (congratulations Greg!) After a fab time in Liverpool, we got the train back down to Birmingham for Mr James McKee’s 21st birthday! Joyeux Anniversaire! After an evening, night, and early morning full of pulled pork, gin and photo booths I had to get my train to London and Eurostar back to Lille. Crying. The whole way.

But since I have been back, our group of assistants have done some pretty fab things! On Wednesday 1st March we had a late Mardi-Gras/St David’s Day celebration over at Julia’s place! I was on pancake duty and cooked the best pancakes ever!!! It was so nice that everyone came together to celebrate my culture, so I organised a quiz all about the best country in the world: WALES. Did you know there are 3 sheep for every person in Wales? Or that the A5 is 181 miles long?

Last Saturday I woke up early and went all the way to Disneyland for the day with Jess Porter (who plays excellent games on the bus), Lucie, and Beth! We even planned our day so everyone got a ride they wanted. I really love the smaller quiet rides (think mum with toddler rides) whereas the others love the horrible, scary, throw you up in the air ones that terrify me. So I was a big girl and went on them all and I even held back all my tears when it felt like my stomach was doing flips! We had such a lovely time, and obvious I was basic and bought Minnie Ears!

Next weekend is Versailles! So I’ll upload after then!

Smell ya later X

[filosofablogger]

Good Monday morning, friends!!!  I trust you all had an excellent weekend?  Ours was a bit on the soggy side, but otherwise fine.  Did I tell you about my dishwasher?  No?  Well … pull  up a chair … hmph … the damn thing has been acting oddly for a few weeks, and we have had to wedge a broom handle against the lever to get it to stay on.  No biggie, right?  And then came Friday, and broom or no broom, that piece of #$%& was not about to run.  Naturally, it was full of dirty dishes, so I ended up taking them all out and washing them the old-fashioned way, in da sink with soap and hot water.

Now, you are saying to yourselves, “well, she rents, so why doesn’t she just call for maintenance?”  HAH!!!  First, after my last appearance at the rental office, where I had just a few choice words … and … maybe … threatened to rip somebody’s head from its moorings, I am not allowed to go over there anymore.  Nor am I allowed to call them.  And so, I have to rely on Miss Goose, with her charming, dimpled grin, to go play on their sympathy.  On average, if you report a problem, it takes anywhere between 3 weeks and 6 months before maintenance will respond, and then they may … or may not … fix the issue.  But, for only $1,056 per month in rent, what can I expect, right?  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Anyway, enough about my problems.  I am keeping the treats simple this morning, for I’m just a tad under the weather and didn’t much feel like doing a lot of baking.  Now grab a cup of coffee or tea … leave the juice for the kids, please … and let’s find something to make us smile, shall we?

A villager in the Nanning City area of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (China) was cleaning plastic bottles one day last week, but he must have used just a bit too much soap, for next thing he knew … well, take a look

Apparently the rains came and stirred up the suds to create a foamy mess!

How would you like to come home after a hard day’s work and find … THIS?

It happened in Baldwin Park, Florida, where a crane (the machine, not the bird) suddenly turned over, splitting the house literally in two!  Ivan Fogarty, corporate safety director for crane owner Beyel Brothers Crane & Rigging, said the machinery likely fell over because the ground under it was wet.  Well, um … shouldn’t they maybe have thought of that before setting up there?

The homeowner and his family were not home at the time, thankfully, but the house is currently uninhabitable, and the damage is being assessed to determine if it is reparable.  Methinks that either way, ol’ Beyel Brothers are going to have one hefty lawsuit on their hands if they don’t voluntarily make this right.

Clean Soles shoe store in Roanoke, Virginia, was burglarized on August 25th.  The really odd thing about the burglary was the thief took only right-foot shoes, leaving the left … left behind!  Get it … left behind?  Okay, never mind … 🙄

Now, my first thought was that the guy probably had only one leg … the right one.  But the footage from security cameras shot that notion in the foot … get it … foot … shoes … 🙄

This was obviously not a well-planned heist, else he would have at least brought a bag to carry it all in.  I would have loved to see his expression when he arrived back home, only to find that he had all right shoes!  At least we know he doesn’t have two left feet … get it … left feet … right shoes … sigh 🙄

Now you see why I don’t write comedy for a living.

Sumiko Iwamura is a DJ in Tokyo, Japan, and she recently set a Guinness World Record.  The record?  Oldest Professional Club DJ.  Just how old is Sumiko-san?  She is, as she says, 83 years and six months.  She was a spry 77 years of age when she decided to take up something new, so when her friend Adrien suggested DJ school, she was gung-ho for the idea.

By day, Sumiko-san works as a cook at the Chinese restaurant she owns, but two nights a week she transforms into DJ Sumirock where she plays at the DecaBarZ nightclub in Shinjuku.  She is so good that she has been invited as a guest DJ in places like Paris and New Zealand.

Despite all this fame, she hasn’t lost her humility …

“You get feedback from your customers quickly in both cases.  If you’re playing tracks and they don’t like it, they’ll leave the floor and start drinking at the bar. If the tracks are danceable, then they’ll stay on and dance their heart out. Restaurant customers are the same — if it tastes good, then they look happy, and they’ll tell me that they like it. For me, it’s easy to work out how people are feeling in both cases.”

Remember back in January when as a part of a Saturday Surprise, I posted a tidbit about some people actually eating Tide Pods?    Well, it didn’t take long for a New York pizzeria to capitalize on the idea, offering mini pizzas created to resemble the laundry detergent pods.

Vinnie’s Pizzeria announced on Twitter that customers looking for an edible alternative to laundry detergent should order the eatery’s “PIEd Pods.”

“Listen, we’re concerned about the youths. They’re eating laundry detergent pods. Our Pied Pods (filled w/cheese and roni) have that bright, alluring colors that youths crave BUT are 100 percent edible and 100 percent not soap. Plus they’re delicious.”

Okay, then … I don’t think I’ll be rushing out to Vinnie’s anytime soon.

And that’s all I’ve got for today … oops, wait … I caught some flak last week for not including a cute animal video … and so, I present to you, a short clip about a baby hedgehog … and I guarantee you will laugh, for it made me laugh for the first time in at least 4 days!

And on that note, I think it is time for you guys to head on out to the salt mines, the office, or the chores your wife has on the ‘honey-do’ list on the fridge, and I will … sigh … wash laundry.  And now, dishes.  On a serious note, my friends … I am usually pretty much an optimist, but this past week has me wondering why I bother to get up in the mornings, and I know from chatting with some of you that I am not alone.  Please take just a minute sometime today to share your gorgeous smile with somebody who hasn’t one of their own.  Believe me, it will lift their spirits a bit, and it will lift yours, also.  And remember … I love you all!!!  Keep safe and have a great week!

A Jolly, Soggy Monday … Good Monday morning, friends!!!  I trust you all had an excellent weekend?  Ours was a bit on the soggy side, but otherwise fine.  

[vintageeskimos]

On top of a mountain, nestled between Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, is a little town that I like to call home: Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi.

The name itself explains the location: Sant’Agata (the Saint Agata) and “sui Due Golfi” (literally translates to English as “between two gulfs”-Gulf of Naples and the Gulf of Salerno).

FUN FACT! Most villages and towns in Italy are actually named after local Saints…

This little town, or should I say village, is quaint and tranquil. Everyone who lives here is like family because you practically see them everyday walking down the cobblestoned roads. It’s location is one of the best in the whole peninsula of the Amalfi coast. Why you might ask? Well let me explain with a some helpful maps…

Let’s start with Italy…you know the country that is shaped like a stiletto boot? Yeah there is a reason for that: Italians are super stylish. They care so much about their Bella Figura (Beautiful figure/ presentation to others) that even the country has to look good as well.

(All images were provided by Google Maps)

Anyway so here is beautiful Italy….

and there is me…

Italy is first ‘divided’ by north, central, and south, and then by regions.

North and south Italy are very different when it comes to their culture and ways. Apparently the North is more “with the time of things” while South Italy has the stereotypical Italian villages with nonna (grandmother) shoving food down your throat. It has always been said that Italians identify more with their city and/or region than with their actually country as a whole. Northerners have always been taken as disliking and making fun of southerners, but this is just all based on stereotypes and not actual facts. I really could talk about their differences forever so I am going to write about it with example videos in a future post!

Anyway, I am located in the South of Italy in the Campania region (which frankly is the best region of them all because we have the most incredible scenery and food here). The regions are kind of like states of the US and each one is known for producing different types of food, plates, wine, etc. There are technically 20 regions of Italy, but five of them have a broader amount of autonomy (For example, the islands of Sardenga and Sicily).

So there is Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi– my home-let’s just call her Sant’Agata for short.

Here she is!

And if we zoom in further….

….You can see that Sant’Agata (circled in red) is perfectly placed on the hilltops between all these gorgeous towns of Italy (circled in purple). The famous town of Sorrento is the closest to me out of all of them, but it still includes a ten minute drive. Since Sorrento is a very popular tourist attraction, it has become a very expensive place to live. But if you drive up to Sant’Agata the cost of living significantly drops (TIP: same goes for booking hotels!)

A lot of my friends live in Sorrento, but sometimes it gets too crowded with all the tourists. The best part about living outside is that I can always go to visit Sorrento, but if I ever need a break from its chaos I have my home in Sant’Agata to go back to anytime. Sant’Agata is truly a nice and peaceful village to live in. The proprieties are a lot bigger as well since there is more space open to land than in Sorrento where it is more designed as a downtown tourist district.

Here is a little map of Sant’Agata that I found on Google Images…

The main road that goes through the center of this town is Corso Sant’Agata (written on the map as: c.so S.Agata). This is where you find all the local shops, bars, alimentari (food shops) , pescatore (fishermen), tabacchi (tobacco shops), macellerie (butcher shops), ristoranti (restaurants), and La chiesa di Sant’Agata (the church of Sant’Agata).

All of Sant’Agata is fairly accessible by foot and there are local buses that will take you to neighboring towns. There are many walking paths all around as well! Great for avid hikers!

If you ever find yourself in our little town, here are some of my favorite things that I recommend in Sant’Agata:

Pricing for Reference:

$– cheap and won’t regret spending money

$$– decent pricing for what you get 

$$$– Splurging in class

$$$$– Boy, you better have a big wallet. Luxurious AF

Restaurants/Bars:

Roxy Bar ($)

Roxy bar is my favorite bar to grab breakfast. Personally, I think they make the best pastries of them all and almost every morning I walk there to grab a cornetto alla crema (croissant with cream) or a pasticcino al ciccolato (a small cupcake with chocolate) or maybe a crostino alla fragola (small tart cake with cream and strawberries). Their caffè (espresso) is also incredible- perfect if you really need to wake up! If you want a delicious breakfast and have a sweet tooth I would highly recommend to check this bar out! (Located right next to La chiesa di Sant’Agata).

(Top two images provided by me; bottom image provided by Google Images)

Bar Orlando ($)

Bar Orlando is one of my favorite bars for an aperitivo (a drink with some snacks before dinner to open your appetite). It was one of the first bars ever in Sant’Agata opening back in the early 1900s and has been family-owned ever since. In the 195os the owner, Orlando, had a famous cat named Jolly whom he trained to jump through his arms and apparently liked to smoke cigarettes…I swear I am not joking. They even have a statue in Jolly’s honor after he passed away. Orlando’s son, Alfredo, and his brother help run the bar. I actually recently became friends with Lauren, Alfredo’s wife, since we have somethings in common: we are Americans who are both obsessed with and live in Italy. She is a lot of fun to be around and we have spent many nights at the bar drinking Aperol spritz while watching Napoli football surrounded by old men playing cards. It is even better during the summer because they have a beautifully decorated outdoor patio!

(Photos provided by Google Images and Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi’s website)

Bleu Moon ($)

Bleu Moon is Luigi’s favorite bar in Sant’Agata. He has been going there ever since he was a child. He would eat a cornetto con  albicocca  (croissant with apricot) with his father before his football matches. This bar has some of the biggest cornetti  (croissants) and brioche (a sweet bread roll with cream or chocolate) I have ever seen and also offers gelato during the hotter months. It is a great stop to have a drink as well with outdoor and indoor seating.

Route 66 ($$)

One of my favorite places of all time in Sant’Agata has to be Route 66. It is an American pub/bar owned by our friends, Pasquale and Mario. It offers anything from burgers to salads with a wide selection of beers and cocktails. Almost every week they have Karaoke on Fridays and a Quizapp night to win various prizes. If you ever need to watch an important sporting event definitely go here because for sure they will be displaying it on their televisions. Almost anyone who is anyone of Sant’Agata goes there with their friends for a nice night before heading down to the clubs and bar scene in Sorrento. I highly recommend to stop in for a drink or if you just want to chow down on a juicy burger! (Only open at night)

(Photos provided by Google Images, Route 66 facebook page, and Me [top-right corner image])

Campo Sportivo Sant’Anna  ($$)

Campo is located a little bit farther away from downtown Sant’Agata but there is a short walking path (Via Canale) from Corso Sant’Agata that is easily accessible. There you will find a football field that locals will rent out to play and/or practice on. Currently there is a tournament happening between the local surrounding towns and my boyfriend, Luigi, plays on Sant’Agata All Blacks team. The best part about this place is that you can always eat at the restaurant located above the pitch. There they make some of the best pizza in Sant’Agata. Top it off with a tall glass of beer and you can watch a nice game of football while enjoying your meal!

(photos provided by their website located here)

Don Alfonso 1890 ($$$$)

Okay so if you want to experience one of the best meals of your life you need to eat at Don Alfonso 1890. This restaurant is one of the oldest and most famous in the Southern Italy. Chef Don Alfonso creates masterpieces on fine plates. It is a feast for the eyes and an experience like no other! No wonder this restaurant has 2 Michelin stars! It is the perfect place for a romantic dinner and it comes with a high price tag too. There are also some rooms for people who wish to stay there including a Moraccan bar, a pool, and a classy atmosphere. Don Alfonso’s outstanding products come from his garden and even offers cooking classes for those who wish to learn his masterful ways! To make things even more insane, he has a wine cellar that goes down six stories into the ground! Make sure you pack your wallet and reserve in advance! Whether or not you believe me, you have to go.

Da Mimi ($$-$$$)

If you want something more affordable to eat, but still delicious with the typical mediterranean cuisine, I highly recommend Da Mimi! It is a wonderful place to have lunch with the family and to enjoy the appetizing food of our region.

(Left: Me eating a delicious plate of Paccheri pasta with mussels;

(Right: Filomena [Luigi’s mother], Luigi, and Me)

Attractions:

La Chiesa di Sant’Agata (free)

This is a great stop to see some of Sant’Agata’s beautiful history. In their small church you will catch a glimpse of the past with majestic paintings and architecture. It is beautifully located in the center of the town with Roxy Bar right next door. Definitely take a photo of the clock tower!

Monastero di San Paolo (free, but offering is recommended)

If you want to see one of the most gorgeous views of all Sant’Agata head up to the monastery! It is a bit of a walk, but on a nice summer day with comfortable shoes it is something you can’t miss! It is also a wonderful place to have a picnic and to capture breath-taking photos. If  you walk all the way to the end of the monastery, you can catch the unbelievable glimpse of Naples, Sorrento, and Vesuvius! You can also enter inside the monastery, walk up the steps, and into one of the towers to get a 360 degree view of everything- from Vesuvius to Capri, and to the start of the Amalfi Coast. It is recommended that you place an offering if you enter the monastery.

(Top left image: Me looking over the beautiful view of Sorrento)

(Right image: My kitten, Marek, enjoying the view as well)

(Bottom left image: Exterior of the Monastery- Image provided by Google Images)

Due Golfi Train Tour ($$)

This is perfect option for part of a day trip that doesn’t include a lot of walking. This takes you to all the hotspots of the local towns! The train tour starts in the main square of Sant’Agata, then goes to the Monastery of San Paolo, and then takes you all the way to the town of Massa Lubrense to try some local fresh mozzarella, limoncello, and more! This is a great option for tourists especially if you want to try local products, but don’t want to deal with all the traveling around on your own. The tour lasts about 3 hours and if you wish to purchase a ticket for the train tour you can do so at the tourist center located in the center of Sant’Agata or online here.

(Image provided by Google Images)

La Pineta le Tore (free)

The majestic pinewoods of Sant’Agata! Above our little town are beautiful woods filled with pine trees where you can have a nice walk on a sunny day and also see a beautiful view of Sorrento! Here is also where Luigi and I met our friend, Dominick the donkey (I gave him that name from the famous Italian-American song). I have no idea what his real name is, but he is always so happy to see us!

Markets: ($)

There are two markets located on the main street of Sant’Agata that I highly recommend for cheap produce, beer, groceries, and sandwiches.

One of the markets is located on the corner of Via Nastro Azzuro and Corso Sant’Agata. This one is where you can buy your fresh vegetables, produce, cheap beer, pasta, wine, etc. And the best part is that it is opened almost all hours of the day! Right next door, to left: you can buy fresh fish for the day, and to the right: you can purchase fresh meat from the butcher!

(Image provided by Google Maps Street view)

The second market is located on Corso Sant’Agata and it is across the street from Bar Centrale. Inside you can buy Cheap groceries and even order a fresh panino (sandwich) that they make behind the deli counter! One of my go-to places if I want to take a panino down to the beach.

 (Image provided by Google Maps Street view)

So there you have it! If you ever find yourself in Sorrento, feel free to adventure out into the neighboring towns to discover more hidden gems Italy has to offer! Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi  is endearingly wonderful and I absolutely love the cozy friendly feeling it gives me every time I step out my front door. It is easily accessible around town by foot and it is so comforting to see familiar faces around town…there is truly no place like home!

I will be posting more about the local towns around Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast with recommendations so please subscribe to receive new updates on my blog! Arrivederci!

Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi On top of a mountain, nestled between Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, is a little town that I like to call home: …