I decided that the best and easiest way to see everything
that Amalfi has to offer (as well as travel there in the most inexpensive way
possible) was to try out one of the various student tour groups in Florence. It
was great being able to sit back, relax, and just enjoy each of the activities
that our tour group Smarttrip coordinated for us and I would totally recommend trying
one out if you plan on studying in Italy. We left from Florence late on
Thursday and after six hours of travelling from Florence, we finally arrived at
the town of Sorrento where we would be staying for the weekend. The other benefit
of using the tour group was the awesome hotel they set us up in! It was right
on the cliff overlooking the ocean and we had breakfast and dinner included.
After just four hours of sleep, it was time to begin our day’s
activities. We headed off for the ferry in Sorrento to take us to the island of
Capri off the coast. Capri is just beautiful; it is like a massive rock that
was just plopped right in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. The sides of
cliffs plunge straight down through the waves and disappear for who knows how
long down into the depths of the ocean. We took a boast cruise around the island
to see all of the caves and caverns hidden in the rock walls, as well as the
incredible houses probably owned by celebrities that sit precariously along the
cliff’s edge. By far the most incredible part of Capri though is the Blue
Grotto. This cave was discovered by the Romans thousands of years ago and what
is so unique about it is not the cavern itself, but the color of the water
inside. To get into the cave, you have to clamber into this tiny rowboat with
just two other people and a native who paddles it. When you reach the cave
entrance, the driver has to judge when the waves are low enough to allow the
most height between the water and the top of the opening because the entrance
is THAT SMALL. Then, everyone has to lie down in the boat and the driver has to
pull the boat through by a rope attached to the cavern wall. With a rush of
wind you enter the Blue Grotto and instantly you are dazzled. The water within
the cave looks as though someone dropped millions of blue glow sticks into the
bottom of it. This florescence is caused by the way in which the light enters
through cave and bounces off the rocks and water underneath the surface. My
friend was courageous enough to actually jump in and swim in it, but because I could
not see the bottom at all I told her I’d take the pictures. The Blue Grotto is
considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world and it is no surprise
why; it is simply mesmerizing.
Day two was spent at Steinbeck’s Positano. Positano is known
as the beach town of all the villages because of its Black Sand Beach. We spent
the day relaxing in the sun and swimming in the still chilly waters of the
Mediterranean Sea. The houses that dot the side of the cliff are an array of
sizes and colors and you can truly see what Steinbeck was talking about in his
article. The town itself is made up of a few small streets for pedestrians only
and there are plenty of shops, restaurants, and gelato stores for everyone. There
is one road in and one road out of the village and you will sit in some traffic
during tourist season in order to get to the beach. I had the most amazing
lunch at a place called Capricci and found out that I love gnocchi with pesto. We
did some shopping at the ceramic stores which are plentiful along the streets,
and ended the afternoon with a gelato on the steps to the beach overlooking the
sea.
Our final day was not actually spent in Amalfi, but at a
town without any inhabitants but plenty of visitors. Pompeii was jaw dropping.
I have of course heard of the town that met its deadly fate in 79 A.D. with the
eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, but seeing it in person was both incredible and unnerving.
Walking through the streets, first I was amazed at how well preserved the ruins
are, and then I was equally amazed at the size of the village. I couldn’t believe
that these ruins were still standing after both the eruption of a volcano and a
time span of nearly 2000 years. It was impossible to fathom just how terrifying
the eruption must have been; it must have seemed as if the world was ending. The
town was layered in residue and soot, and the sky covered by the cloud of ash
sent up by the eruption. And after all these years, we can still visit and see
the buildings that once stood in the thriving town. Along with the buildings we
saw the preserved forms of the bodies of humans and a dog that were imprinted
through the years in the ground. It was chilling.
After seeing Pompeii, we then ventured to the cause of its
ultimate demise. I can now say that have I hiked up Europe’s most dangerous
volcano. Since 79 A.D., Vesuvius has erupted 8 times, the most recent in 1944.
It is also the most densely populated volcanic region due to its close
proximity to the city of Naples as well as smaller towns with a total of
3,000,000 people living miles from its base. These are the reasons for it being
considered the most dangerous volcano and Europe. Today, it is closely monitored
and for this reason it is visited by tourists all around the world. Reaching
the top and looking down into the crater, it is incredible to imagine that this
mound of earth without any visible lava or smoke has killed thousands of
people. But, standing there at the top I could see for miles all of Naples, the
coast, and out to the Mediterranean Sea. In that moment, looking out over the
Italian coast during my last abroad excursion, I could only think about how
lucky I was to be standing there at the top of a volcano, in Italy, studying
abroad, living in Ireland, and having had all these incredible experiences. My
abroad experience is the dream place that Steinbeck wrote of. It hasn’t seemed
to be quite real this entire time I have been here; but now that I am coming to
the beginning of the end, this experience is becoming beckoningly real and the
nostalgia is hitting hard.
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