Latina - Italy Day 3

My third day in Italy was by no means as exciting as the first two, but it had a good ending.

In the morning, we woke up in Positano and had breakfast before hitting the road and driving back up north to a small city about a half hour from Rome called Nettuno.  This city is where Andrew and his friend Tyler would be staying for the duration of their baseball tournament. They are staying in some sort of police headquarters which seemed very intense. We had to wait around awhile for them to get settled, and by the time we left, it was already dinner time.

My dad and I drove 15 minutes to the hotel he would be staying in for the next week in another small city on the sea called Latina. I was kind of bummed I wasn't staying in that hotel longer, because it was located right on the beach and was really nice.

We dropped our bags off at the hotel and headed into Latina for dinner. Unfortunately the restaurant we were going to didn't open until 8:30 (welcome to Europe, the land of late dinners), so we walked over to a bar/cafe packed with locals to grab some drinks and soak in the atmosphere.

Because Latina is by no means a tourist destination, we got to see a different side of Italy. All of the locals were out on a Monday night having drinks and catching up with each other. The streets were packed with friends talking and Vespas zooming past. It was nice to just sit back and take it all in.

After we finished our drinks, we walked back to the restaurant and ordered some delicious food.

The waiter first brought out the most amazing homemade focaccia bread I have ever had. It was still warm, just out of the oven, chewy with a little crunch, and covered with the perfect amount of sea salt and rosemary.

Next came the suggested sampler of appetizers which was wonderful, but way more expensive than what was stated on the menu, which was a little disappointing.

My dad ordered the hamburger for his main course which was stuffed with fresh mozzarella, kind of like an Italian version of a Juicy Lucy. It was heavenly.

I went for pesto based pizza covered in mozzarella, olives, cherry tomatoes, and thin slices of a freshly grated local cheese on top. It was very filling, so I sadly couldn't finish the whole thing which was majorly disappointing.

The most exciting part of the night was when I asked for the rest of the pizza to go. The waiter who came to clear our plates didn't speak English, and I actually managed to use my Italian (which I am learning at St. Andrews) to ask to take the rest of the pizza home with us and he understood!!!!! WHOOOO!!! I almost jumped up and did a happy dance but I was too full to move. Typical.

We finished off dinner with some fresh strawberries, drove back to the hotel, and fell asleep.

I had a wonderfully crazy weekend in Italy and hope I can go back sometime soon!

Capri - Italy Day 2

There’s a point in life when you realize what you want to do in the future. You find the people who understand you, share the same ideals, enjoy activities you enjoy. 

These are my people. 

Two years ago, on the island of Capri, I found my calling. I saw the yachts parked in the harbor and I knew: one day I will live on a yacht in the Mediterranean, sailing from town to town, enjoying the ocean and the sun 24/7. 

A lot of people know about this dream, but they don’t understand what I mean by yacht. Let me give you an idea. 

My aunt once gave me an article to read about yachts; apparently it’s declassé (unclassy in yacht-speak), to keep your smaller boats on the deck of your yacht. You should have a garage on your yacht to keep the smaller boats in. For the first time in my life, I saw such a garage. And it was beautiful. Imagine the kind of people that have the need for a yacht garage. Hello new best friends. 

On day two in Italy, we woke up at our B&B high up on the cliffs in Positano and started off the day with a lovely breakfast with an even lovelier view. 

After breakfast, we took the bus down the hill to the beach and bought massive juicy peaches sold on the streets next to lemons the size of melons. 

I then bought a fabulous new hat to keep sheltered from the hot sun, and we hopped on a ferry to the nearby island of Capri. 

Leaving the harbor

View of Positano from the sea

As many of you know, I have travelled a lot. So when I say that Capri is my favorite place on earth, that is no light statement. 

I think you can see why.

The multicolored blue water sparkles in the sun, and massive yachts float next to tiny wooden fishing boats in the harbor. 

Upon arriving on Capri, we took the funicular, a little train that slowly climbs the steep hill upon which the city is built, up to the top of the island. At the top, a mix of designer shops, tiny boutiques, and delicious restaurants await, along with the most stunning view. 

We meandered through the streets, checking out the shops - while eating gelato of course!

We asked a friendly boutique owner for her restaurant recommendation, and turned a few corners before coming upon the restaurant. We quickly realized why it had been recommended; pictures of the restaurant’s owner with celebrities covered the walls. In a brief glance, I recognized the Kardashians, Lindsey Lohan, and Hilary Duff (here’s to hoping she came right after filming the Lizzie McGuire Movie!) 

As was expected, the food was amazing. I went for the classic Pizza Margherita (the same one Kim K. got nbd) and it was fantastic. Perfectly chewy crust slathered in tomato sauce, covered with chunks of fresh mozzarella. There’s nothing like Italian pizza. 

Stuffed with pizza, we wandered back to the funicular and headed back down the mountain to the beach. 

Though the beach is beautiful, as August is high season, it was a bit packed. It was also 100 degrees, so I wasn’t the happiest camper. Also, a seagull pooped on me while I was laying in the sun. So that was awesome.  However, once it cooled down a few degrees, I fell right asleep to the lulling sound of the waves rolling in. I woke up a couple hours later feeling very refreshed. We sat on the beach as the sun started to set, drinking lemon granite, an Italian version of a slushy, and enjoying Capri’s relaxed atmosphere.

More peaches!

Nothing like a sibling selfie on the beach!

Heaven on earth. 

At 7, we hopped back on the ferry and made our way back to Positano, watching the sunset behind the mountains from the top of the boat. 

Andrew rocking my glasses.

Once we arrived back in Positano, we picked a restaurant right on the ocean and enjoyed another delicious meal. 

My dad fearlessly ordered the fried seafood platter. I’m sorry dad, I’m brave when it comes to trying new foods, but the fried minnows were the farthest I would go. 

This little guy will not be ending up in my tummy, thank you very much!

I went for the gnocchi with tomatoes and mozzarella and a side of arancini, fried rice balls that are a specialty of Sicily. Yet again, I was a member of the Clean Plate Club. 

After a delicious dinner, we were all ready to head off to bed, but fate wouldn’t allow it. We missed the bus going up the mountain by 3 minutes and had to wait another hour for the next one. Once we finally got on the bus, we missed our stop and had to stay on until the end of the route and then had to go all the way back. We staggered up to our hotel room and passed out on the bed. 

What a long and glorious day full of delicious food and spectacular scenery!!