Nossa, Nossa!

February 28, 2012

Nossa, Nossa

Ciao on this gorgeous Tuesday morning!  I have so much to tell you about today!  Nossa, nossa means wow in Portuguese and is a part of a song that brags the third spot on the Italian music hit list this week.  I hear it everywhere and I am not complaining!  This title seemed fitting to this blog post because I have seen three of my personal top travel hits in the past few weeks.

Two weekends ago a few friends and I headed south to Naples for better weather and lots of pizza.  We arrived at the train station, took a far too expensive cab ride to our hotel, and instantly went to find some of the famous grub.  It was amazing.  Naples is the “inventor” of the Margherita Pizza and each restaurant has an old family story to that proves they, in fact, are the true originators of pizza.  I’ll be honest though; I wasn’t just there for the pizza.  A few weekends back I ran into a small luxury vintage dealer at the outlet mall in Rome and noticed that the headquarter storefront was in Naples.  I had to find it.  Now, I am not sure if I need to call Apple and thank them for my new buns of steel or complain and cry, but my navigation system led me up about a million meters of back alleys and staircases to reach the main fashion street of Naples.  The supposed “30 minute” walk took my friend Lauren and I about 3 hours of sweat and climbing.  It was so worth it!  We shopped, ate, and left the touristy area to see the gorgeous natives of Naples.  The next morning, we woke up and took a ferry to Capri!  I am in love.  The many rocky cliffs in contrast with the foamy sea was a breathtaking scene.  Each home boasted a colorful theme of tiles and stucco.  I thought I would never see a place more beautiful…

Once again, I was wrong.  This past weekend I took a school trip down to Sicily.  If Sicily isn’t on the “top ten places to see before you die” list…it should be.  I flew into Palermo and stayed at an adorable bed and breakfast.  Claudio, the owner, gave my friends and I an amazing breakfast and a ride to the shuttle stop.  From there we grabbed the school bus and drove to Agrigento to see the gorgeous ruins of the Greek and Italian people.  The sea was so blue and the history was so vivid in the architecture of these ancient men and women.  We ate amazing seafood and woke up in the morning to head to Taormina.  Here is where I truly found the most beautiful city I have ever seen.  Tucked away in the cliffs with a view of the Ionian Sea and the volcanic Mount Etna, Taormina is flawless.  We visited the Greek theater and ate lunch overlooking the waterfront.  Adorable stores, amazing bars, and delicious restaurants fill the windy cobblestone streets of the city.  We walked around munching on their famous cannoli and luckily bumped into the festivities of Carnivale in the main square.  Costumes, food, drinks, confetti and families filled the streets with excitement!  It was the greatest day I could have ever imagined.

I flew back into Rome and remembered once again that I am, in fact, still a student.  A week full of midterm exams, papers, and presentations is ahead of me.  Luckily I am going to take the advice of the Roman people…as much as you work you should play twice as much.  Spring break is just around the corner and play is exactly what I am going to do!  Madrid, Alicante, and Barcelona to visit some of my best friends is exactly the kind of trip I need!  Viva Espana!

Ciao for now!

Christine