Author: atastytrip

A Trip Back: Italy Part 8 – Pompeii & Arrival in Amalfi

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We left Rome by train bright and early and decided to stop in Pompeii before making our way to our final stop, the Amalfi Coast.

The Naples train station, where we made the change over for Pompeii, was slightly seedy, with children roaming the aisles asking for money, and the first and only place I felt like I needed to keep a close eye on my bag.

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We were met by fruit stands when we got off the train at Pompeii (Pro Tip: Buy bottled water..Pompeii is HOT and there isn’t much shade), and more or less arrived right at the foot of the ruins.

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Although guided tours were available we opted to go the self-guided audio route so that we could explore at our own pace (and save a few bucks).

In case you need a refresher, Pompeii was a thriving, ancient metropolis that was completely wiped out with Mount Vesuvius erupted back in AD 79. The only survivors were fishermen who were at sea that day or people who were traveling at the time. The ruins were impressive and the mountain made for a beautiful and foreboding back drop.

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I had already been duly impressed by the seeming impossibility of the ancient architecture in Rome, and I was equally as amazed by Pompeii. I find it astounding that they were able to build and create the things they did with none of the technology or tools available to us today.

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Streets with specially designed raised stones to fit only their chariots. A level of protection against raiding people
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An ancient food stand, hot pots of food fit into the cutouts

The forum or city center was the least preserved part of the city, and resembled many of the ruins in Rome.

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A Trip Back: Italy Part 7 – Roman Ruins

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We met our guide outside the Colosseum to begin our walking tour of ancient Rome bright and early. The area was already buzzing with tourists and a sweet bride and groom taking a few wedding photos.

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Walking tours are one of my favorite ways to explore and I would absolutely suggest a guide in a place as history-rich as Rome. There are, of course, always self-guided audio tour options, but judging by the couple below, they don’t seem overly engaging.

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The Colosseum itself was nothing short of impressive and our guide was very knowledgeable. She refreshed most of what I’d forgotten since my high school world history class.

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After the Colosseum it was on to the Arch of Constantine. We got much closer and our guide explained all the details of the heavily decorated arch that we had missed the night before.
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Up next was Palatine Hill, the center-most hill of the ‘Seven Hills of Rome’ that overlooks the Roman Forum.

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A Trip Back: Italy Part 6 – Rome!

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We took an early train to Rome and arrived in time for lunch. After checking into our hotel (which happened to be right behind the Trevvi Fountain), we stopped for a quick bite at Osteria Allegro Pachino, just at the edge of the fountain.

We loaded up on reasonably priced and tasty pizza and pasta with cheese and pepper before starting off on a little self guided sightseeing.

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Our first stop was obviously the Trevi Fountain. Although lovely, it was quite crowded (and apparently always is during the day) so we snapped a few photos, tossed in a few coins over our backs for good luck and kept moving.

We meandered by countless pretty courtyards and interesting shops, including this one that sold Pinnochio dolls in every size imaginable, as we made our way to Piazza Venezia.

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The Piazza is in the center of Rome and intersects several major roads.It reminded me of visiting the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

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Our next stop was the Pantheon. Again, very crowded, but spectacular to behold.

The Pantheon was one of the many buildings in Rome that gave me a true appreciation of the amazing architecture. It seems impossible that something that grand and refined could be built so long ago, let alone still be standing after all this time.

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A Trip Back: Italy Part 5 – Bike Tour

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After our delightful day trip to Pisa, Haley and I were ready for another day in Florence. We decided to switch it up a bit and signed up for a bicycle tour! We met early and got fitted for our bikes and helmets and met our amazingly knowledgeable guide, Philip.

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After some bike safety basics, we spent the morning riding around Florence, stopping at various monuments and historical sights for brief explanations and interesting tidbits from Philip. Our group consisted of about six people so it was not difficult to hear or stay together.

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As the morning wore on, we made our way out of the city and up the hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo.

The Piazzale sits on a large hill and offers the most stunning panoramic views of Florence and is well worth the walk or ride, especially at dawn or sunset!

We took in the views, took lots of pictures and then walked even further up hill to the Abbazia di San Miniato al Monte, a beautiful church, considered to be the most scenic in all of Florence.

We continued our trek towards through the Tuscan countryside to Galileo’s house! This was his last residence before his death.

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We stopped for a family style lunch at a quaint restaurant close by that was just opening for the day. The restaurant had beautiful views and a sweet courtyard garden out back.

After lunch we hopped back on our bikes and made our way to Villa Le Piazzole, a gorgeous historical Renaissance Villa that has been turned into a bed and breakfast.

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Almond Lace Cookies

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I am interrupting your regularly scheduled Italy recaps to bring you a recipe.

Finished Cookies decorated

And it’s not just any recipe, it’s a Valentine’s Day recipe!

Dry ingredients

Yep. You heard that right. For once and maybe the last time so don’t get used to it I am attempting to be a good food blogger and give you a seasonal recipe. How people are on top of it enough to start giving you football food recipes a month in advance of the super bowl is beyond me, teach me your ways! So lets just start with this admittedly anytime cookie recipe that I have dressed up in pink and red thus qualifying it as a Valentine’s Day treat and agree that I’ll work on it. Ok?

Full disclosure: I kind of love Valentine’s Day. First of all, I’m a sucker for greeting cards so that makes me a fan by default, but there’s more to it than that. There are so many Valentine’s Day haters out there that it’s easy to jump on the anti hallmark bandwagon, but I refuse. I mean really, who can honestly say that they hate love?  Maybe you hate being single on Valentine’s Day, but you can celebrate any kind of love, and you should! Even if you are significant other-less, Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to drink wine and eat chocolate with your friends! Heck, treat yourself to a fancy dinner with your best friend, or your mom! I mean, you love her too right? So why not celebrate it! There is more than enough hatred and criticism to go around on this earth. When given the chance to celebrate love and pass out cheeky conversation hearts, take it!

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