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Published: September 15th 2011
To start off, no matter how beautiful Italy may be, you pay for that beauty. That 10 days in Italy felt like being continually pick-pocketed by a stealthy ninja.
Quick update : We took the Ferry from Dubrovnik to Bari. It took 8 hours. We started off sleeping on the floor inside. However, suprise suprise we got too sweaty and decided to venture out into the sea breeze and relocate on deck. I perched on one of those boxes that house the life jackets next to a sleeping hobo. Turned out his name was Alex, a handsome looking environmental science graduate from Berkley, California trecking across Europe ; seeing the world. And that was that. We chatted for the entirity of the journey, and upon arrival in Italy, being true to our Italian surroundings we went for pizza. And can I just say that it was the most watery pizza I have ever seen. It was as if the pizza guy had put cheese, tomato, water and oil into a blender, whizzed it around and splashed into onto the crispy base. When the waiter brought it out, the jigging of his walk made the pizza have tidal force. It was
not pretty ... but we ate it anyway.
After washing down the watery pizza with some more ice tea we tried our luck at another Italian cuisine ; gelato. I had mango sorbet ... it was so refreshing I alsmot forgot about the pizza, while it was probably simultaneously clogging up my arteries and prepping themselves for a coronary heart attck.
Filled to the brim, we wandered back to the hostel... or should I say dog kennel with lots of shit in it? We paid a whopping 25 euros to stay here because it was the cheapest and most central place we could find. Personally I would rather of slept in the street. There was no AC, a broken fan, it was situated on a noisy back alley so all that could be done was to try and sleep to the soothing song of drunk Italian thugs. No such luck on the sleep front that night, so we left promtly at 7 that morning and made our way to Sorrento. Alex is still with us at this point 😊
So there we were on the metro about to go our seperate ways to Alex. Now this is
the part of the trip that saddened me; you meet so many amazing people, people that inspire you, people that you would be friends with. But it has to be accepted that this is part of the travelling experience; striking up friendships that last, at the most 48 hours, and then, they walk off into the sunset never to been seen again.... get over it Jen you sentimental wimp!
Anyway from Naples we travelled to Sorrento, a very pretty but touristy hotspot. For us it was the ideal place to go and explore the surroundings. Although, the gelato here was divine.
On our first day we went to the pretty (busy) island of Capri. A bold mass of limestone rock that pierce through the impeccably blue waters. This island paradise is the perfect microcosm for mediterranean bliss, boasting many cute cafes and positively posh pizzas. Since the 19th centuary, poets artists and socialites alike have been drawn to the illusive sophistication of the island; celebs from Audrey Hepburn and Ernest Hemmingway to Lindsay Lohan and Tom Cruise have made their way to this lavish utopia to spend their "well earned" cash on designer rags and overpiced croissants.
Personally, I felt that Capri was more like St.Tropez on speed. Ten times busier, ten times fancier and almost to the point where you don't feel welcome. Oh and one word of advice, if visiting in the summer, don't even bother with the beach; a multi-tonal canvas of sundried sardines soaking up the summer sun.
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Mauro Caresimo
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Southern Italy - A hard act to follow!
Southern Italy is incomparable for its scenery, cuisine and culture! The Neapolitan Rivera is a jewel in Italy's crown. Positano & Amalfi has to be mentioned in the same fold as Sorrento & Capri. Further south we have the unspoilt and undiscovered region of the Basilicata. A region very close to my heart as both my parents were born and bred here in a small mountain top village called San Mauro Forte which forms one of the provinces of Matera famous for its Sassi! The people are arguably in my opinion the warmest people in Italy who will go out of their way for you to make you feel comfortable. Southern Italians may be laid back but one thing is for sure your happiness is paramount to them and they do whatever it takes to make you feel welcome. Finally the food....ahh I could go on and on about how perfect the cuisine is in this part of the world! Simply fantastic!