Italia was quite the trip (part 1)

(ITALIA PART 1- since the email can't handle 10 pages hahaha)

I wanted to cry when we were leaving. I knew I would absolutely fall in love with Italia, but I wasn’t expecting to be so attached!! 7 days seems like quite some time looking straight at it, but it wasn’t nearly enough. It was perfection there, absolutely perfect. I can totally see myself living in Florence in the outskirts up the surrounding hills. Yup, already picked out the area hahaha. But for real, leaving almost made me cry… And I DON’T cry.

After hiking Vesuvius on that second day, we finally met up with everyone we were traveling with at like 5:30 or 6 (I totally can’t remember now!!! :( ). We FINALLY met the guys we were traveling with and they were all super cool. So it was 5 girls and 3 guys. Leaving Naples it was Amanda, Nikki, Kellie, Laura, AJ, Jackson, Jake, and I. The guys packed huge bags while we only had backpacks hahaha awesome. We were got a taxi to the train station and had already lost Jackson twice by the time we purchased our tickets…. I knew we were in for a HUUUUGE adventure. So we get split up- a few of us sit with all the bags in the middle of the station (people SMOKED inside it AND dogs ran free in it!!! Was weird!) while the rest ran off for food and drink outside the station. Me and Nikki went to get a diet coke and came back to a homeless drunk man sitting in my chair (on top of my jacket! Yuck.) directly in front of poor Amanda. He was literally just sitting there and staring at her… it was hilarious. I think he was calling her princess, but I couldn’t honestly understand a word he was saying… and my Italian never got very good hahah. So after seeing a couple of sketch men circle us a couple of times, we decided to move inside a café and sit there while the rest came back. They did and we sat around for a good hour (we wanted to make sure we got there on time!!) So we finally boarded the train and got all the seats together! We had a blast, but all of us were falling asleep. They never even checked our tickets!!

When we finally got to Rome at like 11:30 pm, we decided we were complete idiots. We never booked a hostel and were just going to wing it…. But when we got there it was dark and empty. So yeah. We didn’t have a clue of what to do. We found Mckenna (who had been in Rome for 2 days already with her friend from home) and bunkered down for a few minutes trying to figure out the next plan of action. We ended up finding an annoying Italian man who walked us to a moderately priced hostel right up the street from the train station. The rooms were super cute but the landlord lady was so rude!! (I think). She sounded mean with her Italian at least… haha. But the rooms were cute with shuttered windows that opened out into the street and some little boys in the apartment complex across the street tried to flash us (they were like 12). The showers were basically nozzles in the bathroom with no doors. But it was only me and Amanda in one room and everyone else was split up in 3 or 4 other rooms. Nikki and Laura’s room had a shower that was IN the room, like BAM hello clear wall! I don’t think they ever used that one… but I woke everyone up at like 9 to get going (I mean, we are in Rome…) and I think it made the boys mad… but whatever. I refuse to sleep in while in Rome!!

So we get going and met Amanda’s parents at the Colosseum (literally 20 minute walk away). Her parents were in because her brother was studying abroad in Florence and since Amanda was there too, might as well go visit! So when her mother saw her it was the cutest thing… I wanted to take a picture but I figured that probably wouldn’t be polite hahah. So we went in the Colosseum and it is AWESOME. It is sooo much larger than I ever would have imagined! The lines to get in SUCKED, but it was sooo worth it. I don’t know, there is just something about roman history that is just mindboggling. The stage was the coolest thing- part of it was covered up like how it was in the day, and the rest was…well destroyed… but it showed the pathways they used to put lions and bears up. They had a super cool diagram that showed how they used ropes and wood to lever stuff it. The place also had old granite and marble that had etching of people and animals and also writings, which was cool. I really enjoyed it and could’ve spent HOURS in there… if we had time.

After the Colosseum, we decided to take the metro to the Spanish Steps and try to get a hostel near there, since it was pretty central versus our boondock train station hostel. The boys freaked out in the metro because they had never been in one (nervous travelers!!), it was hilarious hahaha. The steps were awesome. There was a beautiful fountain on the bottom (Bernini made it I think I heard a tour guide say?) and tons of stairs! We didn’t hang out too long because we were going to try to find a place before 1pm, which was when we had a Vatican ticket booked for. Long story short, big groups blow. It took like 25 minutes to get everyone on the same page and together, and by then it was too late to even look around. So the boys left to find a hostel (since they never booked a Vatican ticket) and we hauled our 30 pound bags across the city.

We finally got to the Vatican exactly at 1. We skipped AT LEAST a 45 minute line and got straight in. Thank the lord that they had a bag check, so we dropped the packs off and went in. People were already tired by now so I looked in the gift shop while they sat. We got in and oh my gershhhh. It was MASSIVE. I thought it was just a couple of artifacts and then the Sistene, but yikes. It took like 3 hours to get through it all! It was literally elaborate room after elaborate room…. All of it was gorgeous, but geez. After seeing 14 pure gold rooms, a 15th one isn’t going to impress me. The Raphael room was awesome though! He was quite the painter.

We lost Nikki and Amanda in like gold room #4 and didn’t find them until we went back for our backpacks… apparently they didn’t even make it to the Sistene Chapel… which was crazy. It was soooooo gorgeous. And the Michaelangelo hand painting (whatever it is called) is even better in real life. We were like jam packed with about 5000 other tourists in a tiny little space, but it was STILL amazing. So after stretching out our necks from looking up for hours, we headed over to St Peter’s. All I could think about was “The DaVinci Code” hahah. Great book. Mckenna went there yesterday (went to a Latin mass AND saw the pope!!! Sooooo jealous.) so she sat down while the rest of us went inside. Words cannot describe…. It was huge and pretty and awesome. One of my favorites for sure… like words cannot do it justice. We ALMOST stayed for mass (me and Nikki really wanted to!) but the other girls didn’t want to hang around so we left. We picked up Mckenna (who got pooped on by a pigeon!!! Good luck?? Hmmm) and went to meet the boys at the Spanish Steps. Everyone was really tired, while I had TONS of energy, so I climbed to the top of the steps and WOW. What a view. I got the cutest picture of some random couple gazing off into the city, so it is kind of my favorite. Creepy much? Hahah.

After that, Amanda, Nikki, and Kellie went to dindin with Amanda’s fam while we went with the boys. That was hilarious. We went to the alleys near the steps and found a gem. It was delicious except for one part… the grappa. Grappa is a drink that cleanses your palate (or something fancy like that) so the guys convinced us girls to try it... I should’ve known not to drink it when the waiter laughed at us…. It makes me gag thinking of it. I am almost 100% sure that some of my nail polish came off when it touched it. Apparently it is like 190% alcohol (or something ridiculous) and it is a miracle I didn’t spew. Disgusting. After that disgusting mishap, we went to the hostel (super cute!! Shutters again!) and got dressed to go out since it was the 4th of July. The rest of the girls got back and we decided to head to the steps to see what happens (motto of the trip?). We ended up meeting a Bulgarian guy and chatting for a while (since we are headed to Bulgaria in a few weeks!) and he took us to a bar. We walk in and are the only people there. Then they started playing Lion King music and old school Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, so we stay for sure. Later a ton more SAS kids came, so it got way fun.

The next day I woke up at what I thought was 5 or 6am. Instead it was 8 and it was POURING DOWN RAIN. It was awesome. So I woke up Mckenna and Amanda, who were in the room with me, and try to get them going. In Global Studies class, our prof was telling us about the Pantheon, a huge OLD (120 AD) building with an oculus in the top. He said that it is AMAZING when it rains or snows, since a bit gets in the building, so I knew this was our only chance. We were walking out the door making great time (I had that terrible green poncho over my camera hahaha) when some of the boys wanted to get ready and come. So we waited and they decided they didn’t want to. By this time it was 10 and it was only drizzling. So we finally get to the Pantheon after a 15 min cab ride of going in circles (they always try to squeeze out an extra euro!!), and it is just about to let up. Thank goodness we saw a bit of the drizzle come in and it was sooo cool. The building is by far my favorite on the trip. There are HUGE columns and an intricate ceiling carved from marble. I forget the history, but I am almost certain it is all-original with no rebuilding or restoration.

 After that we headed to Trevi Fountain which is INCREDIBLE. It was that moment that I knew I loved Rome. Regardless of the hundreds of people crowded around you trying to throw coins in, it is magical. Like it gave me goosebumps… though we may have just been having a girly moment believing all the lovey dovey crappo that they feed you to get your coins. But eh whatevs, I still love it.

After that we went to the catacombs. We took a taxi out to the boondocks of the city (like I am almost certain it isn’t even in Rome!) and found out the place closed at 12 and it was 12:15. So we missed it, bummer. Instead of wasting another 15 euro on a taxi, we decided to walk to another catacomb nearby. It was this BEAUTIFUL tree lined road that was absolutely amazing. So beautiful. When we finally found the catacombs, they had also closed. Bummer. So we walked to a restaurant to waste time and eat for the 1.5 hours we had. It was AWESOME. I will have my reception there, so get ready to shell out the dough!! Hahha but for realz, I’m not joking. We sat in the outdoor terrace-y area (whatever it is called). The roof (?) covering was basically huge THICK vines that grew over for years and years and completely covered the area. There was a fountain that had cute little turtles in it too! It was just quaint and adorable. The food was good too! We had our first dessert of strawberries with ice cream and… ZOMG. So. Good. There was actually a reception going on when we left, it was a way cute couple!

The catacombs were a bit of a letdown. I have seen pictures of like bodies and skulls and femurs and such on display, but there was nothing of the sort. It was all like platforms where they were put and stuff…. Disappointing. I just wanted to see some gorey stuff geez! The place we went was the oldest in existence, so maybe we just went to one that was too old? Whatevs.

After that we got in a taxi to go to the Roman Forum, one of the places I’ve ALWAYS wanted to go. But…. A few of the girls forgot their tickets at the hostel, so we couldn’t go in. Sad day. But it is okay cause OBVIOUSLY I’ll go back, duhhh. The Arch of Constantine was pretty awesome though, it is amazing how well preserved and detailed it still is, it is since it is just BAM in the open with rain and wind and snow and stuff… and it’s like 300 AD!!! Pretty sweet! After that we just got our bags and went to the train station to go to Florence. We booked a hotel in advance, having learned our lesson in Rome, and knew to plan a bit better. But…. Yeah. Adventures.

Florence was a trip. Nothing EVER went according to plan, no matter how prepared we were hhaahah. At the train station, we couldn’t find our train. By the time we got to the front of the info booth to ask, we had 5 minutes before we left… so we were freaking a bit. Then we learned it was wayyyyyy across the station in the farrrrr back corner… so we ran. I had a sandwich in one hand, a soda in the other, with my camera wedged in between so that it wouldn’t get too jostled, a 30 pound backpack on my back, a purse, and a bag of souvenirs. It was tricky. But we SPRINTED and made it with only a minute to spare. We were still walking around trying to find a seat when the train started moving. So that was a close one. Since we were so late we didn’t get a place to sit all together, so a poor guy had to smell my nasty sweat bod for a while. After a couple of stops we finally got a place all together.

Then, for the first time, a woman came to get our tickets. Apparently you are supposed to validate your tickets (doesn’t buying them mean they are valid?? Stupid rule) and the fine was 50 euros A PERSON. We managed to talk our way out (450 euros, for real?! Ha that is a joke.) to only 50 cents a person and avoided a potentially disastrous disaster (great sentence.).

THEN, since we took the super looooong train (4 hours!!) to save money, everyone got off at this one stop and we were the only people in our segment. For some reason, the train slowed down and STOPPED in a tunnel! I was delirious at this point and thought it was hilarious, but some people were really freaking out. The boys I think were legit scared so they made a plan on how to take down an axe murderer with what we had (lmao). Kellie had to go pee, so when Nikki went with her, we all ran to the other segment of the train and listened to them freak out for a bit… it was pretty hilarious haha. When we finally got moving we all felt a little better.

We finally got into Florence at like 11:30pm and headed over to the hotel. Since we had so many people, we needed 3 taxis. I told the first one where to go, but the last 2 didn’t seem to understand. Finally they caught on and took us to the Argentine Hotel. We didn’t notice this until we walked in and they said they didn’t have a hotel room for us, even though we booked it the night before. By this time, only 2 taxis had got there. We were kind of frustrated since we were so tired and weren’t in bed yet, but soon realized that we were at the wrong hotel. The hotel we had booked was the Argentiere (EXACTLY what I said and Nikki had written down for the taxi drivers!) and we were at the Argentine… completely opposite sides of the city. So the concierge got us another taxi and took us to the right hotel, where the first taxi was already waiting.

Bum luck again- the hotel stopped check in and closed the office at 11… it was 12. So yeah. At this point people are getting pissed while Nikki and I are basically rolling around on the ground laughing at our luck. Like really, who would that happen to but us?! So we have nowhere to stay, were in the middle of residential Florence, and it is the middle of the night… I spot a park bench and spout out a joke that was NOT appreciated haha.

 So we get back into the taxi and head for the city center, thinking hostels or even hotels will have vacancy. Nope. Nikki and I walked to about 15 hotels and all were full. Surprise! Apparently there was a festival going on that weekend… just our luck. So Nikki and I see some SASers we know and are about 5 seconds away from asking if we can crash on their floor when one of the boys finds a hostel. It was in a travel guide book and he said they had vacancies. So we decided to go there.

Being cheap, Nikki, Amanda, Mckenna, Kellie, and I take the bus (1 euro) while the rest take a taxi (10 euros each). We hopped on the correct bus and asked the driver to let us know when to get off… but, surprise surprise, he didn’t know where it was (or he just couldn’t understand us). So we decided to see if we saw it. An Italian lady overheard us talking and said she knew where it was and would walk us part of the way since it was her stop as well. She was SUPER nice. Super. We get off after like 35 minutes on the bus in the middle of houses. She tells us exactly where to go, but it is soooo dark. There is no one out and there are barely any cars, so it was a horror story waiting to happen (as if, there are no scary movies based in Italy!!). I hid my camera (safety first!) and we got walking.

It was like a 20 minute walk to see the entrance to the hostel… which said camping. The road to the hostel was dirt and basically a forest. It had a huge arched entrance, but immediately behind it was a forest. It was dark and there were NO lights. I walked up to check out a creepy iron gate (it was eroded and locked with a real old lock) and we decided to NOT walk up the long windy dark and scary road… until some people freaked the heck out of us. They walked up right behind us and told us the hostel was up the dirt road like a mile…. So we followed them. Kellie, Nikki, and I basically huddled together the whole way about 2 feet behind the randos. Amanda and Mckenna lagged behind because Mckenna had the HUGEST blister I’ve ever seen in my life. So big and so puffy. After like a 15 min walk we finally get there. We were so freaked out and just exhausted that we almost kissed the wall. So we booked a room for all us girls and started walking up. On the way, we saw Laura and the guys (who took the taxi) and they were all sketched out by the place. We just fell asleep in our beds immediately after.

I woke up completely SOAKED in sweat (no AC and open window= mosquito bites) at like 9 and so I went to open the window and… oh my gosh. Our view is AMAZING. Because we were in the hilly mountain area of Florence, we could see the countryside and it was BEAUTIFUL. We even had a rooster wake us up a few times during the week. It was amazing. So flipping purdy. So we went to take a shower and couldn’t find any towels. We were kind of confused but knew what was up… hostels don’t give you towels. So instead of buying a towel for 2.50 euros at the front desk, we used our sheets as towels hahahahha. We are so so SO crafty. And they worked perfectly fine! So we all got ready and dressed up (since Florence is super fashionable or something? Hahah idk) and took pictures by our lovely shutters with the view. We walked down and saw THE HOTTEST British (or Australian??) I’ve ever seen. ZOMG. When we finally pulled ourselves away and wiped up the drool, we walked outside and were blown away by how pretty it was! It is a total gem and I’d recommend it to everyone… just not to arrive and walk up at 1am haha.