Napoli and Capri

Naples at sunset

Capri Capri at first sight... walking on the dock to the island

View of Mount Vesuvius from Naples
After a missed flight to Prague, (delayed trains and imaginary airlines- ever heard of Wizzair? Neither has anyone else... ) my roommate Nikki and I decided to make the best out of a bad situation and take a train to Naples from the Rome airport. Just two hours south of Rome lies "Napoli", a beautiful city on the coast, with Mount Vesuvius visible just an island away. After a lot of rainy and cold Perugia weather, it was exciting to finally experience warmth and lots of sunshine. After arriving in late afternoon, we spent the rest of the day walking along the water and watching the sunset. That night, we experienced out first 'dorm-style' hostel room- two girls in our room were from Australia and had been backpacking since November. The others were from England and Belgium.

The next day we hopped on a boat to the island of Capri. Botticelli painted the shore of Capri in "The Birth of Venus"- supposedly, she was born out of the water from a half-shell onto the shore. From first sight, Capri looked like a painting- crystal clear blue/green water, houses built into the mountain side, and the cloudy Mount Vesuvius in the distance. We walked on a long dock to reach the island, then spent an hour or so playing on a deserted beach with our shoes off and jeans rolled up. Although I could have spent all day watching the tide, we decided to explore the island. We took a bus up the winding roads to the city center. Carnevale, a festival like our Mardi Gras, was going on, so all the little kids were dressed up in costumes and throwing confetti everywhere. There was even a giant octopus moon-bounce. We walked around the hilly streets eating gelato and enjoying the nice weather. Later we took a bus to Anacapri, the highest point on the island. We watched the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen, then ate at a restaurant while waiting for our ferry. We also sampled limoncello, a lemon liqueur for which Naples and Capri are famous. It's an after-dinner liqueur served chilled in a small ceramic glass. Beware- it's verryy strong!

Although missing out on Prague was a big letdown, I probably wouldn't have gotten to see beautiful Naples or Capri otherwise. Sometimes things do turn out for the best...

Valentine's Day in Siena

Chapel of the Onda (Wave) Contrada. It's symbol is the dolphin, colors are blue and white. Before every Palio, the horse stands before this alter and gets blessed. (I told you they were serious...) The bell/clock tower in the piazza.

The central piazza where the Palio takes place. (Notice the sharp turns!)

My Valentine's day was spent in Siena on a class field trip. Siena is a very small town divided into 17 contradas, which are like neighborhoods. Each contrada has their own animal or symbol, which they are named after. The contradas date back to the Middle Ages, so each one has a long complicated history; even feuds between the contradas go way back- many Sienese don't even know why some contradas are considered their "enemy" contrada.

The main event in Siena is the Palio, a horse race around the central piazza, where jockeys ride bareback. The sharp turns make for an exciting race- mattresses line the buildings surrounding the piazza so the horses and jockeys don't get too badly bruised. If this race sounds familiar, it was the opening scene in the latest James Bond movie. This was a reenactment though, and the "race" only took place on one side of the piazza. Sienese live for the Palio- it happens twice a year and whatever contrada wins can torment the other contradas until there is a new winner. The Palio is taken very seriously; men and women will cry and comfort each other if their contrada loses, and the winning contrada throws a celebration dinner, with the horse as the guest of honor.

P.S. Thanks to UUMC for the birthday card!