Tarquinia and Cinque Terre (5 Cities- not exact translation but close enough)

Hello Again!

So, unfortunately it took me a week to post the Florence trip, so you are all getting 2 weeks in 1. Sorry about that. Well, last week flew by; I felt like I blinked and then it was Friday. So, Tuesday through Thursday I had classes and didn’t really do too much else. Thursday night LDM (my school) had an event called “Pizza con gli miei amici”, which is just Pizza with my (Italian) friends. So, it was all of the students a few of our Italians. It was a lot of fun and it was a free dinner. We ate at Pizzeria del Patata (Pizzeria of the Potato?- don’t ask me) which I had been wanting to try for weeks now. The pizza was amazing! Every person gets their own pizza and it is so big that they come out on two plates. I have included a picture. It was delicious. I got ½ pesce del mare (squids, calamari, shrimp, and mussels) and ½ sausage, potato, and mushrooms. Then, Maggie and I went to San Marco (our favorite bar) and got cappuccinos. When I get home, you all might have to have an intervention. I think I’m addicted to cappuccinos. Overall, the day was a ton of fun.

Friday was even better! API (Rome and Tuscania) had a one day event in Tarquinia, which is a town about 30 km away from Tuscania. Only Maggie and I went from Tuscania, and I was so happy that I did! First, we took a bike tour of the town and surrounding countryside. We all looked like idiots, but it was amazing. Imagine 40 American students riding around a small little town with cobblestone streets with matching red bikes and helmets. We certainly laughed a lot. Then, we rode our bikes to this “agritorismo”, which is a really big thing in Italy. An agritorismo is basically a farm that opens their doors to tourists who want to come to the farm and stay and help them harvest their goods. BUT, this agritorismo was BEAUTIFUL! They have amazing facilities! Their rooms are gorgeous; they have an infinity swimming pool with an awesome patio and an amazing restaurant. In order for a farm/bed and breakfast to be considered an agritorismo they have to produce at least 80% of their products on the actual farm. So, our lunch/wine tasting consisted of 3 different types of red wine, bruschetta with tomato and procuitto, vegetable lasagna, roasted chicken with potatoes, and orange tiramisu, and at least 80% had to be products of the actual farm. All of the wine, oil, vegetables, and meat came from the farm. Everything was delicious! But, before lunch we toured the farm- we walked through the vineyard and helped harvest olives for making oil! It was so much fun! That night, the 7 LDM students got together and made Chinese food! (Well, Rich made Chinese food.) He made fried rice and sweet and sour chicken, which hit the spot! The biggest thing that we are missing from America is international food (and peanut butter)- how lame is that?

Then, Saturday morning we woke up really early and made our way to Cinque Terre, which are the 5 towns in northern Italy. These five towns attract millions of tourists each year because you can hike from town to town or you can take a train. They are incredibly picturesque. On Saturday, we arrived and had a great 3 course lunch (bruschetta, penne with a Bolognese sauce, and roasted pork). Then, we began our hike. We hiked from the first town to the fourth town, which took about 3 hours. The terrain got more and more difficult as the hike went on. Eventually, Maggie, Allison, and I got separated from the group because we would stop every 2 minutes to take pictures, whereas, the rest of the group was on a mission. They ended up going to the 5th town, but we stayed in the 4th town and ate gelato  I was really happy that we did not go to the 5th town that night because they had to finish the hike in the dark! Then we all took the train back to our hotel, which was in the first town. We were all late for our dinner reservation so we raced back as fast as we could. Our dinner was HUGE, again. Our antipasto was marinated anchovies, which were actually pretty good. They are the specialty of the region. Then, our primi piati was penne with shrimp scampi, and our secundo piati was sea bass with potatoes. Then, the Tuscania girls went back to the hotel to sleep as the rest of the group went out.

The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast, and checked out of our hotel. Then, Rich, Maggie, Allison, and I did the hike from the 4th city to the 5th, which was an hour and a half hike in very difficult terrain. The first half (40 minutes) was entirely uphill! But, it was so worth it! We got great exercise and the views were breathtaking. Also, everyone told us that it is much colder in 5 Terre so be sure to pack warm clothes! However, no one told us the weather forecast. We all brought jeans and sweaters, and on Sunday it was easily 80 degrees. So, I ended up doing the hike in my bathing suite and a pair of athletic shorts that I brought for pajamas. After the hike, we met everyone at the 5th town and we relaxed on the beach for a few hours. Around 5 we caught a train back to Tuscania (well 2 trains and a van ride). We didn’t get home until 10 or so on Sunday night and we were all exhausted. But, we had a great weekend with amazing weather and friends.