As I finish my second week in Sorrento, I am starting to feel at home. By wandering through the streets and asking around, I have found some places where I intend on being a regular, two of which are a pizzeria and gelateria. While this means I have gotten pizza and gelato nearly every day this week, it also allows me to converse more in Italian (it’s a win-win)!
This week I tried to cook a meal that would yield enough leftovers so I could eat lunch quickly between classes, which I have 5 days a week. I thought chicken would be easy, so I went to the supermarket for 4 chicken breasts—what I thought would be the right amount for the week. I was very proud of the fact that I ordered in Italian until I was handed the package and saw that it was way more than I had intended on buying. It turns out that chicken breasts in the United States are sold in halves, while they are sold whole here! I discover little differences in day-to-day life like this one nearly every time I venture into town, but they keep teaching me about a way of life that is different than mine in America.
Since I am more settled here, I have been able to take a few trips to the surrounding area. On Sunday, other Sant’Anna students and I went to the island of Capri, where we went to the top of Monte Solaro, got lunch in town, and were able to swim in the sea.
Yesterday, I went to Pompei where I took a tour to learn about life there during the first century AD. Visiting a site that I have studied since grade school made for an exciting day. The town is larger than I imagined and also better preserved. I found it fascinating how archaeologists can know what types of food were sold in each store, to whom some of the houses belonged, and what the news was in Pompei before it was destroyed by the Mount Vesuvius. At the end of the tour, I saw where archaeologists are currently excavating, and probably will be for the next 50 years.
It was interesting to be in Pompei this week as it has been in the news here recently. On June 30th, there was a Gay Pride Parade in Pompei, which stirred up a lot of controversy. Discussions of LGBT are very polarizing here, with the older generation being more conservative than the younger one; however, as a whole, Italy seems more conservative than the US on this topic. Some people I talked to, even those who are accepting of gay marriage, were shocked at a Pride Parade being held in Pompei, a sacred place to many. During my trip there, I could see rainbow flags on the streetlamps on the block next to the ruins.
Today I hiked up Mount Vesuvius, which felt fitting after being in Pompei yesterday. Despite only being a 30-minute hike to the top, the steepness of the trail made it more difficult than I expected. However, the climb was worth the amazing views of the volcano, the sea, and the surrounding towns.
Tomorrow we are watching the World Cup final in town, even though it would be more fun if Italy had made it in the tournament. However, it’s fun watching games here as everyone is a calcio fan here!
Ciao for now!