So I have a little more to write about Italy, and of course a lot about Jerusalem, but first, I have to do something that I was planning on doing since the moment I set foot in Italy.
Here we go:
THE GELATO POST.
I prided myself on eating gelato (at a minimum) once a day. And now, I present the cumulative results of my time in Italia.
Day One: Grom (Cinecitta)
Salted Caramel & Crema de Grom
Day Two: Giolitti (Roma)
Carmelized Fig & Rice
Day Three: Carraia (Firenze)
Rice & Cocco
Day Four: Eduardo (Firenze)
Zabaione (Eggs and White Wine) & Cannella (Cinnamon)
Day Five: I Gelati di Piero (Lucca)
Melone & Limone
Day Six: Dolce Vita (La Spezia)
Fico, Mango, & Tutto Bosco
Day Seven: Dolce Vita (La Spezia)
Fico & Crema
Day Seven (continued): Midi Bar (Monterrosso al Mare)
Miele y Pesca
Day Eight: Random Place in Rome
Melone
While all of these were incredibly delicious, my favorite was probably La Dolce Vita, in La Spezia. It was so freaking good, we had to go twice while we were there. Thank goodness for good gelato ❤
When i first began planning my excursion in Italy, I was skimming a copy of Lonely Planet “Europe on a Shoestring” and my eye caught the words, “the Blue Trail”. Reading further, I found out that the trail is a hike through five picturesque villages on the edge of a national park in the Italian Riviera. I was hooked, and thrilled when Yuliya and our other friend Lorenzo were interested in going.
We booked an AirBNB in La Spezia, a small port city that is a great jumping-off point for hiking in that area (which is known as the Cinque Terre). Since we couldn’t get into our apartment until 5 PM, we spent some time exploring the city and chilling in a park.
The apartment was pretty cute and really close to the train station. We were not entirely happy with it, though. Since we were the first renters, the WiFi hadn’t been set up yet. We also couldn’t figure out how to turn on the hot water until the second day, so it was a bit of a struggle at first.
yuliya struggling
That night, we had a hearty carboload of pasta at Vini Divini in preparation for our long day of hiking the following day. The following day, we woke up early and took a train to the town of Corniglia. One section of the trail was closed, so we couldn’t do the entire thing. This was the view when we stepped off the train:
Pretty incredible, right? The town itself was adorable.
After checking out Corniglia, it was time to begin the hike. We were mildly intimidated.
The hike was harrowing, but when the path opened up to reveal the sea, it made all the blood/sweat/tears so incredibly worth it.
We stopped in the second town, Vernazza, for lunch (more pasta, of course), and Lorenzo went for a quick dip.
We also climbed to the top of a old tower for a spectacular view.
Then again, every view here was pretty unbelievable.
We finished the hike in Monterosso al Mare, where we lounged on the rocky beach until the sun went down. The water was crystalline.
We chased the setting sun back to the second village, Manarola. We sat on the water’s edge and witnessed the perfect sunset.
That night, we headed back to La Spezia where a festival had taken over the port. We drank wine that was made with grapes from the Cinque Terre and danced the night away at a silent disco.
The next day we bummed around, recovery mode from our long day (and night) of physical exertion. In the afternoon, we said goodbye to Lorenzo (who went on to Bologna to begin his semester abroad) and we got a ride back to Roma with a Christian missionary. A few hours later, Yuliya and I parted ways. She’ll be studying in Prague for the next few months, and I wish her the best. We were friends before we started the trip, but I had no idea how well we would travel together. It was a joy to get closer and explore Italy with her.
a girl, a guidebook, and a gap year 