Italy: Day V (Rome, Sorrento)

Saturday, July 23^rd:

The Palatine Hill:

            Today was both a sad and exciting day, as we had to leave Rome but we got to travel to a new and awesome place in Sorrento! We woke up and checked out of our hostel barely before the checkout time, and given that both of us were still exhausted, we went up onto the roof of the hostel to get some more sleep and enjoy the weather (which was rainy, but warm, and we had umbrellas). I decided to get moving and go see the rest of Ancient Rome while Max continued to rest at the hostel. We had basically finished exploring the Roman Forum, so I headed up the famed Palatine Hill to see the rest of the magnificent ruins. As legend goes, the Palatine Hill is the location of the cave where Romulus and Remus were kept alive by the wolf, and lived to later found Rome.

Circus Maximus:

Rome from the Palatine Hill:

            The Palatine Hill is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome, and it is covered in some of the oldest ruins in the city. I wandered around the ancient palaces and temples for a few hours, also taking in the beautiful unobstructed views of Rome in all directions from atop the hill. I also paused for a moment to admire the location of the great Circus Maximus that stands below the hill. I also got to check out a cool museum where archaeologists have pieced together thousands of chipped pieces of marble and stone to recreate ancient mosaics and frescoes. Shortly after exiting the Palatine Hill Max met up with me to wander around the beautiful city once more before catching our train to Naples. I was saddened to leave Rome, as it is probably the most incredible place I have ever visited in my life. We walked around the Colosseum once more, and headed to the famed Jewish Ghetto for lunch. We found a tiny place called Il Giardino with an awesome outdoor seating area way in the back of the restaurant. I went for the classic “Antipasti del Ghetto” which consisted of Fried Cod Fillets, Fried Olives, Fried Mozzarella, and the world famous Jewish-Style Fried Artichokes. Needless to say, it was absolutely delicious.

The Colosseum:

            Following our meal we sprinted back across the city, grabbed our luggage, and barely made our train from Termini to Napoli. The train went pretty quick, and we grabbed some pizza before getting on the next train, the Circumvesuviana (Around-Vesuvius!) train. This train was the most authentic of the trip. It is the kind of slow and rural train that travelers might see locals carrying chickens in cages on its rails. It took a little over an hour to get to Sorrento, and we were delighted upon checking into Seven Hostel to see that it was basically a hotel! Easily the nicest of the hostels I have ever stayed in. After relaxing for a bit we ate dinner at the hostel, which was better than expected as well. I had some Sicilian Style Pasta and house wine. The hostel also had an awesome bar on its roof, so we spent our night there hanging out with the other American kids our age who were staying at the hostel. It was a great and relaxing night, and it was pleasantly cool outside for once, instead of the hot weather in Rome and Croatia. Tomorrow we are signed up for a day-trip by boat to the island of Capri!