I love traveling alone. There's something really exhilarating to me about being left to my own devices in a country where I barely speak the language. You have to learn to be flexible, make mistakes, and learn as you go. The ultimate character building experience. It was a goal of mine while living in London to take some time to travel to countries/places by myself. As my time overseas neared to a close, I finally decided to take two weeks to explore Southern Italy. Why south and not north? The plane tickets were cheaper.My trip consisted of stops in Naples, the island of Ischia, Capri, Sorrento, and Positano. I practiced my Italian every single day and immediately forget it all once I landed. I had some of the best food of my life in Naples; eating a knock-you-on-your-feet octopus stew, fresh antipasto from olive barrels (including the salty delights called anchovies), and an authentic Margarita pizza. So authentic in fact that the people who owned the hostel I stayed at were eating there when I walked into the restaurant! I also got my first taste of Italian sexual harassment on the oldest street in Naples, Via dei Tribunali. To this day I hate the term "ciao bella."
On Ischia, an island with hidden hot springs all over its cliffy coast, I stayed at a hostel where my room opened directly on to a roof deck that overlooked the entire island. At this same hostel I was asked to paint a mural of the sun instead of paying for my room, and I gladly stayed an extra few days to accommodate their request. I met two Americans, sat in the hot springs on a chilly morning, and explored a lighthouse or two along the way. Ischia would be my dream vacation destination if it weren't for the potter who tried to trap me in the back room of his studio because I wouldn't kiss him. Strike two for the blonde foreigner.
Capri was overrated so I won't waste my time talking about it here, but Sorrento blew me away completely and unexpectedly. If the orange trees growing in the streets, the ornate ironwork on every balcony, and the cliffside dock you anchor in to get up to the city aren't enough for you, then the darling old people will steal your heart anyway. I listened to a seniors choir recital in a church courtyard, ate gelato twice a day, and spent evenings people watching while dining al fresco. It was bliss, and picturesque bliss at that.
My final stop in Positano required a bus ride along the narrowest, and windiest road I've ever been on. I'm not one for motion sickness, but this trip almost got me. The precarious travel was worth it though, because as you make your way down the cliff edge to the beach you realize there is no other place on earth quite like Positano. I bought jewelry from a smooth talking salesman (still own it!), sun bathed on the beach for he day, and made my way into the carved out mountain side that Positano was built in. It was almost the perfect ending to an unforgettable trip. If only a teenage boy hadn't touched my inner thigh on the bus back to Sorrento; of course that meant I had to slap him, and watch an old Italian woman yell at him with the most ferocious eyes I've ever seen. No wait...that only made the end of the trip even better.
So what's my take away from my trip to Italy, as my others stories all had their own? Well, I'd say listen to your friends when they tell you to be careful, but don' let it keep you from going anyway. The hassle was worth it for the memories I'll always keep. Only one more travel story before you're all caught up on the history of this traveler. I hope you've liked the journeys so far. big kiss, bekuh
