The last leg of our trip was based in the cute, little town of Sorrento. My Dad has been working with a woman named Cristiana Panicco, who is the director of  the Sant’Anna Institute in Sorrento, so both of my parents were familiar with this little piece of heaven nestled in the Bay of Naples, but it was Katie’s and my first time. Cristiana set us up with a BEAUTIFUL apartment that sat literally on the cliff overlooking the Marina Grande. Obviously Sorrento has some serious contrasts to Rome; it is small, not as touristy, and a coastal town. After a few days of walking the streets of Sorrento, I felt a whimsical and romantic, yet small-town vibe. My favorite part about staying in Sorrento was watching the day pass and the dark falling onto the marina and all of the fishing boats that sat in its harbor.

While Sorrento was our “base” for the rest of the vacation, we took a few day trips to some nearby cities. The first trip was guided by the philosophical entreprenuer, Gianluca, to the Almafi Coast. This day was by far the most breathtaking. I had seen pictures of the Almafi Coast before, but they don’t do it justice (as I’m sure it is the same with mine). Since I recently have driven up the coast near Big Sur, I had an easy comparison. The cliffs were higher, the villages were tinier, the houses were closer, the streets were narrower. ALL usable space, was just that; used. There is one road in, and one road out, all while dancing over the steep edges of cliff that dangle you above the Mediterranian (which by the way has NO waves). The views, were, priceless. Gianluca educated us about Italian life as he took us through the cities of Positano, Amalfi, Scala, and Ravello.

While heading back to Sorrento, Gianluca insisted that we stop by his friend’s olive oil factory for a tasting. This was a no brainer. The Garguilo olive oil was amazing! And obviously I came home with a few extra bottles of infused olive oil for Brett and I to cook with 🙂

To be Continued!!!…..Again!!!….

The Anderson’s went to ITALY!!!!! It has been a few years in the making, but we finally were able to schedule a family vacation together in one of the most beautiful countries on the planet. Our trip lasted a total of 11 days, unexpectedly (which of course I will explain in a later post). Since I took nearly 3000 photos during that week and a half, I have decided to split up the whole vacation into 3 blog posts.

First up, ROME! The four of us, Mom, Dad, Katie, and I, met up in Philadelphia and flew together into Rome. We stayed in a cute Inn that was literally around the corner from the Pantheon. Jet-lag is for the weak, so we immediately dropped our bags and started to explore…..and by explore I mean explore the fine cuisine of Italy. We sat down and started the never ending ordering of carbs and wine that lasted until our last day. We were only in Rome for 3 days, but managed to pack in the Vatican, Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, Pantheon, and many churches and piazzas that I couldn’t begin to name off. Things that I noticed about Rome were that 1) it reeks of cigarettes 2) NO one is on their phone 3) traffic laws…just don’t exist 4) pasta. 5) the sounds of the streets were filled with pigeons fluttering by, sirens- always sirens ringing, italian restauranteurs chirping at you telling you how amazing their food is and why you should be eating it right now, vespas whizzing by,  and church bells constantly ringing.

But most importantly, I must note that fate works in funny ways again, and somehow it happened to be that my last night in Rome was also the same night one of my best friends from college would be flying into town, Miss Dana Leonard. Dana and I have a history of meeting up in strange places (New Zealand, Colorado,…oh and I once jumped out of  box to surprise her in a parking lot in New York), but I found myself this time waving a napkin around in front of the Pantheon at night that read “Have you seen my friend, Dana!?!?” I received a few strange, but concerned, looks from the Romans and tourists, until they saw me running up to her as she picked me up and twirled me around….true friendship! Her boyfriend, Sandy, also came on the trip, and the four of us (my sister included) went out to a local hot spot for drinks until the wee hours of the morning. Needless to say, the train ride to Naples the next morning was a rough one for Katie and me, but when we finally made it to Sorrento, we didn’t seem to mind anymore.

To be Continued!!!!!…..