Campania

Part two of our Italy trip was in the Campania region, an area famous for cities like Naples and historical sites such as Pompeii. We stayed in the town of Sorrento which was centrally located to all we hoped to see. Our five person bungalow at Santafortuna Campsite overlooked lemon and lime trees while the crystal blue ocean sparkled in the distance. A twenty minute walk took us to the center of town where numerous tourists and natives spouted English from every direction. Clearly we weren't the firsts outsiders to come exploring. Even more than Rome, this place seemed to be quite the tourist attraction...and it didn't take long to figure out why. 
Fig, olive, orange, and lime trees lined every street and the views of the water never seized to amaze us. After walking the town we grabbed a great dinner of green gnocchi with shrimp and tagliatelle with mixed seafood. The mix consisted of squid, clams, and muscles. it was some of the best I ever had. Buttery and smooth each bite slipped down my throat with full satisfaction. 
   After a wonderful meal we walked down to the water and caught a final glimpse of the most miraculous sunset. Never in my life have I seen the sun so large and fluorescent orange. We sat on the dock and took in the beauty until we were  interrupted by nearby shrieks of joy. Among the surreal view a boyfriend proposed to his now fiancé. To witness such a happy moment  made our night so even more special. On our way back we  saw a gelato shop with a big line out the door, of course we gave it a try. I started with nutella. It was so deliciously  creamy that it was almost impossible to resist...so we gave in to its powers and returned every night. Gelato was becoming quite the routine for us. 
   Outside of Sorrento one of our first attractions was the destroyed city of Pompeii.  Besides learning the history we were able to crawl on the ruins and take pictures, which we took full advantage of. Lauren had two people hoist her up on to a high ruin and after a few goofy poses she jumped off ready to see more. To our full enjoyment she belly flopped and landed face down on the dirt floor of Pompeii.  A man next to us screamed "take photo!" in broken english and he scrambled to get a shot of the crazy girl face first in the ground. If it is possible to imagine, it was hilarious. 
   The next few days we explored the beautiful island of Capri and the quaint town of Positano . We took a ferry to Capri and upon first glance I was in awe. Approaching it looked like a giant black rock, the largest I've ever seen. As we moved closer the docking port appeared in the rocks concave center. Houses painted the backdrop along with fruit trees and the most beautiful selection of flowers. We hiked about an hour up to the main square but took a break to enjoy some fruit on a stone wall that overlooked the whole island. It was breathtaking. The ride to Positano was equally as amazing as the bus zigzagged up the Amalfi coasts winding roads. Although slightly nauseating the scenery made the uneasy roads well worth the trip. The town was built out of the side of a mountain and had endless views of the coastline.  We walked around and eventually made our way to the beach. It's sand was blackened from past explosions of Mt. Vesuvius but the water remained perfectly blue and transparent.  As we relaxed I ate ripened figs and enjoyed the crashing waves as they cooled my feet . 
   Our five days exploring the region was even better than our time in Rome. The views were sensational and the food was incredible. Besides the seafood, the figs and olive oil stood out as some of the best... and don't even get me started on the buffalo mozzarella! It made every pizza  explode with flavor and a tasting platter transformed the buffalo in to an animal from the gods. Three types of buffalo mozzarella and ricotta drizzled with a light raspberry-honey sauce accompanied a fresh bed of arugula. As Kate and I shared this 3,000 calorie lunched (plus a pizza) the melting cheese and all it's glory forever made an imprint in our hearts. Sometimes, all it takes is a little local fat to make the world a better place :-)