Sicilia

The Girls and I in front of Fontana Pretoria

Photo Credit: Mac Witmer

"Excuse me, but did you know it's bad luck to drink red wine on Saturdays?" This was the infamous phrase from our trip to Palermo, Sicily. A couple of weekends ago (gasp, such a delayed blog post, I apologize!), Kate, Mac and I ventured to the diverse and lovely Italian island of Sicilia. Upon our arrival, we were told by the owner of our B&B that Sicily is unlike any other part of Italy. Depending on where you go, you'll encounter various ethnic backgrounds infused with Italian culture. All three of us loved Sicily, and we all deemed it as by far our favorite place to travel. For many reasons. Some of which are: it's diverse, the locals love Americans and give our Italian a chance, the accesibility of the city, and most of all the (cheap and delicious) food!

Quattro Quanti; Fontana Pretoria

As I mentioned, Palermo was quite an easy city to get around, making it great for stumbling upon gorgeous monuments such as the two photographed above. Quattro Quanti was the original city-center of Palermo, and now it still stands with its baroque statues, and proved quite useful as our own city-marker for walking around Palermo.

Fontana Pretoria, was a destination recommended by Mac, who is one of our resident Art History buffs, and currently taking Barroque Art here in Italy. This monument is a controversial baroque fountain that adorned the name, "fountain of shame," when it was first built in the 17th century. The reason for the nickname was because the fountain is comprised primarily of nude statues. The fountain lies in a piazza with two churches on either side of it, which at the time caused quite a stir amongst the Italians. The girls and I enjoyed circling the massive statue, and I was very fortunate to be in company with Kate and Mac whom educated me on each statue.

Pane Con Panelle e Crocche'

With the useful guide to dining in Parlermo, I was super adament about eating local cuisine. Sicily has such a different food culture than other parts of Italy. After doing ample research, I encouraged the girls to explore Sicilian street food with me (they easily obliged). Our first big food stop came while exploring Palermo's three major farmer's markets: Ballaro, Viccurio and Capo. At Ballaro, we went to a stand Katie Parla recommended for Pane con Panelle, which is a fried chickpea sandwich. We added crocche' (fried potato dumplings), and indulged in our inexpensive carb-filled sandwiches. Our lunch was only 2.50 Euro each (!!), and we quite enjoyed this treat. We all agreed it would have been better with some sort of sauce to balance out the amount of starch, but in the end we couldn't complain considering our stomachs were filled with such little cost. 

Farmer's Market Finds

As I mentioned above, Palermo possess three huge farmer's markets: Ballaro, Vucciria, and Capo. All three are evenly spread out around the heart of Palermo, and to my pleasure we visited all three in one day (I appreciate the amount of walking the girl's endured to satisfy my obsession with farmer's markets)! Personally, I enjoyed going to all three. I find exploring local markets to be one of the best ways of seeing a city's culture, people, and varying types of cuisine. 

La Cattedrale

During our long day of seeing all of the farmer's markets, we stumbled upon Polermo's duomo. It was grand, and absolutely lovely. Mac and I were mesmorized by it's unique ceiling. Altogether, we have seen a plethora of churches in Italy, but none of them possess a ceiling that looks like this. The mural on the ceiling is called a "gothic portal," and was painted in the mid-12th century. 

Pasticceria Mazzara: Display; Cannolo; Setteveli

Pasticceria Mazzara was located dangerously close to where we were staying in Palermo. So close, that we came here twice. The first time, Mac and I shared a cannolo and setteveli. Cannoli originated in Sicily, but unfortuantely we were not impressed by this particular treat. Although I found the ricotta based filling to be divine, the outer shell tasted too oily and overpowered the delicious inside.

However, we absolutely loved our Setteveli, which is a seven layer cake. The layers are made up of lots of chocolate  hazelnut, cream, and mouse, all of which meld together in your mouth for an overpowering sweet-delight. This was a great treat to share, seeing as how rich it was, I'm not sure I would have been able to finish it myself. 

Mondello Beach

Day number two was our big beach day. I never knew I would be able to adorn a swimsuit in the month of October, but in Sicily it was quite easy with the 80 degree weather. Mondello Beach is by far one of the prettiest spiaggia I have ever been too. The water was an hombre of teal, and the sand was speckled with gold flakes. Not only was it beyond comfortable to swim in, but Mac and I also had the pleasure of talking to a nice british woman and explaining to her the different parties Obama and Romeny belong to. The only downside of the day was the fact that we forgot to bring towels, and had to drop a larger sum than we would have wanted for a couple of them, but alas this beach was well worth it. 

Pane Ca'Meusa

After our beach day, we ventured back to the heart of Palermo and walked along the port: Porta Carbone in search of yet another Katie Parla suggestion: Pane Ca'Meusa. We ventured to the cafe: Pani ca'Meusa di Porta Carbone to eat this traditional Sicilian sandwich. Essentially, Ca'Meusa is spleen cooked in lard. Yes, it may sound gross to some of you, but in reality it was by far my favorite thing I ate on this trip. This is a MUST try when venturing to Sicily. The meat is so well cooked and marinated, with hints of citrus, that you will not even know what you are eating. It was so satisfying, and filling. I was happy the girls were willing to try it. Kate and I were in a foodie heaven, and even Mac enjoyed it, although she was slightly disturbed by over thinking what she was eating (trust me, just don't think about it, you won't regret it!). 

Brioche con Gelato at Pasticceria Mazzara

Photo Credit: Kate Scow

After the beach, we ventured back to Pasticceria Mazzara for yet another delicious treat: Brioche con Gelato, a.k.a. the original ice cream sandwich! As I have mentioned in previous posts, I'm only willing to eat gelato sparingly in Italy, primarily because I was spoiled with working at an artisanal gelato shop back home, and I've consumed so much of it that I rarely crave it. However, not even I can resist trying a pastry filled with gelato. I indulged in pistacchio and coffee, and I can easily say that gelato is far better sandwiched between a pastry versus dehydrated-freezer-burn-cookies!

Reverting back to the beginning of this post, I mentioned that silly phrase about red wine. This was spoken to us by a local Sicilian on our last night in Palermo. Although this phrase is not true, it did end up leading us to having some fun adventures amongst Palermo's nightlife. Sicilians go out even later than Romans (they start to eat around 10....meaning other night activities start even later!), something we were not expecting. Least to say, we ended up oversleeping and missing our flight on Sunday. Although we all agree we did not use our judgement wisely, it was also a great learning experience, and something we laugh about now. Needless to say, we still loved Sicilia, it's not only extremely affordable, but definitely an easy trip to make while in Italy and somewhere everyone should try and visit! 

Interning with Katie Parla

Er Buchetto: Porchetta

Italiano: Porchetta

English: Italian Pork Roast

What does porchetta and interning have to do with each other you may wonder? As of a few weeks ago, I began interning for one of Rome's infamous online food critics Katie Parla of Parla Food. 

Prior to meeting her, I was first introduced to her website, or specifically her iPhone/iPad app Rome for Foodies by my roommate Mac. Our first weeks here in Rome were filled with constant research on where to grab a quick bite, a good artisan cup of gelato, and places to enjoy a nice glass of wine. Combined with her blog and app, we realized quickly Katie Parla was the go-to reference for all of our foodie adventures. 

After our school orientation, Mac and I realized that one of the scheduled events was a food lecture by Katie herself. The minute we sat down, I felt at ease, and was blown away by all the knowledge she possessed about the food culture in Rome. Inspired to move to Rome, after studying abroad here herself, I became a big fan. With Mac's encouragement (thank goodness!), we went up to her after her lecture and asked if she took interns, she delivered the glorious positive news of, "yes," and gave us her business card. 

While Mac scored an awesome internship at Vino Roma, a wine studio in Monti, I in turn was given the opportunity to intern with Katie Parla. 

Porchetta

There are a few projects that I am working on with her guidance, but in addition to these, I've also reviewed a couple budget friendly places for her viewers to reference. My first guest blog post was posted yesterday. You can read my experience at Er Buchetto here. 

I am more than honored to be working with Katie, and I can hands down say it's been one of the best things about studying abroad thus far!

Sorrento, Capri e Napoli: "Buon Bagno"

Mac and I on Our Boat Tour to Capri

(Capri is in the background!)

Italiano: Buon Bagno

English: Good Swim 

A couple of weekends ago (yes, this post is quite behind!) my wonderful roommate Mac and I traveled down to the Amalfi Coast. We stayed right outside of Sorrento in the quaint little town of Sant'Agnello. During our three day travels, we explored Sant'Agnello, Sorrento, Capri and Napoli! This trip really felt like a vacation, and was a great getaway from the hustle and bustle of Rome.

7 Hostel: Our Room, View from the Deck: Day and Night

We stayed at 7 Hostel in Sant'Agnello. This hostel had great reviews online, and definitely exceeded our expectations about where we would be staying. Also, 7 Hostel was one of the most affordable places to stay, considering the majority of hostels/B&B's/hotels in Sorrento were out of our price range. Thus, 7 Hostel is definitely where all the young-foreigners stay (ourselves included). This entails discounted lunch and dinner menus (which were actually pretty decent, even amongst my standards), complimentary breakfast, and a very large bar that plays (extremely) loud music in to the wee hours of  the morning. This last note was the only downside. Lastly, since 7 Hostel is not located directly in Sorrento, we did have to make an effort to get to Sorrento which at times was a hassle. When in doubt, we hung out on the terrace, and were surrounded by some great views, as photographed above.

Marina Di Puolo Spiaggia Sorrento, Italia

On day one, Mac and I attempted to go to Positano. However, the bus we were instructed to take, never showed up. After asking about three different cafes, and a few strangers, no one had a straight answer for us. Slightly defeated, we went to plan B (or maybe plan Z, considering how many people we spoke to!), and went to Marina Di Puolo, a beach Mac had looked up prior to our travels. 

"Buon Bagno!" our cab driver instructed us, as he dropped us off at Marina Di Puolo a secluded little beach located on the bottom of a hillside in Sorrento. The beach was covered in black-rocky sand, and was absolutely lovely. There were only locals on the beach. Which in turn meant, ample space for us to lounge, and lots of time for us to laugh about how pale we are in comparison to Italians. We stayed here for the remainder of the afternoon, taking in the sun, reading, swimming (in the Tyrrhenian Sea) and simply relaxing.

Ristorante La Marinella: Mac and Our House Raviolli; Seafood Platter; Steak Dish; Dolci: Almond-Chocolate Delight

We decided earlier in the day that we wanted to stick around Sant'Agnello and enjoy a nice dinner for two. I critiqued the tripadvisor and lonelyplanet reviews for a while, and chose Ristorante La Marinella. La Marinella has a gorgeous view by the water, and although not inexpensive, it still fit our budgets ("splurge budgets" that is).

Upon arrival you are taken in a lift down to the restaurant. Oddly enough, the man navigating our lift used to work for a cruise line that would dock in the Bay Area. His good friend owns an Italian restaurant in San Rafael, and he actually knew where my hometown Mill Valley was (what are the chances?!)! He was unbelievably nice, and before he left he gave us his card with a note to bring to the restaurant in San Rafael telling his friend to give Mac and I a bottle of champagne (now we know what we are doing over Winter Break back in the states!).

The restaurant was lovely, and after sharing a serving of their house ravioli, Mac and I realized we were the only ones in the restaurant. No one else came, so we were given spectacular service. Apparently, we traveled to the Amalfi Coast at the right time since tourist season had pretty much ended.

The food, in turn, was great. The ravioli was a classic, filled with ricotta and spinach. Our entrees were the standouts. Mac was right on about ordering a seafood platter, perfect for the region we were in. Where as I, opted for meat, and ended up with steak. I know, hopefully none of my readers judge me for choosing red-meat when I was down by the coast, but after questioning the waiter a few times he told me their steak was one of their best dishes, and I can attest and say it was quite good. Lastly, we shared an almond cake, that was accompanied by plenty of chocolate delights. We loved the presentation of all of these dishes. Overall, I definitely would recommend La Marinella to any person traveling to Sorrento, the service was great, food was well-prepared, and nothing can beat the scenery!

Capri Boat Tour: Mac and I Pre-Boarding; Skipper Navigating; On the Boat; View of the Island

On Day Two of our travels, Mac and I signed up for an organized boat tour with Capitanoago. While researching what to do in Sorrento, Mac and I knew we wanted to see Capri and check out the grottos. We were a tad overwhelmed with coordinating all of the boat travel, so we opted for a planned day trip. Needless to say, we were very pleased. 

All of the people on our boat were extremely nice, ironically enough, all of them live in the same apartment building as Mac and I in Trastevere. They are all students as well, but from the University of Iowa, and are doing a school program that focuses on Graphic and Interior Design (they have on the top programs in the country!). We also met a very nice guy named Franco, who is from South America, and took many of the photos above for us. 

Capri

Capri is a gorgeous island. However, it is also very touristy. The only things you really do while on the island is shop (at very expensive stores), drink Limoncello, eat and walk around. We were only given three hours on the Island, so we took the lift to the main area were we (window) shopped, and took in the breathtaking views.

Into the Blue Grotto; Blue Grotto

After our visit to Capri, it was time to vist all of the Grottos (sea caves) nearby the island. First was the "infamous," blue grotto. Unfortunately, Mac and I were unimpressed with the blue grotto. Not only do you have to squish into a tiny boat, you also have to pay an additional price to go inside. Although it was cool to go inside, it's actually not as big as tourist photos like to depict. Also, if you want to swim in the blue grotto you have to pay an additional 5 Euros, which we opted not to do. We agreed afterwards that we would have regretted not going, but we advise future travelers it's definitely a site you can miss.

Views from the Boat

Despite our disappointment from the Blue Grotto, the remainder of the boat travel was lovely. We got to swim through the Green Grotto (sorry no photographs), and see the White Grotto. We circled around a good portion of the island. Our skipper was very accomodating, and we were given refreshments and lunch as a part of our tour package. 

None of my photos give justice to all of the amazing sights we saw this day. After swimming through the Green Grotto, I choose to put my camera away and simply take in the scenary, rather than trying to capture it all. 

Overall, we enjoyed this boat tour the most out of our stay in the Amalfi Coast area. It's definitely a vacation spot, and I highly recommend it as a getaway from the big Italian cities.

Napoli: Mac and I -Photo Credit: Mac Witmer

Buffalino con Prosciutto Pizza

When in Naples: Mangiamo La Pizza. In order to get to Sorrento, the travel route requires you take a train to Naples, and then another train down to the coast. Our train back to Rome on Sunday wasn't until 5 p.m. Therefore, we decided to head back to Naples early Sunday, and explore the area, with the main goal to eat pizza. 

We've been told that Naples is very dirty, but we were still shocked while walking the streets how dark and grungy it really is. Naples is a very diverse city, but it's definitely not taken care of, yet it was still interesting to walk past the street art and of course down Via Tribunali where all the major food shops and restaurants are located (particularlly ones specializing in Pizza).

Aside from sight seeing, our main reason for going to Naples was to eat Pizza. At this point in my stay in Italy, I have not been completely blown away by Pizza here (well, Pizzarium with my mom was pretty good). However, this Pizza from I Decumani was out of this world. 

We were told it was a thirty minute wait, but instead, we ended up waiting for about an hour and a half. We had ample time to spare, and in the process of waiting for our table we met a lovely woman named Tiffany who was from the States. Ironically enough, she actually studied abroad in Rome, and took classes in the same exact building as Mac and I are now! She ended up having lunch with us, and we learned so much about her. She currently works for a non-profit that requires here to travel all over (Naples being her current stop at the time). We appreciated talking to her, seeing as how she is fresh out of graduate school, and she really gave us confidence about finding opportunities post-college. We exchanged emails and wished each other well.

Overall, I had a fantastic time with Mac. This was such a nice and relaxing vacation. Despite minor hiccups here and there, we were able to figure out great alternatives and have an amazing time, and not to mention meet tons of fun people along the way!