another few days (9.27.07)

ciao everyone,
these weekly updates are getting harder and harder to write, mainly because the lapsed time in between is not that long, but the things that have occured during it is tremendous. since last i wrote i have been down to southern italy, the amalfi coast, on the shores of the mediterranian, the island of capri and the ruins of pompei, plus another full week of class and general life here, which always brings surprises.
lets see...where do i begin? last friday i took off from florence on a train to rome, from there we got another train to naples. once in naples (and by the way, naples is a very rundown area..and still in present day controlled greatly by the mafia) we got a subway to sorento, a gorgous town overlooking the coast. as we sailed by on the rail, we would emerge appruptly from grungy dark tunnels only to peek out onto stunning coastal scenes of the sea, and then plummete back into the murk. after tramping around sorento for awhile we got on a citi bus which took us up the cliffs to the hostel where we stayed. the place was up on a hill, a short walk from the edge of the sea, where we spent the evening, carving the coast and looking over the moonlight water, wading in to depths as deep as we dared get our clothes wet.
the following morning, we stood on the edge of the precarious roads, daybags in hand, squinting in the sun awating the bus to take us back down the mountain. its arrival was meet with mixed sentiments. as you can imagine, a full sized bus, on less then full sized roads, full of 180degree switchbacks brings different people to differnet conclusions. i happened to like it. on the way down, locals flagged the bus down as we careened through tiny villages nested in the land, elderly citizens waving the bus past and bickering about fruit prices.
Arriving in sorento we climbed down to the water and found a ferry to capri, where we planned to spend the day. Capri is and island, small and rocky, the building huddle at the bottom, and only the braver of them hang to the sides of the hill. we took a tour around the island on a much smaller ferry boat which brought us around to the famous caves and gave a sense of its history and pride through the broken english of the guide. back on shore, it was irresistable to head straight and determined to the sandy beaches we had seen from our vantage on the water. like postcards of tropical lands, the water was warm and turquois and clear enough to see the bottom of the sea. the rest of the afternoon was spent streached on the beach or the large rocks like lizards, occasionaly dipping into the inviting water.
soon enough the sun began to sink in the sky and we caught a ferry back to sorento, stopped at the a grocery store for pasta to cook for dinner and took the rollarcoaster like journay back to the hostel. the evening was filled with relaxing at the restaurant and bar at the hostel...breaking for walks along the sea.
Sunday morning found us packed up and again waiting for the bus. This time we headed for the rail station and headed toward naples. on the way however we stopped and spend the day at the ruins of pompei. the biggest surprise i felt at the ancient city was just that. it was a city. in my mind, before i went there i pictured it a small village, inconsequental if not for its dramatic demiss. it is however, very large..enough to get lost, tired and confused as you navigate it. we spent about 5 hours scampering over the rocky streets and observing the unique remains. the most stricking element for me were the frescos that continue to decorate the walls, bright, detailed and vivid enough to be painted yesterday. Eventually when fatigue set in, and those with lower attention spans pleads to leave convinced the whole we boarded again the rail back to naples. with our two hour layover we ate a long delayed and highly desired dinner. back on the train, (which for any harry potter fans, was arranged with compartments and a hallway) we settled in and spent the five hour commute home (love the sound of that) to florence. We arrived early in the morning and i was walked home by a gracious capa student who despite living in the opposite direction mercifully volunteered to walk me home.
Stepping back into my apartment, if felt as if i had never left and the wkend soaking in the sun over the mediteranian and taking in famous sites and gorgeous views was some sort of half remembered reverie. Time has been flying. This past week flying by the fastest, and if thats any indication about the progression...im sure the rest of the time here is bound to soar by.

But even with trips such as this, Florence continues, like a faithful friend to surprise and delight me, slowly and surely. Yesterday, my art history class held class in an 11th century church to explore romanesque syling. As we cranned our neck to the ceilings and widened our eyes to the elaborate guilded mosaics our ears were meet, from the belly of the church with harmonious gregorian chanttings of the choir, swelling up like angels. Trips such as this, past the 14th century wall of florence to the old parts are regular commutes for this class, and similarly with another class (italian life and culture) which will bring me to the opera later this semester.

Firenze played Roma last night. i had planned to go, but miscommunication made me believe it was an afternoon game, not at night as it turned out it was. Later, as i laid in bed waiting for sleep i heard the horns of passing vespas and the screeching of satisfied fans. We tied, but roma is a esteemed force and the game was, i learned later, played well. And while my roomates loudly complained of their bellowings i smiled to myself, because while my body was inside my apartment, my sentiments were among the bousterous fans, proud of their home.