This is part 3 of my trip to Italy. Click here for part 1 and here for part 2.

Day 7: Sunday, August 14, 2011
I dislike getting up early, but when getting up early means going from one beautiful part of Italy to another, I’m OK with it. Although I was sad to leave Ravello, it was time for the third leg of our trip. So we got back in the rental car around 6 a.m., and drove back up the autostrade to the Rome airport. And after a quick flight over the sea, we arrived at the Catania airport in Sicily.

It was about a 40-minute trip to our hotel, and we arrived in Taormina at the Hotel Belvedere. From the front:

View from the back:

Another amazing view. After settling in, we went out exploring the streets of Taormina. During this time was Italy’s vacation season, so lots of Italians were vacationing here, too. I considered it the equivalent of Americans vacationing in Ocean City, MD or the Outer Banks. Dinner that night was more pasta, and this time, with some salmon:

Afterwards, we had after-dinner drinks at a cute cafe, where I had a delicious espresso/amaretto drink (decaf), before turning in for the evening:

Day 8: Monday, August 15, 2011
Day 2 in Sicily was all about R&R. So we hit up the pool and did just that. Hotel pool:

La bella vita:

After reading and chillaxin at the pool all day, it was time yet again to get ready for dinner. What a life. I heart vacation. I had mussels with the group, then pizza. Pizza in Sicily was different than in Anacapri. Good different. First, it wasn’t cut, so you had to cut your own slices. I watched an Italian lady beside me cut hers like a piece of meat. The taste was different, too. The biggest difference was the cheese. In Anacapri, there was more buffalo mozzarella, which changed the flavor. Basically, pizza in Italy, no matter where you go, is amazing.

Day 9: Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Since we were lazy the day before, this day was about exploring more of Taormina. So it was on to the Greek Theater. This was built in the 3rd century BC and STILL hosts concerts and other performances. Pretty cool.

When we climbed up to the top, we got a great view of Mount Etna, the tallest active volcano in Europe:

Not too shabby. After we saw the theater and the view from the top, we explored some more of the streets and did a little shopping. Taormina is very cool, and each part of Italy I saw was different from the other. Some other scenes from the day:

The Duomo, which dates back to the 13th century:

After a day of sight seeing, we were hungry (obviously). This day, Dave and I decided to check out an Irish pub we saw, for a change of pace. We’d been eating non-stop Italian for over a week, so when we saw Irish fare, we were intrigued. First, fun Irish snacks:

Then, we ordered burgers. These were nothing like American burgers. But, it was still fun to try:

To finish up the non-Italian theme of the day, I went with a Mojito to drink after dinner:

Day 10: Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Today was our last full day in Italy. As much as I was in love with it, I was ready to go home. I missed Starbucks, hot yoga, my bed, breakfast smoothies, running, and my daily routine. Who would have guessed? But, we still wanted to enjoy our time in Sicily, so we did some last minute shopping and sightseeing.

Love all the dogs I saw in Italy, especially this one on a vespa. I reallllly want a vespa now that I’ve been to Italy. We finished up the day with lounging by the pool, and I had pasta poolside.

And then, the last supper:

Yep, I had pasta again, bolognese. We had grouper, too. I wasn’t TOO adventurous, since meat in Italy kind of scared me. Some fish come with their heads still on.  I don’t eat too much meat as it is, so this wasn’t appetizing to me. But, I got to experience so many amazing pasta dishes that this wasn’t an issue. We ended the evening with gelato. We had gelato a few times, which is soo much better than ice cream. The chocolate I had the last night tasted like brownie batter. Mmmmmm.

The next day was an extremely early wake up call to venture back to Rome, then Boston, then Pittsburgh. It sucked, but we made it home safe and sound, with no travel issues. Plus, I had the weekend to recuperate from the jet lag before it was back to work and back to reality. Viva la Italia!

If you simply can’t get enough of my fabulous photos, don’t you worry. You can view all of them here:
Flickr photo album
Facebook photo album 1
Facebook photo album 2

When we last left off, I was dreaming of cheese and Steelers bars in Rome. But it was time to leave the city and get to the coast to Ravello. Ravello, which is on the Amalfi Coast, was founded in the 5th century as a shelter place against the barbarian invasions which marked the end of the Western Roman Empire. Thanks, Wikipedia.
Day 4: Thursday, August 11, 2011
We got up in Rome, had breakfast and into the rental car for the drive down the autostrade. To actually get to Ravello, you have a lot of uphill cliff driving to do after you get off the autostrade. It’s a little scary if you’re afraid of heights. Very narrow road, too. But that didn’t matter, because when you get there, you see this:

Ah-mazing. We checked into the Hotel Villa Maria and had a little snack in the piazza. Some photos from our first day:

Hotel

After doing a little exploring, it was time to eat dinner…glorious, dinner. We dined al fresco at our hotel’s restaurant. This was our dining “room”:

And then I ate this:

Crepes and raviolis. SO. Good. Could the food be actually getting better by the day? I think so.

Day 5: Friday, August 12, 2011
Our second day in Ravello was time to explore. Right near our hotel was the Villa Cimbrone, which dates back to the 11th century. I’ll let the pictures tell the story:

And then the Terrace of Infinity:

Incredible.

After we took in the view, we hopped on a bus and then a ferry to Capri:

Capri is another cute little Amalfi Coast town. And we took a cab up to Anacapri to do a little more exploring, and to experience the pizza there of course.

Honestly, this was the best pizza I ever had. I had 3 out of the 4 pieces, and looking back, I wish I would have eaten the entire thing. Pizza near this area is the best since the buffalo mozzarella is so fresh, coming from Naples.

I liked it.

After Capri, we took the ferry back to the town of Amalfi and checked it out:

From there, we took a taxi back to Ravello and got ready for dinner. Since we liked our hotel dinner so much the night before, we ate there again the second night. I got a delish little whole wheat pasta dish with goat cheese:

Day 6: Saturday, August 13, 2011
By day 6, we were a little pooped from all the traveling and sightseeing of Rome and Amalfi, so we opted for a more leisurely day. This consisted of a little fingers and toes polish change at the spa, then laying out in the sun. We had a picnic lunch outside with some incredible sandwiches a local deli made us. I wish I could have taken a picture because they were so good – crusty bread with Italian meats and cheeses, drizzled with a little olive oil. Nom nom nom.

That evening, we walked over to the Hotel Caruso, per the recommendation of a good family friend. I’m so glad I listened to her. We stopped at the bar and saw the view:

We ordered our drinks, and were presented with this:

God Bless Italy and their delicious appetizers. I like to think of this as the shirt before the shirt, because then we got our Bellinis:

I had two they were so delicious…and wayyy expensive. This place was mighty swanky. But worth it. Check out this infinity pool at the Caruso:

Then we walked over to the Hotel Ruffalo for a sunset dinner on our last night.

The streets of Ravello walking to dinner.

Frutti di Mare. Oh yeah.

It was to bed early that night, because the next day it was up early, early to drive back to Rome and get on a plane to Sicily. See you in Part 3. Ciao!

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to travel to Italy for almost two weeks to eat, drink and be merry. I went with my boyfriend Dave and his parents, and it was a celebration of Dave finishing four long years of law school and taking the bar exam. And it was also a celebration of me putting up with it the last four years. 🙂 So, here is a little 3-part blog series on our trip, day by day, starting with Rome. I (literally) ate my way through Italy, and have photos of everything along the way. I’ll share the whole album of photos in part 3 since there are LOTS to share.

Day 1: Monday, August 8, 2011
After flying through the night (PIT -> DTW -> FCO), we arrived in Rome in the morning. Since it was too early to check in, we walked down to the Trevi fountain and had a bite to eat. I was legit falling asleep at the table. That jetlag hit me hard. So, once it was time to check in, we took a nice long nap, got up, and it was dinnertime.

Hotel Majestic:
Dinner, night 1 at the Hotel Majestic:

Day 2: Tuesday, August 9, 2011
After getting a good night’s sleep, it was time to hit the streets of Rome. After a little hotel breakfast (brie for breakfast? yes, please) my tour guide (a.k.a. my boyfriend) took me on a walk to the forum and the Colosseum. We saw all of the ruins, and went on a tour of both the forum and the Colosseum (and people watched — Italy is GREAT for people watching). Some sites:

We walked all the way back to the hotel on Via Veneto and I was DIRTY. I had Roman filth all over my feet, so I hosed off in the shower (after contemplating sticking my feet in the bidet.) After a little rest and showers, it was time for dinner, night 2 at Girarrosto Toscano (which was excellent):

A little pasta and a little risotto. Finished with some cafe gelato:

Not pictured: a delicious spread of antipasto that took up the entire table. Then, sweet dreams of buffalo mozzarella danced in my head.

Day 3: Wednesday, August 10, 2011
It was up and at ’em again on day 3, our last day in Rome. But not before stopping for a drink or two:

And then we hit up the The Capuchin Crypt, which was super creepy and super interesting. Here’s a photo from Wikipedia since we were not allowed to take any:

On a happier note, it was then time to go on our next tour, so we took a tour bus over to  the Vatican and Saint Peter’s Square and Basilica:

After seeing the sights, it was back to the hotel for some relaxation and preparation for our night ahead. First, Piazza Navona:

Then dinner at Ristorante Pierluigi. Since I’m a terrible faux food blogger, I didn’t snap a picture of dinner. So, onto La Botticella, home of STEELERS NATION Italia. Fun fact: When Dave studied in Rome two years ago, they watched the Pens win the Stanley Cup here. Look how cute it is:

Holler Slippery Rock University:

See you in the Amalfi Coast in part 2! (Click here for part 3 if you want to read ahead…cheater.)