This past week was spring break and everyone from our small little school of nine went in separate directions to explore Europe. A few boys decided on a huge adventure covering the entire country of Italy. They started in Naples, then went to Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan and ended in Munich: the odd town out, being in Germany. Another brave soul ventured alone to London, Ireland then to Amsterdam. A girl from the trip spent the week with her brother in Switzerland, and said it was beautiful but extremely expensive. Another WWOOFed on a farm in Abruzzo, Italy, and another girl went to Milan and Venice. My spring break was not as glamorous and exciting as the rest of my group but I still had an adventure of my own.
My friend from the states came to visit me and we went to Rome for a few days. There we saw the normal tourist spots like Vatican City, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Colosseum, and a few random places that just looked amazing like castles and monuments. I was surprised by how close everything was in the city. We were walking around the first day just trying to find a place to eat when we stumbled upon the Pantheon, right there in the center of a bunch of restaurants and normal buildings in all its glory. The city was beautiful, but I wish it was not so claustrophobic with tourists because it took away from its beauty.
Then after a few days in Rome, we headed back to Siracusa. There, I showed him my personal tour of the city. I took him to the archaeological park, to the strange cut-out-rock “pier” by the water, for gelato at night, to eat real Sicilian seafood, and to just experience a more down-to-earth side of Italy. The weather was not the greatest, but it was a really nice week.
Then it all ended and we gathered back together from our different corners of Europe to spend a sunny St. Paddy’s Day in the sunshine of Sicily. Home sweet home.