Amalfi Coast: Capri, Positano, Sorrento, Pompeii

The Amalfi Coast has always been one of my dream travel destinations. It has been raved about from avid travelers as being one of the perfect getaway spots. The south of Italy is beautiful and composed of various islands all offering unique attractions. My friends and I planned this trip from day one and it was to be our last trip in Europe as the four of us. Therefore this experience was bittersweet, but one of the most memorable trips I will have.

We started out on the beautiful island of Capri. On our first day we headed to the port and boarded a private boat and set sail for the Blue Grotto. The Blue Grotto is one of Capri's biggest tourist attractions and luckily the tide was low enough for us to enter on rowboats. I have never seen water so blue and pure before. The water glowed an iridescent blue from the light of the sun at the entrance of the Grotto. 

After a boat tour seeing the sights around the coast of Capri, we docked and hiked up the island. We spent the rest of the day walking around town. After our (all uphill) hike, we stopped for lemon granitas, a slushy drink common in Capri. It was delicious and extremely refreshing! Capri is known for their lemons. They even grow super lemons about the size of a kickball, so when in Capri, try the granita's, limoncellos, and lemon flavored candies that the south of Italy is known for. 

The giant lemons

Another item that Capri is known for: SHOES. All throughout Amalfi, you'll find small sandle shops with handmade leather shoes. The nice difference between sandal shops here in Italy and back home is that they fit the sandals directly to you're feet and allow you to customize your sandal however you'd like. Our tour guide took us to a famous sandal shop in Capri where Jackie O used to get her sandals made. The selection was enormous and many of us left with a new pair of sandals in tow.

The shoemaker

My new snakeskin leather loafers

After some lunch and shopping we decided to check out the scenery in the best way possible: via chairlift to Mt. Solaro. The ride was so peaceful and was a gorgeous way to see the mountain and views. We ended the day with dinner in town and the night out at the beer garden.

The next day we went to Sorrento to the beautiful pebble beach. It was sunny and hot, a perfect day for the beach. We spent the day sun bathing, walking around town, and those of us who were brave enough went cliff jumping. The water was the clearest I have ever seen. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to! 

Our final day we journeyed to Pompeii to see the ruins from Mount Vesuvius. I was amazed by how much of the city was still intact. We took a guided tour which I highly recommend. And of course we had to try the Naples-style pizza!!

Tuscany & Florence

Last week my family joined me in Rome to visit me and explore Italy. It was an amazing experience being able to share my life abroad with my family. We spent the first three days in Rome where I showed them all my favorite restaurants, bars, and Trastevere hang out spots. Giolitti's, Tony's, the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain later...we arrived in Tuscany. We stayed in Villa Cora, a beautifully renovated Villa, previously owned by Napoleon's third wife. It was definitely a welcome step up from the hostels I've been used to staying in!

The view from Villa Cora

Our Villa was only a 10 minute drive into the town of Florence so we often spent the days exploring around town, shopping in the leather market, and checking out the sights. 

The highlights of the trip for me was the Tuscan-cuisine cooking class and our 15 mile bike tour of Tuscany. 

The cooking class was a fun, easy way to learn how to make some intricate Italian dishes and then get to enjoy the fruits of your labor afterwards. Our chef was funny, helpful, and quickly got everyone involved in the process. We learned how to make pasta from scratch, an eggplant parm/caprese salad, stuffed chicken wrapped in phyllo dough, and creme brulee. 

Our homemade pasta

Fettuccine

Angel hair

Stuffed Chicken with Phyllo

Creme Brulee

We finished up our last day with a bike tour through Tuscany. The scenery was amazing and matched perfectly how I envisioned the country side of Tuscany to appear. While the green rolling hills are perfect scenery, they aren't the easiest to bike! Halfway through our journey we stopped at a winery for lunch where they showed us how they made their wine and cooked a beautiful homemade meal for us. 

The Villa at the Vineyard

Homemade Bruschetta

I loved Tuscany for the peaceful beauty that it contained. The greenery there is breathtaking and I am so happy to have seen it first hand. Thank you Mom, Dad, and Liza for making this a trip I will never forget!

Peanut Butter Banana "Frozen Yogurt"

One of my favorite snacks of all time no matter if its winter or summer, is frozen yogurt. Here in Italy, the focus is more on gelato than Pinkberry or 16 handles. As the weather warms, my cravings for fro-yo gets worse. I've decided to try out making my own "frozen yogurt" from a banana, having seen multiple attempts online. The result is a creamy, frozen treat that's both healthy and satisfying!

You'll need:
1 banana
1 teaspoon of peanut butter
A dash of cinnamon










How To:

Peel and break a banana into a small bowl or cup and then mash thouroughly. Make sure to rid the banana of clumps to ensure a better texture for your frozen yogurt.

Once thoroughly mashed, mix in the peanut butter and cinnamon and freeze. Some other possible ingredient options are cocoa powder for a nice chocolate-y flavor, walnuts, chocolate chips, or carob chips! Experiment with various toppings to find your new favorite summer treat!

Calorie count: 150 calories

*calories based on 1 small banana and reduced fat Skippy creamy peanut butter

Greek Yogurt Power Breakfast

One of the things I miss from Greece is my breakfasts. Every morning during my spring break I had an original greek yogurt with fresh fruit and honey. It was a delicious and nutritious way to start my day and I've been missing it. I've decided to try and recreate my greek breakfast fix back here in Rome. Part of what made my yogurt parfait so delicious was the fresh fruit. Unlike America, Europe tends to focus on fresh, seasonal produce only selling what is in season. This way you are able to ensure good quality food. My greek yogurt over break often had bananas, strawberries, kiwi, apples, and pears. I settled on fresh pink lady apples (my favorite!), kiwi, and a ripened banana.

You'll need:
Fresh fruit of your choosing
Greek yogurt (I prefer fage total 0% fat)
Honey

This breakfast will leave you satisfied and feeling good all morning. If you find you need a bit of a crunch or some carbs to leave you full longer, add a bit of granola or a fibrous breakfast cereal.

My Big Fat Greek-Vaca

For my spring break, I spent the past 12 days island hopping throughout Greece. Visiting Greece has been a personal dream of mine for a while. I am my happiest when surrounded by beaches and great food so Greece was my personal paradise.

Rock climbing on the beach of Corfu

My friend Carly and I started off our travels by flying from Athens to Corfu. Corfu is known as the typical spring break party destination of Greece, and The Pink Palace Hostel of Corfu did not disappoint. We were greeted with pink tinted shots of ouzu, (a Greek licorice flavored liquor) and shown around the premises. Our time in Corfu was spent lounging by the beach, partying on the Booze Cruise, and donning pink togas for the Pink Palace's traditional Pink Toga Party.

Pink Toga Party!

We then journeyed by ferry to Athens for a night. Athens was more run-down than the other island spots that we visited and it was here, where Greece's economic hardships were more evident. My highlight of Athens was our multi-course dinner which was our true introduction to Greek food. For 15 euros we were served family-style, unlimited wine, tzatziki, pita, meatballs, calamari, salad, fried cheese (an unexpected and delicious greek specialty!), and moussaka-the greek version of eggplant parmesan but with meat and cinnamon as well. The negatives to eating in such a large group is that the food is devoured before you can manage to take a picture of the meal! All in all the food was delicious and I have certainly been going through tzatziki withdrawal since being back in Rome!

Pita with tzatziki

From Athens we left our hostel at the lovely hour of 5:00am and took another ferry to Santorini. Santorini is known as being the most photogenic Greek island with all the typical blue and white buildings. Santorini was beautiful. That night we were taken to see the sunset from a point overlooking the ocean and cliffs. The sunset against the white buildings was truly spectacular. After taking and posing for hundreds of photographs, we made our way to dinner at a restaurant overlooking the water, with a gorgeous view of the sunset.

Santorini at Sunset

The view from dinner

Our first full day there we took a tour of the island which took us to the Red Sand Beach, the Black Sand Beach, a wine tasting, and to Oia, where the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was filmed for sunset. The Red Sand Beach was such an unique beach, and mildy reminded me of the Grand Canyon. The beach is hidden away down a cliff, which you must carefully hike down to reach the beach. Red cliffs surround the beach at all sides, giving the beach a very private feeling. Next we laid out on the Black Sands Beach and enjoyed the sunshine. Later we headed to Oia for the sunset. Oia was my favorite part of Santorini because it was so beautiful.

Red Sand Beach

Oia

From Santorini Carly and I journeyed to Naxos. Naxos is not a typical tourist destination, but was highly recommended to us from the Greeks. Naxos ended up being my favorite island. It was small and secluded and the people were so hospitable and friendly. The weather also ended up being the warmest while we were in naxos, allowing us to enjoy the beach every day. 

Breakfast Every Day: Greek Yogurt with Fruit and Honey

Naxos Beach

Greece overall, is paradise. The food, people, and scenery all exceed expectations. I cannot wait to go back!