A couple weekends ago I went to Milan to visit Tessa, one of my friends from UBC. The plan was to stay in Milan for the weekend… but that didn’t happen.
After exploring Milan on Friday- including the duomo which is a gorgeous gothic inspired cathedral, springing around on a bull that is supposed to bring good luck and seeing castles, restaurants and arches we decided to head out that night on a mini vacation.
We took a night bus to Rome- which means we left Milan at 11:30pm and arrived to Rome at 6am. From Rome we took another bus that took three hours and dropped us in Salerno which is a city at the tip of the Amalfi Coast.
In Salerno we checked into our hostel which used to be a convent so was old style with brick and a courtyard and connected to a church. Very cool.
After checking in we took the bus to Amalfi where cliff hugging skinny roads the edge of which was a drop to the ocean below and which were meant for one car made the mountainous drive to Vancouver seem a tame walk in the park. It was nothing short of a miracle that two busses could pass each other at the same time.
When we arrived in Amalfi I was struck by how beautiful the town was. Colorful homes dotted down the cliffs with grass terraces used to grow lemons and rocky slopes that fell to the ocean below. We spent the day walking through the winding streets, exploring a gorgeous 13th century church with an open courtyard and incredible ceiling Frescos and eating some of the freshest and most delicious sea bass I have had before getting on a small ferry (basically a boat for 30 people) back to Salerno.
Speeding over the waves, looking at Amalfi with the sun setting and reflecting on the ocean and mountains bringing forth colors of purple, orange and gold is not a memory I will soon forget.
The next day we took the bus to Rome and spent the day in Rome. I had always been fascinated by Roman history – gods, fights, myths- how could I not! But I never thought on this trip I would be visiting Rome or the colosseum- so it was unexpected and I for sure know I will return to the city. We took the train to the colosseum, spent a fun one hour in line for the colosseum and yes it was worth it. The arches were highlighted by sun and the trap door floor was on full display.
Later on we had dinner at a pizzeria overlooking the cafe where a half litre of wine was 4$ and a pizza was 7$ (and still delicious!) I also had an absolute amazing tiramisu that I will have to find something equal of in Canada.
After dinner we walked through the city – passing by ruins, fountains and street artists- before we arrived at the Trevi fountain. The Trevi fountain, although surrounded by tourists, was incredible. The detail and complexity of the design paired with the play of light and shadows and the history created a very ethereal atmosphere.
After the fountain we walked to the pantheon which was larger than life- I hadn’t expected the stone supporting columns and doors to be for for a giant rather than a person.
After this we waited for a city bus that never came but locally Rome has a pretty good transport system and we were able to just barely catch our night bus headed back to Milan.
Spontaneous ? Yes.
10/10 would do it again? Yes
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