My SYA Italy Adventure

9 giorni. Solo nove giorni per scoprire la vita Siciliana. On little sleep and with heavy suitcases, we boarded our bus to start our next adventure as a class- one we will remember forever- the annual Sicily trip. After several hours on the bus and an AutoGrill stop or two, our first destination was on the mainland at  Ercolano.  Herculaneum is the lesser-known archeological site with artifacts from the incredibly destructive 79 AD Vesuvius eruption that buried Pompeii. It was a coastal city and took less damage than it's counterpart, and we got to see some amazing Roman paintings, mosaics, houses, and streets. Our friends in Latin classes and the Archaeology class gave very informative presentations on the site and letters we have that detail the eruption. Apparently the gas was the most deadly part- you can still see wood in the structures there even after all this time because it carbonized instantaneously. The afternoon was spent in Naples where we got some p...

Your browser does not support this audio If you didn't know, Valentine's Day originates not too far from Viterbo. It's quite the tradition around here, but mostly for 2 reasons: 1) couples and 2) CHOCOLATE (of course, I prefer the latter...) Yesterday, love was in the air as we munched on sweets and admired the hand-holding pairs that crowded the streets of our medieval city. There was plenty of cake to go around, and I tried the most heavenly kind of pizza there is-  pizza dolce.  It was quite adorable, and even though my personal Valentine ( take a guess ) and I had a nice pizza and Violetta date at home, it was certainly a great atmosphere. I missed my mom's annual heart-shaped pancakes- but I guess I chose this year to put old traditions on hold. Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!

That's right- we went in to the smallest country in the World. Il Vaticano !! Our wonderful Art History teacher led us through hours on our feet of incredible history inside the Musei Vaticani . As she described it, "a life-size encyclopedia". I had been there before, but it was such a spectacular experience to go with my teacher and my friends during the off-season of tourism on such a beautiful 60 degree and sunny day. I had seen last time only some of the highlights, and with a basic understanding. When I went back in with my teacher, I saw more than just the stunning Sistine Chapel a second time. I saw all sorts of pieces with unique history ranging from Etruscan times to the Hellenistic Age and even the Renaissance! My favorite might have been the Indonesian artifacts museum...but who knows! There is so much to choose from! It was a long day on our feet, but we always have fun in Rome. After learning about Leonardo da Vinci's ADD to the new Pope's bold st...

....and when Nonna cooks, we eat. A lot.

I'm a proud shore-loving, sloppy-joe eating, and (most importantly) J-E-T-S supporting Jersey Girl. Of course, the one year I miss out on my favorite sports event of the year, it takes place 20 minutes from my hometown. Just a little advice for anyone paying a visit today, read this . As I am currently in a country where this sport seems ridiculous, I've tried to explain to several people several different times why exactly Il Super Bowl  is so important. I think it took stepping out of the culture it is so widely accepted in to fully understand what makes the oh-so-American Super Bowl, well, super! Why is it that I look forward to it every year, and why do I miss it being abroad? After some time to reflect, I think I figured it out. The Super Bowl is the one game anyone can watch and nobody has to be a fan of any team or even understand the game to feel a part of something bigger than themselves. What goes on during the Super Bowl is widely seen and quickly becomes part of ...