kylecrowe
Cilento
Last weekend our program had our lone, weekend long field trip. Me, the other 31 kids from our program and our teachers traveled south to Cilento, an Italian national park. The purpose of our field trip was to study food for our food and culture course. I was really excited for the trip because it was the first time since we went to Florence in January that I was able to travel with all the friends I’ve made in the past 3 months.
We left early Friday morning and headed towards Naples, I slept almost the whole four hour bus ride, as the night before had been a late one. We stopped for lunch once we got close to Cilento. Known for it’s seafood we had an assortment of tasty fried treats. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, it was a nice break from the pasta and pizza I have been eating every day in Rome.
We then boarded back on our coach bus and went to a fruit farm. At this farm we got to see how kiwi, peaches and nectarines are grown. It was the first time I’ve seen something like this. The snack of kiwi at the end of the tour was the highlight for me.
Next we stopped at a marina, right as the fishermen had finished their days work. We saw everything they caught that day. Fish stacked upon fish, they must have had a very lucky day. After examining the different creatures of the sea, we finally had some free time. We spent our half hour sitting on rocks near the sea.
As the sun set we headed to dinner, surprisingly located in a very fancy hotel we began our second great meal of the day. With all of us exhausted, a relaxing, pasta and wine meal hit the spot. Even though all of us were very tired we were informed by our instructor that we were not allowed to go out tonight, for we had another long day tomorrow. We finished our meal and headed towards our hotel. Surprised again, our home for the next two days was very nice.
Saturday we got up early and headed to a museum to learn about the Mediterranean diet. At the museum we got to touch lots of sea creatures and learn about the diet that made the area famous. Eager for a break, we walked to the nearby beach and skipped rocks in the water for a half hour, having not thrown a base ball in 9 months, I was very sore.
We headed towards our next stop, a ruins site that was very similar to Pompeii. Exhausted from the past few days and bored of being lectured, I took more notice to the many lizards in the area, trying, yet failing, to catch one.
Our last stop of the day was a pizza restaurant. Here we got to see the kitchen of the restaurant and how they made their pizza. We ate for dinner as well. I knew it would be my favorite meal of the weekend when the chef announced that you drink beer with pizza, not wine. My friends and I very much enjoyed the different types of pizza and the company of each other.
Unlike the first night, our program encouraged us to go out this evening. Starting with karaoke on the bus ride home, the night was very amusing. A group of 30 Americans looking for a good time seemed to shock the small town of Eboli. Like always, we didn’t care what others thought of us and had a great night.
On Sunday we went to an herb farm, learning about different kinds of healing and tasting herbs. It was a pretty garden, but the material itself was dull. I was ready to go back to Rome. We left soon enough, but not before a soaked picnic under the highway.
For a field trip, the weekend was fun. Some of the material was boring, but the constant company of my friends and consistently good meals made it worthwhile.
