Typical day:

1. Arise, no earlier than 9.  Most restaurants/caffé bars don't open until 9.  Ergo, I do not want to be awake before 9.

2. Katie, my roommate, has already left for class, so I use the locking key.  We have two keys to our apartment.  They are exactly the same.  One of them locks and unlocks, and one of them only locks.  Why?  Why not.

3. Cappuccino.  Always cappuccino.  For €2, you can get un cappuccino delizioso at Bagni Sant'anna, right across from my apartment

Mmm... molto bene

Or, for €3, you can walk *literally* 30 feet over to the lovely Bar di Emilia and get a slightly smaller cappuccino + 2 cookies

Cookies for breakfast?  When in Sorrento!

How does one choose!

(answer: one alternates days.  Emilia of Bar di Emilia and Trattoria di Emilia is my landlord, and greets me every morning.  The signora at Bagni di Sant'anna already recognizes me & says "cappuccino?" the moment she sees me.  Ahh, la bella vita.)

4. I climb the equivalent of Vesuvius in steps to get to Sorrento Lingue

I don't know how I survive

At least it's pretty

5. 11:15 - 13:15 Italian 101 with Signore Domenico.  There is only me & a girl named Kathy in the class.  Kathy is Taiwanese and super sweet.  She lives on Corso Italia (the main street in Sorrento) with a home stay family.

6. I meet up with my roommate Katie for lunch. (sidebar: there are two Katies and a Kathy here at Sorrento Lingue.  Confusing?  Luckily, they all look very different.)  Usually a snack bar (think Panera, except better and with waitstaff that don't expect to be tipped) or a pizzeria.  I usually get pizza either way.  Non basta la pizza!*


7. Riposo = nap time!  Between 2 and 5ish, a lot of places close down.  Schools let out so children can go home, eat lunch, and rest before the last of their classes.  Although a lot of places in Sorrento stay open due to the tourist crowds, I like to partake in this old Italian tradition.  It's a nap built into the day.  What's not to love?  Sometimes I fall asleep, sometimes I just spend some quiet time reading, praying, or writing a blog post.  I'm pretty sure it's even illegal to make too much noise during that time.  I know it's illegal to make a lot of noise between 10 PM and 7 AM, which is convenient for sleeping!


8. After we arise, refreshed from out riposo, we are ready to go out and hit the town.  We usually walk up to the Corso a couple times a day.  Yesterday we went out in search of a bookstore (Libreria Tasso!  Score!).  The day before it was a supermarket and gelataria.  Today after riposo, we're off to search for the docks where one can take a ferry to Capri, Napoli, and at different spots along the Amalfi coast.  


9. To try and save our precious euros, we usually eat dinner at home.  Our grocery haul consisted of:

• Tomatoes
• rolls
• Mozzarella
• Pasta
• Olive oil
• Parmigiano
• Rosemary crackers + a spread
• Apples

So far I've had leftover pizza and mozzarella sandwiches for dinner.  The first night I arrived, we ate at the Trattoria di Emilia, and I had THE BEST GNOCCHI EVER and it was amazing. Literally everything I've had to eat so far here has all been molto bene.  

Also, maybe it's my imagination, but everything here seems so much more filling.  Possibly because everything is so fresh?  I couldn't even finish the plate of gnocchi - and normally I'm a big eater.  On a typical day at home, I eat 3 meals, one snack, a few cups of coffee, and maybe dessert.  Here, I have a cappuccino for breakfast, half a sandwich or a couple slices of pizza for lunch, and then some mozzarella on a roll and tea for dinner.  It's fascinating!

Anyhoo, riposo is nearly over, so I'm off to get changed and get ready to hike up to the Corso.  I've got a mighty hankering for some gelato today!

Ciao!

*Never enough pizza!  Words not only to live by, but to carve into your headstone.

Ciao, io sono Teresa. E tu?

Ciao amici!

I've been in Sorrento for two full days now, and it's been wonderful.  The first night, I suffered from severe culture shock - that is to say, I was homesick.  However, the next day it was completely gone!  I miss my family and friends, and coffee to go, but in just two days I've already warmed up to living in Sorrento.

Since it's already eleven here, I'll save my thoughts on the town and Italy in general for another day.  For now, I leave you with pictures**!:

1. View from my apartment

2. Dinner & a sunset

3. Espresso - mmmm

4. Rainy Sorrento

5. Daily trudge to school (so.many.steps)

6. Glorious sunset

7. The Marina Grande

8. Pizza margherita, Neapolitan style. It's pretty much a daily thing

9. Ridiculous tirimisu is ridiculous

10. Vesuvius

11. The first of many gelati 

**All of the above pictures were taken on my cellphone.  I'm giving myself at least a week to chill out and learn to live like an Italian before I whip out my big camera and expose myself as a tourist.  So, better pictures to come in the future!

Ciao!