Submitted by Fiona Letko on the 2024 Winter HLTH program in Rome, Italy…
After arriving in Naples last week, I have had the privilege of exploring so many new places and things. This week I traveled beneath the ground of Naples to the aqueduct systems in which the city used to supply water to the city in the 16th century. This experience was so interesting, as we walked through the crevices of these underground passageways and were led into an open room of water. I have never experienced anything like this before. Another amazing spot we visited was Castel Sant’Elmo located on the top of Vomero Hill. Here we were able to walk up to the top and see an amazing overview of Naples.
One thing I enjoyed so much about this first week was traveling to Sorrento and making our own gnocchi. As we lined up around the table, each with our own set up, we were taught how to make gnocchi the true authentic Italian way. I enjoyed this because our teacher spoke Italian, and someone translated for us. After shaping our gnocchi, we were directed up to a room to try different cheeses, bread, and tomatoes. We enjoyed our homemade gnocchi as a group, which was such a great bonding experience.
The last experience we had in Naples was touring the city of Pompeii. After learning about this city growing up, I was so excited to visit it in person and was amazed by what we saw. Pompeii was destroyed in 79AD, when a nearby volcano called Mount Vesuvius erupted and left the city underground. I thought it was so interesting to see that there was so much more left than I thought. So many sculptures and paintings were still visible to the eye. After visiting Pompeii, our group hiked to the top of Mount Vesuvius and were able to see inside the active volcano! After visiting the volcano, we then traveled to a different city affected by the eruption called Herculaneum. After seeing all of these sites and the remnants from this catastrophic eruption, I feel like I have a new love for this history now.
I have been eating some of the best food of my life and can’t wait to try other places in the next cities we visit. This trip has been everything and more than I could have ever imagined, and I am so thrilled that I get to experience it with some of my best friends. (Submitted on January 14, 2024)
