Pizza, Pompei, and Playing in the Sea

This weekend, Language and Culture students went on a trip to Pompei and then to the sea for a relaxing beach day. Our group was lucky to have incredible weather, great tour guides, and amazing food.

We departed from Rome on Saturday morning, getting to Pompei just in time to enjoy a classic Pizza Napoletana right across the street from the archelogical site. The pizza was the best we've ever had, and it filled everyone up to have the energy needed to traverse the ancient town. In the ruins, we saw the Anfiteatro, different Villas of the successful and famous of the era, and local restaurants. Our tour guide even showed us some display cases of well-preserved food, such as bread, fruits, and nuts. Can you imagine? Vesuivius erupted in 79 AD, these food products have lasted nearly 2 millenia! The way the ash and pyroclastic material kept everything so well preserved is unbelievable.

After a lot of history, we had to have a day at the beach. We were treated with blue skies and a nice breeze. The Mediterranean was a crisp, not too cold but not too hot, temperature, and gave us lots of big and fun waves to jump around in. Too bad it was too windy to play "Schiaccia Sette," an Italian favorite at the sea. After relaxing in the salt air, we made our way back to Rome, and students went back to their homestays to enjoy company and dinner with their families. 

Overall it was a great weekend spent learning, laughing, and relaxing by the sea. Now onto our last week together...