Sunset in Sorrento

I went on a trip run by the American University of Rome to Southern Italy this weekend. We went to Naples, Sorrento, Capri, and Pompeii. They coordinated our accommodations which also included breakfast and dinner at the hotel we stayed along with an open itinerary of where we were going to be when. Visiting four cities in one weekend is not an easy feat and the whole weekend was jam packed. First, we met at a café near campus at 6:45am and departed on two busses en route to Naples. Right before we left, my roommate and I grabbed blueberry muffins, something we have been doing pretty often at this particular café and as usual, they did not disappoint. We even convinced another one of our roommates to get one and she agreed that it was the best blueberry muffin she had ever had. There were roughly 40 AUR students on the trip with 2 faculty chaperones.

After arriving in Naples we took a brief tour of a small portion of the city and had 2 hours to wander around on our own. Of course we had to get pizza while we were there!

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Then we boarded the busses and headed to our hotel in Sorrento. We were all exhausted from the long day but wanted to enjoy this coastal town so four of us headed to the beach. By the time we tracked down the free beach, the sun was about to set and the beach was covered by the shadow of a massive cliff so it was actually pretty cold. But we ended up getting in the water anyway. Initially, only one of my friends and I got in, but by the end of the evening, we were all enjoying ourselves in the water.

The following day we went to Capri, one of my roommates found a boat tour on Airbnb for only $55 per person (6 of us total) that would take us around the island and allow us to get out and swim. The boat was on the smaller side and the water was a little rougher than I expected. This led to all of us feeling at least somewhat motion sick by the end of the 3 hours we spent at sea. One of my friends unfortunately threw up multiple times in the first hour and ended up resting on the boat for most of it, but she said afterwards that she actually really enjoyed herself and got one of the best naps of her life.

While it was cloudy for nearly the entire day, Capri was gorgeous. We got out and swam in the Green Grotto which was an incredible experience I will never forget. One of my roommates and I also got out and swam in another spot for about 20 minutes while everyone else stayed on the boat, but once we got back on the boat and were about to leave, another boat of American study abroad students came in and started to jump off a cliff nearby. A few of us got back in the water to jump off the cliff too. We later found out that they were studying abroad in Milan and were in Capri for the weekend. When we went to jump off the cliff, the people we had just met were asking for our names so they could encourage us when we went to jump. This was such an exhilarating experience.

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A Message from the Office of Global Engagement:

The safety and security of Drexel students is a priority for the University. As part of the efforts to support Drexel students that are studying abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Global Engagement has conducted a rigorous review of programming and provided additional support to participating students with customized pre-departure orientations and regular check-ins during the required self-isolation period and the term.