A Bittersweet Farewell

Our last week of Italy had finally caught up to us. One of our final stops was Cinque-Terre, which Dr. Horner described as a sort of vacation from studying. However, I hadn’t exactly thought about what a vacation might mean for others, let alone Dr. Horner. The group quickly dispersed once we all stepped out of the train in Manarola. Similar to Rome and Venice, the girls and guys would have their own apartments. I was the first to pull up the directions and start leading the group up the colorful hill of cafes and grocery stores. After about fifteen minutes, we started questioning whether we were going the right direction. We heard someone calling our names and looked up to see the girls at the top of their apartment looking down at the view. We were running out of street to follow, so we decided to backtrack and try to go the opposite direction of the map. After wandering in the humidity for a while, we found a small alleyway that seemed to match the description and finally noticed the small door to our room. As soon as we stepped into the apartment, we were hit with air so thick we could hardly breathe. We rushed to open the windows, knowing the hot sun wouldn’t be too much help. The air conditioning gave a little rumble before blowing the slightest gust of cool air out of the vent. My first thought was that a fresh glass of water could distract us from the heat, so I walked to the small kitchen bar. The situation we were in finally dawned on me as only three drops of water plunked out of the sink. The water system had been shut off from the previous tenants. We were hot, thirsty, and tired. But we didn’t stay worried for long; we walked down to the water and were met with a stunning view of the Mediterranean Sea. The clear, turquoise water revealed small sardines weaving through the crowds of swimmers as it gently crashed against the rocky cliffside. A giant rock jutted out of the water, providing a perfect jumping point for the braver tourists. A few hesitated at the rock’s peak but leapt into the water below after encouragement from onlookers. Most of the crowd was barefoot and in their bathing suits, with shirts only buttoned up to hold their sunglasses.

Dr. Horner spotted us and called us over for dinner with a perfect view of the water. After Venice, I was ready to try some more seafood, so I ordered a lobster pasta. It didn’t disappoint as the lobster was cooked to perfection and slipped right out of its shell and into the buttery noodles. A few of us decided to walk down to the water after our meal. The sun had begun its crawl behind the mountains, coloring the sky a bright orange. The gentle ripples of the water were almost hypnotic. I overheard a few people behind me considering jumping in. Suddenly, two girls darted past me and into the water. It didn’t take too much convincing for me to join them. After a long train ride and a stuffy apartment room, nothing felt better than the cool water that instantly flooded my senses. I swam over to a small rock that peaked over the water’s surface and let out a long sigh. Now it was feeling like vacation. Of course, what Italian night would be complete without gelato? A friendly old woman served us white chocolate and strawberry gelato, and we explored the town at night before getting back to our apartments. Luckily, the water and air conditioning had been fixed, so we went to bed early for tomorrow’s plans.

The next morning, we met bright and early for an eleven-mile hike that would take us into two different sections of Cinque-Terre. The humidity in the air made breathing a little more difficult, but clouds protected us from the brutal morning sun. It wasn’t long before we could take advantage of the beautiful scenery that surrounded us. Green overgrowth spilled over the cliffs and clashed with the rocky terrain below. Gardens and vineyards lined the trails, sporting bright fruits that glistened in the light. The trail became a stone road as we approached a small town. A few of us found a small soccer field by an old church and played while the rest of the group caught their breath. Finally, we reached our first official stop: Corniglia. It was around noon, so we were all starting to get hungry. Dr. Horner led us to a pizzeria in an alleyway he stated was “one of his favorite places in all of Italy”. It was hard to disagree as we followed him down the winding roads and the stone stairways that led us closer to the water. The beautiful view of the sea accompanied by fresh pizza made for a perfect resting place.

We were reluctant to continue our hike, as we were only halfway finished, and the weather was only getting worse. However, we were enticed by the promise of an amazing cliff jumping opportunity located at the end of the hike. So, with the afternoon sun now beating down on us, we pushed forward. We had hit the steepest point of the trail, and the uneven terrain made it difficult to keep a steady pace. Luckily, ice cold water bottles and encouragement were able to power us through to our next stop, a gelato shop called “Alberto Gelateria”, most famous for their granitas, which are like Italian slushees. The orange slushees were tart, yet incredibly refreshing because of the fresh juice used. This point marked the beginning of our downhill climb. We were careful not to trip over, but we were ready to jump into the water and cool down. After gingerly running down the mountains, we arrived at our final destination: Vernazza. Similar to Manarola and Corniglia, Vernazza was brightly colored and full of tourists headed towards the water. Dr. Horner then announced that we had almost arrived at the cliff jump.

Our first sight of the shore was a simple cove full of people laughing and having a good time. But once we turned the corner, we discovered a jagged rock formation that pierced the water’s surface as waves slammed into its sides. We were all pretty hesitant to jump in, but we were so exhausted that nothing sounded better than to have the water relax our aching muscles. Well, the water had the complete opposite effect. Even as an experienced swimmer, the current was incredibly strong, pushing me into the rocks and barnacles. I knew immediately that trying to climb the cliff was a bad idea, so I settled with just treading water. What shocked me was that while we were fighting the waves, a group of Italian boys swam by like nothing was wrong. At one point, they overheard me ask a fellow student to “tell me why”, which escalated into a pretty decent group cover of The Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way”. What fascinated me was that as I swam away from them, they switched back to Italian and continued singing. These were kids who could speak fluent Italian and English. It made me realize how unaware Americans are of different cultures. Italians could speak English to interact with tourists, but few Americans would take the time to learn a new language, expecting others to translate for them. I then started to consider how amazing it is how people from all over the world with completely different cultural backgrounds can travel to the same city for its natural beauty. Our backgrounds may seem drastically different, but we are not so different from each other.

When we finally flopped back onto dry land, we were famished and ready for dinner. Dr. Horner had reservations for a restaurant located in an ancient watchtower by the water. I had squid ink pasta with savory shrimp that we scarfed down after our long day. Dessert was a house special of fried strawberries and ice cream. Now this dessert may sound simple, but the fresh strawberries were hot and juicy, blending well with the thick vanilla ice cream. We trudged to the train station and rode the train back to our apartments for the night. The next day we would pack our bags and return to the villa before our long flight back to the states.

It's crazy to think how such a long trip felt like it had finished in the blink of an eye. I’ve learned so much in the six short weeks that I’ve been here. Each city stood out to me for its own unique reason: Florence for its intellect, Venice for its beauty, and Rome for its power. Cinque-Terre offered me the opportunity to relax and take in the natural beauty that Italy has to offer. The long hikes and rocky beaches reminded me that God is responsible for the amazing inventions and ingenuity of this great country. So much progress of mankind has been established here, yet God was sovereign over their discoveries and inspired them to create. Although I will miss the great marble statues placed throughout Florence and the cuisine ranging from lobster pasta to beef tartare, I am so excited to head back home and tell everyone about my adventures. Thank you so much for following me and my hectic travels across Italy!