I Don't Know Where I Am Going. I Am Just Going.

Napoli: Part One

Hey Darlings! As you know I went to Napoli (Naples) last week. It was such an amazing trip!! There was so much to do and see. We arrived to Naples on a Sunday and decided to explore the city. We roamed around and took pictures of whatever called our attention. I liked the city but I wouldn't live there because it is the most dangerous city in Italy. We actually walked past a group of men fighting in the street at night! I'm a night owl do if it is unsafe for me to go out at night I rather not live there. Still the architecture, the people and the food might make me think twice!! 

Here are just a few pictures from my trip. Honestly it was so hard choosing which ones to share because I took so damn many!! I wish I could show you everything but then you would sit here for hours and I doubt you wanna do that. Anyway, here are some of my fave, enjoy!! 

Here is a view from the train. I never like to sleep on a train because I am afraid I will miss out on all this gorgeous scenery. 

Here we are having just arrived to Napoli! This is at the Central Train Station of Naples. :)

Can you believe this is the view from our balcony in our hostel?? We can even see the Mt. Vesuvius from here!! 

We could see everything! 

This is again our view, but looking towards the actual city. 

We found this really cool looking castle. It's actually a museum and it's not even that old compared to the rest of Italy but it was pretty cool. 

Being there made me feel like a princess so I just gazed upon its beauty. 

But then my manly side kicked in and I tried imitating these cool soldiers. 

This was an awesome store filled with heart shaped pastas, freshly made marmalade, traditional limoncello, and of course my fav spices. I ended up buying some Napoli bruschetta mix. :) 

 

This is Napoli's main shopping area. Unfortunately, we arrived on a Sunday so everything was closed. 

Or should I say almost everything? This is the place to be if you want a knock-off. Come any day of the week rain or shine and these guys will be there. Other popular items you can buy from vendors: sunglasses, earrings, iphone cases and belts.

Me chillin on a regular Italian street. whatevs. 

This is a beautiful church of Naples. I forgot the actual name of it. I'll look it up for you guys no worries ;). Anyway, that day they were having an event. It also happened to rain later in the day so we didn't stick around to figure out what it was. 

This was in the same court yard as the church. She caught my attention so I had to take a picture. Isn't it lovely?

Finally, this is me climbing a lamp post. I saw it and just felt like climbing it. Let's just say I caused quite a stir. I guess Italians don't climb things. lol.

Anyway, that was only half of my first day!! There are still plenty of pictures to come. Hope you enjoyed what I shared. Miss you all!!

Goodies :)

Everything was much cheaper in the South. They also had stores that we simply do not have in Florence. Sooo... the gals and I decided to hit up a few of the shops. These are my non-souvenir items from my trip. 

(Two of the pics would not cooperate so sorry that they are sideways!)

I got this shirt in Naples in a small boutique. The color is perfect with my skin town. This is the back of the shirt btw. It's not see-thru in the front!

 

These three pink items I got at a store called Tally Weijl in Catania. It's a big chain store in Europe and parts of Asia. I totally fell in love with their style. :)   

I got these lovely bookmarks and this fab pen at a book store in Catania. The pen was pricey made with Swarovski Crystal but I love pens so much I didn't mind. The two quotes say:
" Books are divided into two categories: books for now and books for always" - Ruskin
"A room without books is like a body without a soul" - Cicerone

These shoes were my favorite and most expensive purchase on my trip. They are leather Italian shoes from Catania. Aren't they gorgeous? I just had to spoil myself this one time. But let me tell you, Italian shoes are expensive!!

I bought these dresses at the market in Palermo. They are beautiful dresses made in India. They are so colorful and go so well with my skin tone. I absolutely adore these dresses.

My last purchase was at an Italian store called Zuiki. we don't have Zuiki in Florence. They actually had some nice stuff at decent prices. I wish I could go back for a few more items.

So there you have it. Those were my goodies from my trip. Hope you like them. You will be seeing me wear these when I get back home. :) Ciao for now!

5 Things I Loved About SI

5 Things I loved about my trip to the South of Italy:

No worries soon there will be a post with all my lovely pictures from my trip. But for now I thought I'd share some of my favorite parts.

1. The food of the South: was amazing!! South Italian cuisine> North Italian cusine. 'Nough said.

2. Climbing Mt. Vesuvius: I went to the top of a volcano y'all!! NEVER imagined I would do that.

3. The Bluest water I have ever seen: was in Capri. It was like dyed blue but nope all natural. I even got to go to the Blue Grotto which I recommend if you are ever in the island of Capri. (fyi: i didnt even edit the picture!)

4. The sand of Cefalu: On my last day in Sicily I was all by myself. What did I do? I went to the beach of course! It was a sandy sandy beach. Perfect for taking a nap under the sun.

5. The men of Catania: I havent been shy about saying the Fiorentine boys arent doing it for me. Well, it was very different in Catania. :) Unfortunately I did not take any pics of the men.

An Unexpected Day in Empoli

My roommate Lucy planned a trip for us to go to Leonardo Da Vinci's hometown. In order to get there we had to take a 30 minute train ride to Empoli then take a bus to the Da Vinci's town. Well turns out the bus does not run on Sundays so we quickly had to switch plans. This little town had more to offer than we initially thought. I will return one day to Empoli. :)

These are my roommates Laura and Lucy on the train to Empoli. 

 Laura standing in front of the Empoli Train Station.

 This red is a rare find on a building here in Italy. I fell in love with it as soon as I spotted it.

 These vending machine markets are open 24 hours. There you can buy anything from milk, pasta, chips to condoms and toothpaste.

 I don't know about you, but this is how we dry our clothes in Italy.

Empoli had an event that day Citta dei Bambini  where they had activities for the kids to do. The kids were building things with wood, playing games and making art work. I love seeing family oriented events around Italy. :) 

We had to stop by the free Museo Civico di Paleontologia.

No day trip is complete without gelato. :) I strayed from my usual Mint, Stracciatella, Baci combo for Lemon, Strawberry and Yogurt.

I LEAVE FOR NAPLES TODAY!!!

I will be M.IA. from the 8th to the 17th because I will be in the South of Italy. I will be traveling with two of my roommates, Lucy and Laura. First stop is Naples. I have so much planned for the area around Naples. Then I will be headed for Sicily!!! This is a much needed getaway from Florence.  Get ready for some beautiful pictures! Love you all,

Mia♡ 

5 Things I Heart About Italy

1. Fiesole: is a part of Florence but away from the city center. There are less tourists and more scenic views in Fiesole. My friend Vicky took me up for a light lunch and some gorgeous sights.

2. Bakeries open at 4am: After a night out what is better than freshly baked pastries from a Pasticceria? NOTHING!!  Especially when chocolate is involved.

3. Days at the Park: With Spring in the air and sunny days one of my favorite things to do is go to the park with a nice book and just read. This park I go to has a fountain, lively Florence residents and ducks walking around.

4. Parla Con Me Remix: Julia Lenti released the remix to her hit Parla Con Me this week featuring two talented MCs Ghemon and Mecna. I cannot stop hitting the replay button! If rap is not your thing then I would suggest listening to the original song.
       

5. Chianti Wine: Tuscany is well known for it's wine country and this wine is just one of the finest it has to offer. The best part is the price. You can buy a bottle of this wine for about 3-4 euro which is a reasonable price here. No karaoke night is complete without wine. :)

Fiorentina vs Juventus

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to score some tickets to the biggest soccer game of the season in Florence. The stadium was packed with Forza Viola fans  with a small section of Juventus fans. The pressure was on for Fiorentina to win this game.

There was smoke and firecrackers at the very beginning of the game. The fans were singing and chanting for their favorite players. One thing I have learned about soccer fans here in Italy is that they are passionate and very serious about soccer. 

  My roommate Laura and I wearing our Vorza Fiola scarfs. Fiorentina's color is Viola (purple) so we had to represent!

There wasn't an empty seat at the stadium!

The Juventus rooting section was small but fierce.

Unfortunately Fiorentina was not able to score.

This made for some angry Fiorentina fans. Of course as the other team began to score the fans began to fight. Extra security and police officers had to be called. I saw so many obscene gestures that night! 

  

Sadly, the game ended with defeat. Fiorentina 0, Juventus 5