My Future Home ;)

Sicily: Catania 

After three days we had to say goodbye to Napoli! 

It was an overnight trip so this is how we slept. Luckily there weren't too many people.

Lucia!!

The architecture in Catania really impressed me.

There is no lack of statues, churches or water fountains in Italy.

The elephant is the official mascot of the town. There are elephants all over the city. This is because hundreds of years ago a skeleton of a elephant was found in Catania.

The building behind the elephant statue is City Hall. 

We took a mini train tour around the city. We ran into our Chinese friends we from Capri! :)

The Patron Saint is everywhere!

Bella

Statue of Vincenzo Bellini

Baroque Architecture  

Gorgeous park.

Through the whole tour Laura thought the old man in front was the mayor of Catania. She was so happy. Lucy  and I kept laughing so hard and I ended up breaking the bad news.

I am hoping that one day this will be my university. It's basically like the Letters and Science college in UC Davis. But of course, I would be studying Italian Literature!! <3

We went to City Hall and surprise, surprise, Laura got her own personal tour guide.

A celebration for the Patron Saint

This carriage is older than my grandma's grandma!

This painting caught my eye. This is St. Agatha, the patron saint of Catania.

Italian Pride. La tricolore.

 Inside City Hall

 Mini Lion

Yet another beautiful church. They are just as beautiful on the inside if not more beautiful. :)

 Me and my partner in crime. 

 The Underground Roman Amphitheater 

So happy. Can you blame me? 

After the tour we took some time to relax at the park and tried some of the famous Granita from the South.

 The weather was not perfect but the atmosphere sure was. Of course me and Lucy were observing the men from Catania :)

We ended up buying some personalized bracelets made on the spot. I know it's not a clear picture but mine says, Maria <3 Elena, in different colors. 

We only had one day in Catania but it was very memorable. We saw the city, made some friends, did some shopping, and ate cheap but delicious food. :) I will definitely be back to Catania. Best believe! 

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!!

5 Things I Heart

1. A: an Italian magazine I like to get here. I love it because it is only a euro and has just as much fashion, italian news, and gossip articles as the next women's magazine.

2. Elegant Drinks: While in Venice I stopped by a bar for a warm drink since it was a bit nippy outside. This elegant hot chocolate warmed me right up  .

3. Trains: trains are a fast and inexpensive way to get from city to city.  Plus, look at the pretty graffiti on it. 

4. Mask for Carnevale: Green is not a color I usually go for but as soon as I saw this lovely mask I decided I simply could not do without it. This mask was perfect for Carnevale. Wearing it made me lower my inhibitions. No one knew who I was, I could do whatever I pleased. And you bet that I did just that. 

5. Long Italian Names For Small Towns: Italy has the strangest names sometimes. Well, they are strange to foreigners. For example, on the way to Venice we stopped at a small town called Pontelagoscuro which translates to, dark lake bridge. Hehe, oooohhh Italy.   

Mia♡