Back to Rome: Weekend Trip to Sorrento Day 1

I woke up our first Thursday in Rome as a class even happier than usual, because we were leaving for a weekend getaway in Sorrento. After a meeting and a short film about Pompeii, we grabbed lunch, packed and filled the bus with much eagerness for the unknown adventures that lay ahead.

For this trip, we used a tour company called Bus2Alps. This company runs excursions all around Europe, catered to study abroad and college students. We were lucky because Professor Hillebrand hooked us up with our own bus for the whole weekend and we were coincidentally as fortunate enough to get a fun, relatable guide named Shields. Most of these tour guides are just out of college and looking for adventure, starting their work with Bus2Alps as an intern and then progressing to guides. Shields was just like one of us, and right away, I knew he would give us an unforgettable weekend.

The ride to Sorrento was not too bad, and as we got closer and passed Mt. Vesuvius, the eagerness piled on. We arrived at the Sisters Hostel and then drove to dinner. We ate at a restaurant called Da Peppino. And by ate, I mean feasted. It seemed like a never ending line of new plates and options. We started off with a whole half chicken for each of us, which was probably the best chicken I have ever consumed with its crispy, salty skin and moist meat. Then, we were greeted with plates of bruschetta, French fries, tomatoes and fried and grilled calamari. We ate like royalty.

After dinner, we walked to the square across from Da Peppino and watched some of the Euro Cup game that was playing outside at a café. Being in Europe during the Euros was fun because we could always count on finding lively gatherings of excited people watching the game. Many of my classmates were intrigued by the kids playing soccer in the street, which we don’t find as much in America.

On the way home, we stopped by the port we would be leaving from the following
morning and gazed at the beauty of the lights reflecting on the water. We also found a rooftop deck at our hostel, where we were also able to enjoy the views and get an even better sight of the stars. It had only been a few hours in Sorrento, and I did not want to leave.