The departure from Casa La Salle was almost too smooth and simple. When my roommates and I packed up and headed down the stairs for our final breakfast, it didn’t feel as though we were leaving for good. It wasn’t until I had planted myself at the back of the charter bus headed towards Naples and looked over my shoulder to see the building disappearing that I realized that this would probably be the last time I would ever lay eyes on this place again.
Compared to other days, this one has a relaxed road trip feel to it. As I write this on the bus, I see scattered heads, all dozed off as we travel the Italian countryside.
This morning, we visited Hadrian’s Villa.
Hadrian had style. As we walked around the villa, I found myself wandering around lush greenery, pools surrounded by statues and rosemary, and large arches.
Sarah tried to convince us of Hadrian’s modesty, comparing his tasteful villa with Nero’s lavish golden house. Walking around the enormous site, I wasn’t convinced. I guess when you’re the head of the Roman Empire, modesty has a looser definition.
After marveling at Hadrian’s modesty, we got back on the bus and headed for lunch at an “Autogriglia” [like an Italian version of a truck stop restaurant] and what we found was halfway between an IKEA cafeteria and Whole Foods (to quote Ruta). I was amazed at how nice this place was.
After heading back onto the road, we stopped about 5 min away from the villa to walk into Sibyl’s cave, where Sibyl gave Aeneas his destiny. He would one day have ancestors that would go on to found Rome.
After Sibyl’s cave, we arrived at the Villa Vergiliana. It is absolutely beautiful. Overlooking the Bay of Naples and the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater, the villa is provides an amazing contrast to the chaos of Rome. After an hour of settling in, ping pong battles, and laundry mishaps, we all congregated downstairs for a wonderful multi-course home cooked dinner featuring delicious tomatoes from the Naples region.
I think that I speak for the whole group when I say that hopefully one day I’ll return to Rome. Having already visited the city as a child, I can say with confidence that Rome is one of my favorite places in the world. For now however, the group transitions from the bustling chaos of Rome to the quiet villa of Naples for a new and exciting week.
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