now I want to move to Italy.

Italy won me over with bread, olive oil, seafood, pasta, and sunsets on our family vacation to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast.

Mount Vesuvius behind the ruins of the main square in Pompeii.

In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted, covering Pompeii and the surrounding area south of the base of the mountain/volcano for miles with a multi-story layer of ash, killing everyone in the vicinity.

reliefs on the ceiling of a bathhouse.

all roads lead to Rome.

the foyer of a wealthy Roman family’s home, featuring the trademark entrance corridor leading to the rainwater-collecting fountain.

Romans had a thing for indoor (but open-roofed) gardens. I’m kind of a fan of this limitation of interaction with potentially unpleasant neighbors. Does it still count as “getting out” if you sit alone in the middle of a miniature garden you planted for yourself inside your home?

sunset and mountains and dramatic ancient pillars- what more could you ask for?

from now on, I’m going to refuse to go anywhere on vacation unless I am promised golden hour lighting and a beautiful sunset.

if breakfast on campus looked like this, maybe I’d wake up in time for breakfast.

the foyer of our hotel. I cannot recommend La Favorita in Sorrento, Italy, enough.

road tripping the Amalfi Coast.

I like this little independent bit of rock. It’s cute, and it doesn’t need the support of the massive cliffs behind it to withstand the sea.

on this vacation, we found out that Italians don’t really believe in right-of-way, only in the fastest possible route between point A and point B, and that if you do not immediately seize any opportunity to advance, you forfeit any claim to the road that you may have had, and it is your fault.