I am in paradise. A cold, but sunny and picturesque paradise. Castellammare di Stabia (meaning "castle by the sea" in Stabia) is quaint town 45 minutes outside of Naples, the city where pizza originated (my kind of place). I'm studying and taking classes on tourism management, international tourism policies and tourism marketing while here. Already, it's a nightmare trying to concentrate in class with this view in our window.

   Don't be fooled by the palm trees and constant sunshine. Castellammare di Stabia is much colder than it looks at high 50's to low 60's. Italians are still donning their winter coats, boots and jeans (all dark). Italians aren't one for colorful fashion, and most of their clothes are a stylish black. 

    Being here almost a week, I've made some primary observations on Italian life, and I will post my final observations at the end of the trip as well.

1) The stereotype of Italians always speaking with their hands is true. Whether the debate is passive or lively (it's sometimes hard to tell), Italians will use hand gestures to embellish what they're saying. I think that's why I see elderly Italian men with their hands locked behind their backs when they stroll, so as to stop their wild hands.

2) The young people know more English than I thought. Maybe the Italian gelateria woman doesn't know what I'm saying, but conversing with the people my age is not too difficult. We've met some Italians our age who say they all learn it in school now. Their knowledge of the English language is far from extensive, but it's enough to get by. However, I am learning Italian here and hope to be able to speak to them in their beautiful language soon, which they are very proud of. 

3). In the evening, around five or six pm, many people with go to the center of the town and stroll along the boardwalk. It's called La Passeggiata and is done all over Italy. La Passeggiata is a way of being seen and seeing the people of the town.

4) Siesta's are the best. A siesta is the time between 1pm and 5pm when most shops close down. The period of time is meant for naps and relaxing before opening back up again. In our case, they are a time for naps. A culture that socially accepts and designates a time of day for naps is my kind of culture. Since dinner is around 8 or 9 at night, most people don't go to bed until 12 or 1 am, on a good night. We have to, however, wake up early for class, so taking a short nap during the day is what's going to keep me sane. 

5) People in Castellammare get excited about Americans. Since it is a smaller town that doesn't attract too many tourists, the Italians here are happy to say Caio and talk to you. When I say excited, I mean run-out-of-their-store-to-introduce-themselves kind of excited. Everyone is welcoming. 

6) Italian food is everything you've ever heard and more. Our meal plan includes fresh, local ingredients prepared daily in the form of two 3-course meals. The only reason why I'm not going to gain 20 pounds on this trip is because of the steep hill from my school down to the center of town that I walk everyday. The first course is usually a pasta (my favorite so far is a pasta and fresh pesto dish). The second is a meat with veggie meal, and the third is dessert. Decadent cakes and pastries aren't eaten much for dessert in Italy, so fruit is usually eaten. And of course, pizza. I ate a pizza vesuvio (pizza filled with local, mozzarella cheese made from buffalo milk, and ham) and I thought I'd gone into gooey, carby, cheese, indulgent heaven. The classic Margherita pizza, named after Queen Margherita, with mozarella, basil, tomato sauce and the dough, is a staple here. Most of the wine sold is local, and you can buy a bottle of wine for as cheap as a euro.