Vulcano Solfatara

Vulcano Solfatara is another really cool attraction to visit in Naples. It is a shallow volcano crater. It is a dormant volcano which emits jet streams with sulfur fumes. It formed about 4000 years ago and last erupted in 1198. There are multiple areas where sulfur fumes steam out of the ground. They are really hot and smelly! Like rotten eggs. 

The day we went was actually really hot anyways so adding in the streams of sulfur and boiling mud all around us and being on white sand with the sun also reflecting up from under us it was a little too much to handle. haha. But we did have the whole place to ourselves so the photos look good. I guess you have to make some sacrifices ;) 

The Romans actually settled in this area when coming to Naples because of the volcanic activity and the natural hot springs. That is why the Flavian Amphitheater is so close to the area. 

And there is a campsite on the grounds and a cafe and bookstore. It is a cool little gem in the Naples area. 
love, Carlee

Italian Villa: Bedroom

I finally finished decorating our bedroom here in our Italian villa. This is the first room I have "finished" I think the living room is also finished now so I might show you that soon too. Our bedroom and living are actually the only two rooms that I would say are worth sharing. Maybe the kitchen too once it is done. But the bathrooms I can't do much with because they are tiled and it is not easy to "renter friendly" fix beige tiled walls. So I have hung up some art work in there but I probably won't do much else which is totally okay. I am glad the two rooms we spend the most time in are comfortable and decorated to our style, the living room and our bedroom. So I will stop rambling about other stuff and start talking about the bedroom.

I painted the two walls blue in March when I got back to Italy after being in Washington State to recover from my broken leg. I got back and I was like "there is no time like the present." I wanted to start taking action and doing some of the things that I had been meaning to do and one of those things was paint our bedroom. I new I wanted to do a fresh new-to-us color so I picked a very pretty blue. In North Carolina I painted one of the walls in our bedroom yellow which we loved and it totally brightened it up but I always like to try new things. Like in our next home I will most likely paint our bedroom a totally different color. It is fun to get to change and experiment every few years.

One of the very first things I did before even unpacking our stuff last August was I took every single light switch cover from around the house and spray painted them white. You can see in the before photos that they were this weird glossy yellowish color and I hated it. So painting the light switch covers. That was definitely my first decor change. Other than that, the before photos don't show much difference because it was just a big white room with orange tile floors. I would love painted the paint wood door and door frame but again not realistic and renter friendly to paint wood haha. At least with walls they can just paint over.

Can you tell which side of the bed is mine and which side is Clark's? He always keeps the stuff I give him and his mementos out on this nightstand where as I like to keep mine in a "keep forever box" and just have my night stand more simple. Although on regular days you would definitely find a bowl of popcorn or a plate of cookies on my night stand haha. One thing about Italian houses is there is NO STORAGE! I am talking no closets in the bedrooms or shelves/ drawers under the bathroom sinks. It's crazy so we get to "rent" this big wardrobe closets from the military base for our entire stay here in Italy. Only one fits in our bedroom (well both would fit but then Knox wouldn't get a bed in our room so...) and the other is in the guest room which is just right across from our bedroom. 

The bedding we have had since we were first married and the throw pillows were wedding gifts and they are also featured in North Carolina bedroom as well as some of the frames photos and artwork. 

I really love the way our bedroom turned out. It is simple but vibrate and pretty. It also feels very comfortable which is like my only mandatory wish when it comes to a bedroom haha. 
love, Carlee

Duvet Cover: Target

Shoe racks on closet doors: TJ Maxx/IKEA

"Headboard" rug: Flying Tiger

Sloth Titanic Print:  Amazon

Lamps: TJ Maxx

Throw pillows: Target

Knox's Shark toy: IKEA

Knox bed: 1800PetSupplies

Dressers: IKEA

Quick trip to Amsterdam

I took a quick trip to Amsterdam back in June when my little brother was flying back to the USA. He had a 24 hour layer so I decided to go up with him and we explored the city a little bit. We took the metro from the airport to Amsterdam Central which is right in the middle of town. We then hopped on a canal cruise. We did the cruise with the company Lovers which is also the cruise that Clark and I did last time we visited. It is a good one.

 It was a little cloudy when we were there but likely it never rained when we were walking around. It started to rain as soon as we were on the train back to the airport which is where the hotel was at that we were starting. We ate at a fun little Mexican restaurant, I really miss Mexican food and so whenever we go somewhere where there are Mexican restaurants I always want to eat at them. I actually accidentally left my phone at the restaurant but luckily when I went back the waitress had it.

The views of the pretty houses on the canal never get old. I am sure I will visit Amsterdam again in the future. There is still a lot I haven't seen that I would love to.
love, Carlee

Casertavecchia

Okay so this little town Casertavecchia is so lovely. It's funny because I actually didn't even know it existed which is not like me. It is only have 30 minutes from our house and I try really hard to research cool places to go especially ones that are close to us  so when our landlords who live in Caserta took us up to this medieval town when my family was visiting I was pleasantly surprised to find such a little gem really close to us.

The town was founded by Romans in 861AD and lies at the foot of the Tifatini Mountains. The town lies just about 10 minutes from the city of Caserta and Casertavechhia actually means "Old Caserta" in Italian. Today the town is mainly a tourist destination but there are residents that still live in the stone houses with beautiful flower boxes lining the walls and roads.

Since the town is up on the hillside there are also amazing views of the town of Caserta and Mt. Vesuvius and you can also spot the island of Ischia and Procida off in the distance. The church in the town is also amazing. So old and the architecture always amazes me. This little town is definitely worth the visit if you are in the area and the food is also wonderful here. Well let me be honest, the food is pretty wonderful anywhere in Italy. haha.
love, Carlee

Dress: Target

Shoes: Toms.com

Fontanelle Cemetery

Seeing the underground and catacombs of Naples is pretty popular. I haven't personally been to the catacombs under some of the more popular churches here in Naples. This is the first cemetery area I have been to in Naples and it was really cool.

The story goes that in the 16th century the city was starting to get full and they wanted to look for places outside of the city walls to put the graves but the locals didn't like that idea so they wanted to be buried under their churches. So the churches started to reorganize the current bodies so make more room. And then in 1658 the plague hit Naples hard and bodies by the thousands needed a place to lay. The bombings of WWII also left many bodies unburied. This cemetery came to be known as the unofficial resting place of the poor. Then in the late 1800s people started naming the skulls and bringing offerings to them and cleaning them and visiting everyday. It became such a cult following that in 1969 the cardinal of Naples ordered it to be closed. 

Today it is a historical site and many people visit. It is also free to visit which is great. There are remains from an estimated 40,000 people. It is a little weird/ scary for foreigner to see because we aren't use to seeing human remains and when we do they are usual on the movies in some sort of scary movie but the Italians don't think of this place as scary. It is a place of honor and people want to make sure that the souls of the remaining bodies get out of purgatory. 

There is also this awesome painted church just before the entrance to the cemetery. I love a good mural and this church does not disappoint. 
love, Carlee