A boy went back to Napoli…
After our road trip through Central Italy we set our sights south.
We did a lot of research for Napoli and still went in having no idea what to expect. Everything we researched said varying things about how it would be weird, unique, loud, different, vibrant, fun, and everything in between. Someone even described it to us as a “love it” or “hate it” city, and advised us to have an exit strategy in case we were in the “hate it” camp.
We are happy to say we were NOT in the Hate it camp. We were in the, “we can see why this place has a reputation” camp, and eventually entered the “love it” camp.
Our first steps off the train were interesting to say the least as we trekked through a park to our Airbnb, but the first evening really embodied everything for us. We stepped out for dinner and were greeted by a chaos of cars and motorbikes. As we were walking for food, we passed a lady having a full on conversation with someone in the driver's seat of a car while stopped in an intersection (where NOBODY was following the lights or lanes) and they were full on yell talking to each other across three lanes of traffic as if they were 2 feet away. They didn’t appear to be arguing but were only yelling so that they could hear each other over the deafening sound of traffic. Wild shit.
Had we not just spent 9 months in beautifully chaotic Asia, we would have probably wound up in the hate it category with Napoli, but much of what we saw was actually quite in line with our experience in Asia. So we just rolled with it.
The Neapolitan pizza is as good as ever. Very different from Americanized pizza, but fresh and delicious. The dough makes all the difference and I (Viv) will spend the rest of my life working towards that level of perfection.
We went to an old monastery, Certosa e Museo di San Martino, for sunset one afternoon. For a modest entry fee (about 6Euro each) we got a stunning sunset view and got to wander the monastery grounds before closing. There is also a castle right next to the monastery that most people seem to go to for sunset. It has a slightly higher vantage point but doesn't have the charming gardens that the monastery offered.
Mt. Vesuvius is an awesome backdrop for the city and Pompeii is a great day trip from the city. Easily accessed via a direct train from the city center, about 45 minutes later we were in Pompeii. You could easily spend multiple days wandering the expansive grounds but we opted for a one day visit to see the highlights. There were areas full of tourists and tours were very popular, but the audio guide was well worth the cost without the commitment of a tour.
The streets in the Spanish Quarter in Napoli are unlike anything we have seen. Part Hanoi, part Marrakech… strolling through them was a true delight and absolute highlight. We passed by the famous street honoring one of their great heroes, Deigo Maradona. We were invited into a shop for some street food by a friendly shopkeeper who served us great food and laughed with us as Ryan spilled marinara sauce no less than 3 times on his light grey shirt. We watched the honking and weaving of the motorbikes and cars, every single one of which had scratches and dents, even the Audis.
Naples was a wholly unique place in Italy, and we loved it… especially the pizza.