27 February 2012

Naples

Before I even begin to write, I want you to go over to my friend Jim's blog and read about Naples. He takes amazing pictures, and has a really great page going about his time in Rome.

There was a group of ten of us in Naples, all ISA kids who came into this trip virtually unknown to one another and I don't know I've never laughed so hard, or felt so comfortable and confident about my current place in this crazy little life. I love these people.

Helen and I met around 7:30 and got to the train station with enough time to get a cappuccino and pastry before the train left at 8:30. I slept for most of it, but I still had a good time.


We arrived in Naples shortly after 11. We saw trash, a dead pigeon, beautiful buildings, peddlers, graffiti and sunshine. Quite a dichotomy, and that dichotomy continued throughout the whole day. I was simultaneously scared and in awe and nervous and intrigued. Not many cities can do that to a person.
We began the pizza experience at Pizzeria da Michele. It's the place to get pizza in Naples. It's featured in the book, Eat, Pray, Love and sticking true to the narrative, Julia Roberts went there to film in the movie adaptation.



Honestly, I've never had a pizza like it, and I doubt I ever could. The crust was like flatbread, somehow crispy and fluffy at the same time. From the menu, you can see there was a limited selection. Toppings ruin the essence of the pizza. We walked out of there, a few minutes after 12 and there was already a wait. This place turns some serious business, and I'm so glad we went early.
For some beautiful pictures from the National Archeological Museum and the Duomo, go over to Jim's blog I talked about earlier. I was too chicken to take pictures, but he was a daredevil & they're beautiful!



After the museum, we walked to the water, where the main piazza of Naples conveniently placed.



Later in the day, we went to St. Elmo's fort for a beautiful view of the city and Bay of Naples.


It took us a while to leave the edge of the Mediterranean, but it was so worth it, when we went to the top of the ridge by riding a funicular. So fun! The views actually took my breath away.

Naples had a lot of history, and was once the most powerful city in the South of Italy, but a lot of the money has found its way to the Northern part of the country. Crime is rampant, my friend Katie had her grandmothers wedding ring taken off a chain on her neck by a man on a scooter. The people who live here hold their head a bit higher and act more aggressively than I've seen in other parts of Italy. 

After the furnicular, we started heading back to the train station and found a great place for dinner. We all ordered pizza, again, and an unnecessary amount of vino rosso. No complains. The train ride consisted of watching Wedding Crashers on Andy's iPhone and laughing with the crew. 

Once again, I was so happy to get off the train at Termini and be back in Rome. I really feel at home here.

2 comments:

  1. Clare you are the best, thanks for the referral. Your blog is awesome too! I'll be returning the favor.

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  2. Il questo post รจ perfetto! Mi piace molto! ... Uh, I think that's right?

    ReplyDelete