Rome to Naples

Wednesday, October 15, 2008  

We bade farewell to our Trastevere apartment and headed for Naples via train from Rome’s Termini station. The trip was two hours and we arrived in Napoli at about 12:30 and quickly checked into our hotel (with WiFi access!!) and headed out to spend the afternoon exploring.

We walked the length of the main drag, Via Umberto I, where the sidewalks were lined with transient vendors on one side (thousands of knock-off handbags and watches), brick-and-mortar shops on the other, and, in between, hapless pedestrians and those motorcyclists who find the sidewalks faster than the streets!! We survived the length of the street all the way down to have a look at the port, then headed into the interior of the old city. We walked through the old Spanish quarter of the city, where the streets were so narrow that little sunlight penetrated. Small shops lined the ground floors of tightly-packed buildings, with apartments stacked above. The requisite laundry hung from the balconies and across the lanes, dogs barked, children played ball, babies cried, motor scooters roared, and the baseline noise level was pretty high. From there, it was on to the historic core of the city, which seemed to have more churches than Rome, as well as a charming street lined with shops and workshops devoted to the crafting and sale of Nativity scenes. Many are quite elaborate, with running water, lighted interiors, and fascinating add-ons like pizza ovens! We visited the Duomo and, after a bit more walking, headed back to the hotel to regroup, enjoy a little wine, and figure out where to go for dinner. (From Tom-Naples is not very photogenic and it is simply littered with trash, despite the fact that the recent garbage strike has been resolved. I can’t imagine what it was like when they were not picking up the trash.)

NAPLES MAKES ROME SEEM LIKE CHILD'S PLAY!!

Our restaurant research led us to a local institution, Da Michele, for pizza (in the same location since 1870!!) Several blocks before we found it, we stopped to ask a gentleman what street we were on (without saying where we were headed). He immediately asked if we were looking for Da Michele!! We had a great meal and the opportunity to talk to a young Neapolitan couple; he wanted to practice English and we were eager to use our Italian. It really was fun! It was also good to see a line of locals waiting to get in when we left.

Tomorrow, we head south via the Amalfi Drive, to our digs for the next week. We’ll be staying in Maratea, a small coastal resort. From there, we’ll explore the mezzogiorno, or southern part of the country and pay a visit to the small village that is the birthplace of Mel’s paternal grandparents.

We don’t expect regular Internet access from here on out, but will keep in touch as we can. We hope you will, as well.

Mel and Tom