La Bella Napoli
Napoli. What can I say? A city full of contradictions. A true diamond in the rough. Behind every scruffy door, lies a sparkling interior. A city with hundreds of years of history, all layered on top of each other, like a rickety tower of Jenga. It is a mystery, and we barely scratched the surface.
Flanked by the bounty of the Gulf, and the destructiveness of Vesuvius, it is a city that has a weathered, hardened appearance, that is visible on the locals faces. Fiercely proud of their heritage, Neapolitans welcome you but they also take advantage of you. I guess it is just second nature, being that it has been settled, conquered, pillaged, brought down yet somehow, it still manages to survive. To stay strong. And to stay true to their nature, whatever it may be.
Lungomare with Vesuvius in the background
Napoli is a city that begs you to discover it. We, obviously tried, but it will take many, many trips to truly get down to its true heart and soul. After having said that, I think we did a pretty good job of traipsing around as much as we could with our limited time. In 5 full days, we ate our way through Campania, ferried to Capri, miraculously survived driving out of the city and the “Blue Ribbon Drive” to Positano, and transported ourselves 1,933 years to witness the tragic glory of Pompeii. Not bad for a 5 day sojourn, huh?
Our first day was dedicated to seeing the sights in the city, since our flight landed at 7:30 am, and we arrived at the hotel an hour later, and our room would not be ready until 12. Tired and bleary eyed, we did our best to walk the streets and take in all the sights. It was shocking, at best, and sometimes downright nerve-racking. A total chaos of vendors, scooters packed with people whizzing in between us, tourists, kids playing ball, it was all too much to take in that early morning! But throughout our trip we became experts at crossing roads, managing the chaos of the streets, and even driving.
On our second day, we escaped the heat of the city and took a ferry to Capri. Oh wow. I have no words for how beautiful this little island is. It is a rocky, flower filled, spectacular little outpost in the Gulf of Naples. Meandering through the tiny streets of Capri Town, I felt immediately overwhelmed by its natural beauty. Impossible cliffs rising out of the azure waters, houses perched on teeny ledges, and flowers flowers flowers everywhere! We wanted to see the Faraglioni, and ended up having lunch at a hotel, and then sneaking into their pool!
Crowded streets in Capri Town
Hotel Punta Tragara Swimming Pool
The third day, we needed to escape from the heat, again. When I said Pamplona was hot, I didn’t know what hot really was. This was 2 steps closer to hell! I have never sweat so much in my entire life, and we needlessly parked way up in Positano, and had to take about a million stairs to get down to the beach. I wasn’t happy until we were in the water, where we languidly dreamed of a swim up bar in the middle of the ocean. The jet set on their yachts sure know what they are doing, let me tell you. But we had a wonderful day nonetheless!
Sorrento, Amalfi Coast
Now THAT is a lemon!
Granita and Chilli Pepper Vendor on the street
Positano
Beach time in Positano
Our second to last day, we decided to go to Pompeii. How amazing. How vast. How HOT. Again. But it was just so amazing being able to walk these streets that have remained intact for almost 2000 years. If you can get to Naples, you must visit Pompeii.
A fresco of Medusa in the House Of Meneandro
The inner garden of the House of Meneandro
One of the well-preserved frescoes in the Villa of Mysteries
Vesuvius
Tomorrow, I will post about our top food moments……and I have decided to dedicate a complete post to our quest for the perfect Pizza….we had a REALLY good time doing that!
I hope that my pictures can transmit to you the wonder that is Napoli and the Amalfi Coast. Amazing 5 days!
Carla
Expat Chef in Barcelona 