Visiting Napoli – Italy

19 Nov Visiting Napoli – Italy

November 2016

As we got out of the plane and out of passport control, we were indulged with the great wood fire pizza smell, even at the airport. It was either we had been longing for the Napolitan Pizza for months now that we were day dreaming or it was real pizza flavour in the air.

It is so incredibly intriguing to be greeted at the airport with what is typical to that area, vineyards at the Bordeaux-Merignac Airport in France; pine trees at the Göcek-Dalaman Airport in Turkey; the smell of chocolate at Zurich Airport in Switzerland.

As we had a busy schedule ahead of us, we headed off to rent our car. It was a fairly easy procedure as we had booked it in advance. Our first destination was Ravello, located in southern Italy, in the Salerno province. The beautiful Ravello is located at the top of the hills and you drive through narrow and bendy roads, and in some areas, the traffic is controlled through one-way passes via red and green lights because the roads are even more narrow.

There are various parking locations close to the center of Ravello, either parking lots or on the street where you see the parking meters. After that, you are on foot, so be prepared if you are visiting with children, especially if you have a stroller. Once you reach the Piazza Vescovado, the main square, you can see the Duomo (cathedral) dating back to the 11^th Century. There are several café / bars on the square where you can enjoy a nice drink or meal. Walking in either direction from the square, you enter into narrow streets and shops for the infamous hand-painted ceramics, varying in size from small plates and home accessories to tables and wall decoration. Most of them have the various interpretations and drawings of the grand Amalfi Coast lemons (or scientifically known as Sfusato Amalfitano) in common, which is the typical fruit of the region.

After having a delicious pizza in Ravello, we continued on to the Amalfi Coast where we got to taste the lovely Limoncello. Throughout the town, there are many shops selling souvenir items as well as Limoncello in all types of forms and shapes and sizes. There are also other variations such as Meloncello, they are all worth a try.

At the center, beyond a steep flight of stairs you can see the Cattedrale di Sant’Andrea and it is a spot not to miss. The cathedral dates back to the 13^th Century. Right across from the cathedral, we had one of the best coffee and cannoli.

We then continued our journey and arrived in Sorrento. This is a bigger town compared to the other ones we visited during the day. We stayed in a lovely spot, in a bed & breakfast located in a picturesque lemon garden.

The rooms at the B&B were comfortable and spacious and breakfast was served outdoors in the garden with a lovely open buffet and homemade delicious delicacies. This is where the Nacush photo shooting took place and we just loved how the lemon gardens hosted our Nacush Ginger’s and friends. This unique and unparalleled atmosphere surely gave us great inspiration to dress our homes.

We wandered around the city center for a while and we headed off to the port to take a ferry to the Capri Island. As soon as we arrived in Marina Piccola, we got our tickets and took the funicular which is situated right across from the port. Enjoying the view from the funicular, we finally arrived to the Capri town above. Once you reach the town center there are many narrow roads leading to different parts of the town so it is enjoyable to take one and see where it takes you. Due to the season in which we visited the Island, most of the shops were closed for the winter, but the center was still lively. Moreover, whatever the season is, an ice cream stop is something not to miss.

The region is also famous for their mozzarella di bufala, as there are many buffalo farms in the area and the farms make some of the best mozzarella. We ordered a caprese salad and it was one of the best ones we had, with gigantic tomato slices and the great mozzarella di bufala. The view was really nice as well, and as you may imagine so was the bill we received at the end. Oh well, while a tourist, you cannot always consider the best option, at least it was worth it!

We decided to walk back down to the port, and it was a nice pathway, however with the stroller it was quite difficult as there were far too numerous steps. Finally reaching the port, we had a look through the shops and took the ferry back to Sorrento.

By the time we got to dinner we were so hungry that we ordered more than we could handle, but it was all great. It is indeed important to go step by step while ordering. Also to our surprise, the pizzas were served as the primo piatto (first course), while the fried calamari was served as main course (it would typically be vice-versa in Turkey).

The next morning, we did our ritual whenever we go to a different country and entered into a supermarket and shopped like a local. Sometimes we get out of control and shop as if we live there and all the food and coffee go back home with us. It is really great to continue to enjoy the various cookies, cheese, pastries, bread or even some fruit once we return home. Must haves for us from Italy are Rio Mare tuna fish, Illy or Lavazza coffee, Mulino Bianco chocolate plum cake, parmigiano reggiano or grana padano, bresaola, chocolate brioche and prosecco.

Once we completed our supermarket ritual, we headed off to Pompei. We got a bit lost due to the navigation on the car and could not find the entrance at the first trial but eventually we found it. Having visited Pompei about 10 years ago, there have been several changes: Late Polish architect, Igor Mitoraj’s bronze sculptures have been placed into the UNESCO World Heritage site in May 2016 and it will be there until January 2017. It was really exciting and mind-blowing to imagine and trying to visualize how people used to live in this place and had the misfortunate end.

After Pompei, we continued on to Monte Vesuvio – Mount Vesuvius, unfortunately after a curvy ride up the mountain we arrived to the entrance just after they closed the pathway. We once again reminded ourselves to always check opening and closing hours. Still, it was nice to drive up and enjoy the view.

We headed to Napoli. We rented an apartment for the night and after some adventurous efforts we finally found the land-lord and got settled in. We were really curious about the infamous L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele’s and it was just a walking distance away from our apartment. We headed towards the pizzeria only to find a crowd of people waiting in front of it. First we could not understand why people were not in a line, and we assumed it was because of the thick Mediterranean blood that queueing was not in the culture. It took us some time to understand that you first needed to get a number from the waiter at the entrance and they would call your name. After about 15 minutes we entered. Following the family tradition for five generations, the pizzeria offers two types of Neapolitan pizza, Marinara (with olive oil, olives, mozzarella) and Margherita. The pizzeria has hosted Julia Roberts in the movie Eat, Pray, Love. By the time we finished our dinner and got outside at around 7 pm the crowd outside had at least tripled and we felt so lucky!

The next day, we went by the harbour, visited Castel Nuovo, Piazza del Plebiscito and Palazzo Reale. We entered Galleria Umberto I and had our coffee with sfogliatella, which you should definitely try when you are in the area. Via Toledo was a really nice walk up, heading up to Spaccanapoli. These streets are full of shops and open market places where you can find anything from souvenir items to books, clothes and food. Fried food is also a common delicacy which you can find while walking along and you can choose among the many fried selections such as the arancino – fried breaded rice balls, pizzette fritte – fried pizza dough with sauce, fried calamari, etc.

Some comments about safety in Napoli could be worrisome, but as a dear Italian friend says, take it without drama, just be cautious and keep your eyes open.