Our first day trip took us to Naples, a place that in no way resembles the Amalfi Coast. Naples is Europe’s most densely populated city with over 2 million people and almost no parks or open spaces. It also conjures up all kinds of negative images like being a dirty city with crazy traffic and lots of corruption. In fact the day before we traveled there, a police sweep netted 88 members of the “Camorra” crime family. (That leaves only about 7,800 more still out there.) But we figured that since we’re so close, we better check it out for ourselves. We were told that as long as we stayed clear of certain neighborhoods and came home before dark we’d be fine, so off we went. We arrived by train (driving into downtown was not an option I wanted to consider) and quickly found ourselves in an area full of trash and chaos. Too hungry to really care, our first important mission was to find lunch. Along with all the bad things Naples is famous for, one of the good things is being home to the pizza pie. We researched just the place and had delicious (and huge) pizzas for around $5 in the town they were invented, what could be better. After that we dragged our full bellies down a narrow street called the Spaccanapoli, which translates to “Split Naples”, as it divides the old town in two. It was full of activity and little one-of-a-kind shops that had something for everyone. The far end emptied out onto a much larger shopping area full of all the top designers. All of a sudden the city was looking much cleaner and we even passed a street sweeper! Needing a break, we stopped for coffee and gelato at a classic Neapolitan café called Gambrinus. I had a café Americana even though Italians hate making this drink. A Neapolitan cup of coffee is a shot of espresso with a packet of sugar in it. You slam it and go. The waiter called my drink “brown water” and laughed as he shook his head. After the caffeine and a few more landmarks, we started to work our way back towards the train station. While Naples had us “on alert” more than any city, we’re glad we visited as it definitely showed us yet another side of Italy.
Castel Nuovo
This is the Chapel of Diego Maradona, a soccer star from Argentina who played for Naples in the 80’s. He brought the city their only championships and remains a god in these parts. In fact this memorial even contains a lock of his hair and the “official tear” that the city shed when he left. The fact that he was also linked to organized crime and cocaine addiction is a minor side note in these parts. Once a soccer god, always a soccer god I guess. Coincidently, the 48-year old Maradona was recently named head coach of the Argentina National Team, effective in two weeks.
These local cakes are called Baba, and they're just dripping with Rum.
We stumbled upon this store in Galleria Umberto. Could Cole be a distant relative from his mom's side?
Piazza Dante is dedicated to the famous poet and "Father of the Italian language".
This is the Chapel of Diego Maradona, a soccer star from Argentina who played for Naples in the 80’s. He brought the city their only championships and remains a god in these parts. In fact this memorial even contains a lock of his hair and the “official tear” that the city shed when he left. The fact that he was also linked to organized crime and cocaine addiction is a minor side note in these parts. Once a soccer god, always a soccer god I guess. Coincidently, the 48-year old Maradona was recently named head coach of the Argentina National Team, effective in two weeks.
These local cakes are called Baba, and they're just dripping with Rum.
We stumbled upon this store in Galleria Umberto. Could Cole be a distant relative from his mom's side?
Piazza Dante is dedicated to the famous poet and "Father of the Italian language".
