Trip to Napoli for PIZZA!

mouth wateringly good!

Ciao!  Last weekend I took the train down to Napoli (about 225km) to check out the scene.  You can take a fast train (1.2h) or a slow train for about 1/4 the cost (2.5h).  I took the slow one, only 18 euro round trip & with extra bonus slowness of 1/2h!  I haven't been out of Roma since arriving to Italy so I thought it was about time I had an adventure.  I'm really glad I went, I stayed at a hosted & hung out with a lot of nice people there.  Everyone was speaking English & it was refreshing.  I'd say the vibe in Napoli is friendlier than in Roma, where the people are known to be maleducato *rude*.  You may have heard about the mafia in south Italy, apparently what you have heard is TRUE & the Camorra is still running the show.  There is a huge dichotomy between north & south Italy where local politicians are corrupt.  From what I hear, south of Roma & in Sicilia the mafia & organized crime is alive & well. 

Did anyone see that movie Gomorrah that came out a few years ago?  It was good & was about the Camorra (organized crime based in Campagnia of which the capitol is Napoli).  I had been told that Napoli was really dangerous, not like you were going to get hurt but like you were going to get mugged or conned.  Someone told me a story about driving in the city on their cell phone, they stopped at a stop light & someone came up to their car asking for directions or something.  Then they swiped the cell phone as well as the watch direct from the wrist!  Fortunately, I did not encounter a single problem & all the mafia dons I met were really nice. :)  Of course I make a habit of walking around confidently & looking people in the eye so as not to be targeted for petty theft.  So far, so good.

on the way down I had the cabin to myself!

On the first day I continued on to Pompei, which I will do another post on so as not to bore you all too much.  The next am I walked up a hill to a castle to have a view.  Naples is the 3rd biggest city in Italia, it has a modern section and a historic downtown.  It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth!!  The port of Naples is a busy shipping center.

there's Vesuvius over to the right

there was a farmer's market going on which seemed to consist mostly of cheese & honey.  here is what true Italian cheese looks like!

 Oh no!  Not more marble statues!  Just a few, I'm sorry, I am rather obsessed with these guys!  I went to the Naples National Museum of Archaeology where there was a fantastic collection!  A lot of the marbles came from the Farnese collection, an influential family during the rennaissance.  Many of these sculptures came from the famous Baths of Caracalla in Rome.  A huge complex of baths outside of the city!

cool!

the Farnese Bull!  Depicts the story of two sons tying the evil Dirce to a bull to be dragged around because she had done something bad to their mom.  This is the largest marble group ever to be found, at 13" tall.  Many portions of it were reconstructed by....  Michelangelo himself!

here is one of my favorite dudes, HOMER!

and...  ATLAS, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.  For any chiropractors out there, this guy looks SUBLUXATED!!! 

 Now, into town.  The Spanish district is very old and the streets are TINY & the blocks are TINY also.    The layout for these streets remains from when the ancient greeks settled here.  You can see all the balconies & laundry & whatnot.  I think that a lot of very poor people live in these zones.  This was a Sunday & most things are closed & everyone is inside eating lunch for 5 hours with their family.  I was glad it was a bit more peaceful.  On Saturday evening Naples was an utter madhouse!

the fake purse sellers!  these guys are everywhere, not just in Napoli,  peddling their false Chanels & Louis Vuittons.  If any police come by they wrap everything up in that sheet the purses are on & run like hell!

bay of Naples!  there is the Isle of Capri in the background!

Vesuvius!  Connect those two cones with an imaginary peak & you can think of what the volcano was like before it blew it's top!

oh, you know... just one of several old castles in town.

a lovely shopping gallery

pastries are BIG in Napoli.  Especially the ones on the middle shelf, a rum soaked goodie called a Baba.

the streets & piazzas are so tiny it is hard to get a good angle for some of the churches that are hidden in the city.  One thing's for sure, Napoli has a garbage problem (notice the row of overflowing dumpsters)!  The Camorrah took over the waste disposal for the city about five years ago because the situation was really dire.  I'm not so sure it is working too well, there was a ton of garbage everywhere. Also, dog poo.

this one is my favorite!  Look at all that laundry!

this one is my other favorite!  these buildings are at least 10 stories tall & sometimes you will see a bucket like this used to tow some item up to the top.  very old timey!

So far, I think I am disappointing you all with my lack of stories about Italian food.  It's because I prefer to cook for myself & eat only fruits & veg!  Well, I did not disappoint in Napoli, a city known for it's food, especially PIZZA!  I had two of them.  When you order a pizza like this it costs from 4-7 euro & you usually eat the whole thing by yourself!  No take aways & if you don't eat it all the waiter will ask you, was it ok??  The pizzas were delish, I hadn't had pizza with cheese on it in about...  8 or so years.  Ah, sweet indulgence.  Pizza with no cheese is popular here too, just tomato, basil & garlic, called a marinara!

a margherita con funghi

Thanks so much everyone for reading my blog!  If I haven't responded to your emails or comments it is because my internet connection is so poor.  Honest.  Tonight I found that if I sit with my computer on the window ledge it works pretty well!  I tried to skype with my pal Elysia the other day & she was able to hear me but I couldn't hear her so I was talking to myself & she was typing some simple answers.  It sure was funny but, not the most satisfying interaction.

As far as other things go, I have a new Italian teacher this session & I really like her.  Penso che sto imparando piu questi giorni!  The jobby job is still set to begin in November....   I continue to work on my patience, Italy style.  The weather has cooled a bit & gotten windy, it is seeming like fall.  The Romans hate being cold & have all stopped wearing sandals.  Some have even taken to wearing puffy coats even though by midday it is still around 70 degrees.  I am seriously thinking about getting a bicicleta this weekend!

Stay tuned for the POMPEI EXPERIENCE!