Naples

Travel Logistics and Resources for Naples, Paestum and Rome

May 8, 2012
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Below is information on the travel logistics for for an eight day trip to Italy in October 2011 to Naples, Paestum and Rome. These are our experiences with our specific transportation choices and accomodation.

To see the entire trip, start on the Naples, Paestum and Rome 2011 page.

Transportation:  Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

PLANES:

LAX-FCO-LAX on Air Canada
We flew Air Canada from LAX to Rome. My mother went two weeks ahead of me on a frequent flyer ticket and I bought my ticket to coincide with her flight home. The seats were fairly comfortable with a larger than average pitch (32″) in economy and seatback video on demand with tons of choices. Some of the economy seats also have A/C power ports and USB ports for charging your electronic devices. Headset jacks are the standard ones for an MP3 player, so bring your own because they charge for headsets (and pillows, and blankets, and food) on the US-Canada portion of the route. Those items are free on the Canada-Europe routes.

On the way to Rome I flew through Montreal and on the way back we flew through Toronto. Both airports have free wifi which is nice and way better than LAX which still does not. In Montreal I had my passport checked but my luggage was checked through to Rome. In Toronto we had to get our luggage, go through passport control for US entry, then through customs, then re-check our bags. Thankfully we had a 4 hour layover because this process took up almost half of it. In Toronto, my mother could have gone through customs in a flash using her Global Entry pass, but since I didn’t have one, she waited with me. I now have my own Global Entry Pass and I’m good to go!

TRAINS:

FCO-Termini (Rome’s central …

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Restaurants in Naples, Italy

December 5, 2011
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I have a personal rule regarding restaurants; I’ll never willingly wait in line to eat for more than half an hour. I simply refuse to buy into the hype that any restaurant is worth waiting an hour or more for when there are plenty other great places out there. So it’s with this rule that I now must admit that I committed foodie heresy in Naples: I did not eat pizza in one of the famous pizzerias. That’s not to say I didn’t eat pizza, just I just didn’t have any at Da Michele, Gino Sorbillo, di Matteo, or any of the other places with long lines and hour plus wait times. And I’m ok with this really, because we still ate very well in Naples as evidenced by our experiences below.

Antica Port’Alba

This place, located across from Piazza Bellini and underneath the archway leading to the street connecting to Piazza Dante was somewhere we ended up eating twice and having vastly different service experiences each time, though the food was consistently good.

Antica Pizzaria Ristorante Port Alba, Naples

We ended up here on our first night in Naples with me, jetlagged and ticked off because I’d forgotten to print out my researched list of restaurants and no way to access the info without working internet. We wandered around the area, looking at menus, searching for something which appealed and wasn’t too touristy. Finally, we gave in and sat down in Antica Port’Alba’s patio under heat lamps. Our waiter was pleasant and brought us menus in both Italian and English.

Food at Antica Pizzaria Ristorante Port Alba, Naples

Wrecked from not sleeping for almost 30 hours by this point, I ordered my old standby, Penne alla Arribiata, pasta in a spicy tomato sauce. This is one of those classic dishes by which you can judge a restaurant. It’s simple, but they have to get it right and fortunately, …

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Naples Porta Nolana Fish Market and Piazza Dante Farmer’s Market

November 20, 2011
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If a city has a market, I’m going to visit it. Having been a chef who specialized in fish and seafood, I’m always attracted to a city’s fish market and the Porta Nolana market did not disappoint. It’s outside, on the street, and very much reminded me of the La Vucchiria street market in Palermo with the crumbling buildings, artfully displayed food, and vendors in rubber boots calling out  jokes to each other and selling their wares to passersby. We seemed to be the only obvious tourists there, and while we got a few curious looks, no one seemed to care.

We walked from the train station at Piazza Garabaldi to the streets where it starts; Via Santa Maria delle Grazie a Loreto and Via Padre Ludovico da Casoria. Naples has quite a few markets and if you want to see more than what I’ve seen here, I highly recommend you check out Napoli Unplugged’s extensive list of markets in Naples and map of the markets.

Naples Fish Market

Naples fish market

Naples Fish Market

Like the shrines in my Naples at Night post, this neighborhood had its own shrines watching over it.

Naples Fish Market

Naples Fish Market

 

On our first Sunday in Naples we came across a Farmer’s market in Piazza Dante. This one seemed to focus on organic and artisanal products only, from cheeses, to meats to bee keeping and honey production. There was even a display encouraging people to grow their own produce.

Naples Farmer's Market

Naples Farmer's Market

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Naples at Night

November 14, 2011
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“Are you a lucky little lady in The City of Light
Or just another lost angel…City of Night
City of Night, City of Night, City of Night….”

A city at night is an entirely different animal than a city in the day time, isn’t it? Some can be romantic (think Paris), some can be rockin’ (think New York) and some can be downright dangerous (insert your favorite scary city here, I won’t take sides).

Naples at night didn’t fit any of those stereotypes, despite all the warnings we had before arrival. As during our daytime wanderings, we walked the city at night, mostly in search of meals in various parts around Piazza Dante and in the Historical Quarter. What we found was a city which seems to shut up tight except in neighborhoods where there are a lot of restaurants and/or tourists. In fact, I was surprised at how quiet and deserted it seemed at times.

Below, the street connecting Piazza Dante and Piazza Bellini. During the day it is filled with used book stores catering to the nearby University. At night, it is shut up tight and covered in graffiti.

Port Alba Naples

This Fritturia on Piazza Dante (below) was hoppin’ right around dinner time with people picking up bags of fried goodies to take home. We had some; two pieces each fried mashed potato balls, slices of fried eggplant, fried zucchini flowers, all for 2 euro total. They were fantastic. The guy behind the counter wansn’t hard on the eyes either.

Naples fried food

Naples Fried Food

Naples is covered in small shrines and every street seems to have their own. At night, they are all lit by electric lights, but I bet it wasn’t all that long ago they were lit by candlelight.

At night, even the grafitti looks interesting.

Naples Graffiti

During the day Pizza Dante is …

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Wandering Naples

November 9, 2011
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In my last post I explained how going to a new city for the first time is a little like going on a first date. While I had my concerns about Naples, I’m happy to say we got along just fine.  I didn’t exactly fall in love like I did with Rome (there’s nothing like your first love, is there?), I think we could certainly hang out and get to know each other better. In other words, I would love to return for another visit, this one was way too short.

In the way that Rome can be sophisticated, cosmopolitan, and romantic, Naples can be brash, loud, and bold, but also sweet. Everything seems larger than life in Naples; clothes are tighter, brighter and more bedazzled, makeup is bolder and hair is bigger. But the sweet is there too, literally, with pastry shops around every corner, and figuratively, with people who seem genuinely concerned that you enjoy their city. In short, if Rome is like New York, then Naples is like New Jersey. This is not a put-down in any way, but rather an observation that like the rest of Italy, and the US for that matter, there are big differences between the various regions of the country and that’s what gives each place its unique character.

We did a lot of walking throughout the city and never felt unsafe even though people had warned us that Naples was dangerous and dirty. Like any large city, you need to be aware of your surroundings and we were.

I had a long list of places I wanted to see and while we hit quite a few, we also spent one day out of the city at Herculaneum which gave us only two full days in Naples itself. We made a …

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When Going To A New City Is Like Going On A First Date

November 7, 2011
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Where next; Naples, Paestum and Rome

The anticipation of traveling to a new city is a little like that of going on a first date. There’s excitement, nervousness, and anxiety all rolled into one big ball of anticipation.

To me Naples looks good on paper, albeit a little like the bad boy that many girls secretly adore. It’s often described as dirty, chaotic and dangerous but with fantastic art, architecture and incredible food. See what I mean? Naples sounds a like the 1950′s rebel complete with leather jacket, charming smile and a taste for mama’s ragú.

But then there’s the worry; I want to like him, but will he like me?
Will I get lost? Pickpocketed? Or will I find the Naples travel trifecta; great markets, the perfect pizza and the world’s best archaeology museum? Only time will tell.

This trip will also take me to Paestum, the home of ancient Greek ruins and buffalo mozzarella. There is nothing to fear there. While new to me, it feels safe, and I look forward to exploring this less traveled location.

Finally, we will end in Rome. I already know Rome. We are like old lovers who are now just friends. We have a history of over 20 years together, and every time we see each other the flame is rekindled. There’s a level comfort there which I do not have yet with Naples.

So here I go, off on my first date with Naples. I’m wearing a new dress and bright red lipstick. I’m ready to fall in love…

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