Greetings from Naples! I spent the weekend of September 13th through 15th with Naples as a homebase, exploring Naples, Capri, and Pompeii with my new abroad friend Dylan. I thought Lake Como was an absolute dream and somehow the Amalfi Coast exceeded that high bar. Friday: Our day started early on Friday, traveling from Milano Centrale to Napoli Centrale at 9:35. The train ride there was nice since we traveled through all the major cities on the way to southern Italy (Bologna, Florence, Rome, and other stops along the way). We arrived in Naples at 2:30. We stayed in a nice Airbnb right off of Via Toledo across from Galleria Umberto I. After checking in, we walked around the city, taking in all the sights. We stumbled upon churches and got lost among the old city center. As a snack we got gelato at a lovely, possible chain, called Casa Infante. My first gelato was a cono piccolo (small cone) with a scoop of nutella and a scoop of caramel gelato. Easily the best gelato I have had thus far, but I hope that distinction continues to change:) After gelato, we continued walking around and headed towards the Castel Nuovo and the water. For dinner, we walked to one of the most famous pizzerias in Naples, L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele. The pizzeria has been around since 1870, is recognized by Michelin, and was featured as the pizzeria where Julia Roberts eats in Eat, Pray, Love. The place was packed when we walked up and we waited around 20 minutes for our number to be called to sit. The experience and pizza was definitely worth the wait since we were sitting right next to where the pizza oven was so we got watch the chefs turn out no exaggeration 100+ pizzas while we were there. Dylan and I both had margherita pizzas and I could barely finish mine by the end. I don't know if I would go as far as to say it was the best pizza that I have ever eaten in my life (I'm honestly not the largest pizza person) but it was extremely good and the experience of watching the pizza oven was amazing. After pizza, we walked back over to via Toledo and had wine and dessert at Caffe Gambrinus. The interior was beautiful and the place had a super rich history. A nice atmosphere to sit and enjoy our glasses of wine. Our night ended on the earlier side since we wanted to be up early Saturday for a full day in Capri. Saturday: Our day started early with coffee and sfogliatella for a walking breakfast. Sfogliatella is the pastry that Naples is known for. I chose a classic with pistachio filling. After we walked down to the marina and caught the hydrofoil to Capri. The boat was enclosed and stuffy so I got slightly nauseous on the way over, but as soon as I smelt the fresh air I was completely fine. Once on Capri, we immediately found a tour service that offered a private 2 hour boat tour around the entire island. Taking the private tour was important to us because we wanted to be able to swim and jump off the boat into the water. We also got to buy a bottle of wine and drink it on the boat. Our tour was with an older Italian couple and a wonderful guide who split his time between talking in English and Italian about all the sights. Lounging on the boat, sailing and swimming was one of the most wonderful experiences ever. Capri is so unbelievably beautiful. I could have spent the entire day on the boat. Once the boat ride was over, we took the funincular (a tram sort of public transport) from the marina to the main town of Capri. The town was small with a luxurious vibe and designer stores on every street. Unfortunately, my college budget did not allow for more than window shopping. We stopped for lunch in Capri at a wonderful little restaurant called Michel'angelo. I found the restaurant through google and cross checked with trip adviser. Honestly, it stood out online because it had a mozzarella bar. The restaurant was adorable and felt like we were sitting in an Italian garden even though it was indoors. It was also the first time a restaurant played only Italian music while we ate which I loved. I find it so crazy that the rest of the world listens to American music, but I never get exposed to music from other countries. For lunch, Dylan and I shared a charcuterie board from the mozzarella board and fried calamari. Both were delicious. After lunch, we experienced a few hiccups since we planned on seeing the blue grotto and taking a chairlift ride in Anacapri and both were no longer options by the time we managed to maneuver around the island. Guess I will just have to go back to Capri and spend more time there (~how difficult~). We spent some more time walking around Capri and Anacapri before deciding that we wanted to stay on the island for dinner. Again, I googled and cross checked with trip advisor to find Giorgio al Cucciolo. The restaurant was in Anacapri along a cliff in a fully residential area and had the most wonderful views of the ocean and the sunset. Here, we split a caprese salad (because obviously), a bottle of red wine (a cheaper one, because obviously), and I ate green fettuccine with seafood. We took the last ferry from Capri back out to Naples at 10, which was honestly pretty nervewracking since we were both stressed we would miss it and would be stuck on Capri without lodging. We didn't miss it though and made it back to Naples for more gelato. I also facetimed my family who were at Thomas' birthday party celebrating his 50th. Sunday: Sunday was another early morning with coffee and sfogliatella for breakfast, checking out from the air bnb, and storing our luggage in the air bnb's storage space. After, we took the circonvesuviana (local train) to the Ruins of Pompeii. We took a 2 hour guided walking tour (in English!) of the ruins since there is very little description or directions within the site, making it hard to guide yourself. We had also heard of people's experiences getting lost in the ruins, which we did not want to potentially risk since we were taking the train back from Naples to Milan later that afternoon. The ruins were pretty cool to see and learn more about. Seeing the remains with Mt. Vesuvius standing in the background definitely makes the experience worth it. There's just something about the volcano overlooking the ruins still active that brings the ruins and the history to life. 15,000 steps around Pompeii later we took a different exit to see one of Pompeii's colosseums and the modern town center of Pompeii. We got Mcdonalds as a quick bite since we were starved and unsure when our next meal would be and took the circonvesuviana back to Naples. In Naples we picked up our luggage, bought dinner for the train, and took the train back to Milan. The ride back felt longer since after the sun set I could no longer watch the Italian countryside go by. Best Moments:
Capri is easily the most beautiful place that I have ever visited and I definitely want to go back again (and again!) someday. I highly recommend splurging on the private boat tour since its more personal, you can drink on the boat, AND you get to swim!! I also loved the sfogliatella, gelato, and pizza I ate in Naples. I truly wish I could have spent more time in the Amalfi Coast.
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