A Neapolitan Appetizer

As described in a previous post, while we were in Naples it rained. It rained a lot. However, that did not stop us from enjoying this eclectic, and unique, city in southern Italy. We have been to Italy a lot. However, this was our first visit to Naples. Why ? I guess it was the reputation of being hot, crowded, chaotic, and dirty. A deliberate attempt to eliminate “hot” and “crowded” by visiting in January worked great. Apart from the cold and rainy weather. This visit provided us with a quick appetizer of Naples.

Like any big city, Naples has its challenges. Yes. The streets can be chaotic (For the love of God, don’t even think of driving in Naples). Yes. There is a lot of litter on the streets. Yes. There is a lot of graffiti. However, dig a bit deeper and you can start to see a different Naples. Some of the graffiti is actually quite amazing street art. Likewise, the only “big city smell” is a constant aroma of simmering ragu. We stayed for a week in an apartment in the historic center of Naples. We were several blocks from anything that resembled a tourist. Apart from us. I’ve previously explained Molly’s passion for grocery shopping, so we quickly identified a local store and bakery. Daily shopping visits allowed us to begin to see what true Neapolitan life was like. It was pretty good.

Obviously a major draw for visiting Naples is Pompeii. And yes, as I have already outlined, it rained. And it was cold. But it was absolutely amazing. Nothing can prepare you for the size and scale of the city. It is huge. And as our archeologist guide pointed out, only a fraction of the original city has been uncovered. What has been uncovered is a preserved snapshot in time. Everything has been captured exactly as it was on that fateful day. Entire paintings, mosaics, kitchen utensils, and glass bowls … left fully intact. My hopes of spending a full day capturing images of Pompeii quickly washed away down the ancient streets, but here are a few quick holiday snaps.

There is so much more to Naples than Pompeii and pizza. Although, those two things alone would be worth a visit. During our week in Naples, we did manage to see and experience a lot of the city … including a night time tour of the underground, a visit to the National Museum, a food tour, and a stroll through the Spanish quarter. We had some amazing meals. Truly amazing. Epic. To boot, everything was extremely inexpensive. We left feeling that there was more that we wanted to explore. We will be back. Below are a variety of additional images that I captured in between the rain drops.