We found each other in Rome and made our connection to Naples without any problems. We were tired when we got to Naples - Nancy hadn't slept at all on the plane - but we decided to go out into the hot afternoon sun and have some pizza and explore a bit. We walked to Pizzeria Sorbillo for our first Napolitano pizza experience - fab pizza, not so fab casa vino - but first, gelato!! Giant scoops of strawberry and coffee flavored frozen delicious purchased on Via Toledo near our hotel.
After we put in our names for the 45 minute wait at Pizza Sorbillo, we checked out a street (Via San Gregorio Armeno) that we heard about on the plane that was supposed to have a huge display of nativity scenes. We thought these were going to be large scale window displays with moving baby Jesuses or something, but it turned out to be a street full of touristy key chains and statues - maybe there were a few small nativities, but it was not what we expected (though that didn't stop us from buying some small gifts - Nancy bartered with the woman and would not back down - no getting taken advantage of on this trip!).
After our first Napolitano pizza (dreamy!), we walked down to the water to check out a castle and see the coastline, but the seering heat and steamy blacktop turned us around. We stopped for a beverage and then headed back to our cool, tiny room for a nap. We slept until 10pm and got up to head back out for - wait for it -- more pizza!!
After a wrong turn and some wandering in Naples at night, we found Starita Pizzeria, famous for fried pizza (pizza fritta) and fried zucchini flowers - sadly we arrived too late for zucchini flowers (è basta!), but we got a table in the back of the packed at midnight ristorante.
Sidenote - we heard so many warnings about crime in Naples and how ugly/dirty the city is and I have to say people couldn't be more wrong. I'm sure there are dangerous parts, but we found the centre area so welcoming - it was cool to see people's tiny apartments right on the busy main streets. The tiny winding, narrow roads with scooters parked everywhere and fish sellers with buckets of seafood, the ancient buildings with fresh laundry hanging from every balcony, the graffiti and street art and religious shrines - everything just so perfectly Italian.
I love the music of the Italian language, but even though I've been taking online lessons from the Duolingo app, I'm not exactly speaking in full sentences. We met a great family at Starita Pizzeria that tried communicating with us - correcting our atrocious pronunciations of words like Puglia, Capri and bicyclette - we at least know how to say pizza (and vino). The grappa drinking father convinced Nancy to sing Oh Sole Mio with him - I think there's a video of it somewhere - and overall they were so sweet and smiley and excited that we were traveling all over their country.
We were too late to take the Metro back to our hotel, so we walked back and stopped for our first really good glass of vino - Barbera? - and finally got back to our hotel around 3am - love that jet lag!
After a night filled with dreams of pizza (Nancy literally talked in her sleep about having another slice and how she will still fit in her seat on the plane - ha!), we visited our dinner friends recommended breakfast (colazione) place near our hotel - a fancy patisserie with beautiful domed ceilings and tiny cups of caffé. We tried the babà (rum soaked mushroom shaped pastry), rustico (ricotta stuffed pastry) and a small pizza margheria (pizza for every meal - check!). We enjoyed the cool morning weather to walk around a bit more and then headed back to the airport for our flight to Bari via Roma where we will take a train to Matera. After some much needed protein in Roma we are standing delayed waiting for our next flight - Napoli pics to come in a separate post (pics are turning out to be difficult to load here). Ciao!!
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