For a last minute getaway we spent one night in Naples ~ Napoli. The city is everything our village is not - dirty, chaotic & wild, with tons of traffic & maniac drivers. But there is something about it that I love! There is a raw energy to this ancient city that rivals that of New York - it resonates through the food, street music & the unabashed charismatic Napolitani.
We rolled into town on Secondigliano the gritty ghetto & stopped for lunch. Along this garbage filled street we met the friendliest locals (and probably mafioso). Never once did I feel in danger, the ghettos of Italy don't seem to have the same fear-inducing feel of the mean streets of America. The locals were more curious about our dust-covered car - a sure sign we were not from the city than anything else! Once we began talking in our broken Italian the Napolitani lit up & rambled on at a mile a minute. We stumbled through the conversation - happy to be chatting it up with the locals.
It was a mild January night and the warm sea air had settled nicely over the city. The conditions we perfect to re-energize with homemade gelato at Gay Odin where I discovered the best cinnamon, sugar & milk flavored gelato I have ever eaten. Three scoops later, we were winding our way through the Spanish Quarter and happened upon a phenomenal band playing on the street, as the crowd grew so did the speed of the pianist's fingers.
Making our way down via Umberto I, we wove in & out of the crowded streets finally stopping for drinks in Borgo Marinaro, the fisherman's village for overpriced vino with a view. Just as we were leaving the harbor a steady flicker of blue lights caught our eye, the tell-tale sign of a motorcade. In fact, they stopped across the street from us where an enormous crowd had been waiting to catch a glimpse of their favorite soccer players. Juventus was in town & all ages were cheering for the team from Piedmont. (If only I followed soccer...)
Needless to say, after all this excitement we were ready to eat! We decided to try Pizzeria Trianon - the rival to its famous counterpart da Michele. We’ve now eaten at both & they are equally delicious! The next morning at the recommendation of a local we found Pasticceria Attanasio just around the corner from Piazza Garibaldi, packed with hungry locals stopping for their sfogliatelle (pastry stuffed with sweet ricotta) before heading to work. We got in line, ordered one of everything, boxed it up with a pretty ribbon & with that we were back in the car heading home. One night is all we needed to feel the pulse of Napoli pump through our veins. Our friend Giorgi says that Napoli is a country in & of itself, and I totally agree - a dirty, gritty & delicious place to visit!
After a quick search for last minute hotel deals we scored with Grand Hotel Europa for under 50 Euro a night (including breakfast) centrally located near the train station with a parking lot across the street (only 10 Euro/day). I recommend the hotel, not the inedible breakfast.
Ashley Bartner is the Living in Italy Editor for Wandering Educators. You can find her recipes, photos, and more at:
http://www.latavolamarche.com
http://latavolamarche.blogspot.com