Naples Chapter Seven

 Procida, Earthquakes & Reasons to Return 

Rather than making the trip over to the very crowded Isle of Capri, we opted to visit another island in the Bay. There are two.  One is Ischia, famous for its rabbits and other delicious food.  The other is much smaller, and is foremost a fishing village, population a little less than the town we live in here in Shropshire.  Procida (pronounced pro-chee-dah) looks a lot like the Amalfi Coast towns, colourful houses clinging to cliffs.  Big difference:  there are few tourists, and they’re almost all Italian. 

It takes about an hour to reach Procida by ferry from Porta di Massa, the main port in Naples. This is a fun way to travel too.  We had the opportunity to see our neighbourhood Posillipo from the Bay: beautiful.

The pace in Procida is slow and easy.  The food is, again, some of the best seafood one can imagine.

     Have I mentioned the tomatoes? The ones that grow on the slopes of Vesuvius? With all that gorgeous soil?

We had hot and sunny weather the entire month of October, glad of the air conditioning in the flat. Rain was rare but vicious when it fell. 

Now: earthquakes are not really weather but one does hear about “earthquake weather.” About a week before we were scheduled to arrive, Naples had one of its biggest earthquakes in 30 years. And it wasn’t Vesuvius, which was quiet the entire time we were there.  This earthquake was to the east of Naples in Campi Flegrei, one of Italy’s largest Calderas, and only 15 kilometres from our flat.  There were “earthquake swarms'' and lots of talk in the media about the city’s plans for evacuating a lot of people (350,000+).  I consulted with my physicist brothers and they told me the deeper the quake the better.  We saw and felt nothing. 

Campi Flegrei has been back in the news this past week because of another swarm of earthquakes. This from CNN:  “Cracks form in buildings after 150 quakes follow 4.4-magnitude tremor around Campi Flegrei.” People have been evacuated from the houses that were affected.

The last major eruption here occurred in 1538. That one built a mountain in a week.

Having been a 15-year resident of Southern California, and living through three major quakes, I can say that a 4.4 quake is (next to) nothing. But back in 1538, while the seismograph wasn’t yet invented, historians were able to measure the size of the mountain that the eruption created: the 123-metre-tall Mte. Nuovo. In just one week. 

That is definitely significant. 

In spite of the recent seismic activity, we have already planned our Autumn return to Posillipo. There are things we still want to see and do.

The caves of Sejanus, for one. If you've seen I Claudius, you'll know who this guy was. Head of the Praetorian Guards for Tiberius, Sejanus was a power-hungry politico, played in the TV series by Patrick Stewart, our beloved Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek TNG. His villa to the west of Naples is accessible only by walking through a 700-metre tunnel. But apparently, the trek is worth it because the well-preserved ruins have an aspect of the sea that is glorious. At least two other places we missed the first time are the catacombs of San Gennero and the Chapel of Sansevero. We will, of course, be visiting more history with our favourite Guida Turistica, Elisa Cassiani Ingoni. 

We want to find all those wonderful people who flirted with us - the waiters, the taxi drivers, the souvenir hawkers on the promenade, and once again enjoy life like a Neapolitan!

Naples Chapter Six

 On the town

We came to really enjoy careening down the hill on the No. 140 bus from Posillipo to Via Santa Lucia, where we normally began our walks around town. The bus stop is close to the waterside (Lungomare, more of that shortly) and easy walking to many historic and interesting places. Here are just a few of the places we visited:

Castille Nuovo ‒ I took an online course last year, through the Victoria & Albert Museum that covered the art and architecture of the late Gothic and early Renaissance. One of the architectural achievements I learned about was this old fortress castle on the water’s edge in Naples.  This ‘new castle’ was the seat of power in the Kingdom of Naples under King Alfonso V of Aragon.  He added onto the castle after invading the Kingdom and ousting the current rulers from Anjou.  He commemorated this victory by building the castle’s strange and beautiful ‘triumphal entry’. At the same time he also changed his title to King Alfonso I of the Kingdom of Naples, and was responsible for a period of prosperity and cultural flourishing there. Libraries, universities and the arts thrived under his patronage.

But I can’t help but think that the triumphal arch looks a little silly squeezed in there.  What do you think?

That skinny little white bit is the 
Triumphful Arch

The National Archaeological Museum of Naples ‒ Now this is a museum! 

Considering that Naples was an important city in the Ancient Roman Empire, there is much to see here. Greek, Egyptian, Etruscan, prehistoric and protohistoric exhibits . . . no wonder this museum is considered one of the most important archaeological museums in the world!

But of course, I was mostly interested in everything taken from Pompeii.  There are some exquisite mosaics and frescoes.  Two rooms we really wanted to see were closed the day we were there: The house of the Faun and the Secret Room. The house of the Faun exhibit contains most of the exquisite mosaics, frescoes and other decorative items from one of the largest and elaborate private houses in Pompeii. 

The second, well, it’s called the Secret Room for a reason: it’s a large and unique collection of 250 sexually-themed objects, mainly dug out during the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Porno at its Ancient Roman best!

We’re going back to see them both.

The Spanish Quarters ‒ Built to house the armies of the Spanish when they ruled Naples in the 1600s, these cramped quarters in 5- and 6-story buildings are now home to some of Naples’ poorest residents. But the area has its own vibrant culture too.

Too many people!

And it’s where you’ll find the Maradona wall ‒ Maradona, the famous Argentine soccer player, came to play for Naples in the twilight of his career.  He was already in pretty bad shape from drugs and had suspected ties with the local mafia.  But he is one major hero to the Neopolitains because he helped clinch the national football title twice during his time in Naples.  He helped raise the spirits of his adopted citizens by beating the northern clubs of Turin and Milan, historically the more affluent rivals who looked down on the poor southerners.  He was also a hero off the pitch, engaging in activities to support underprivileged children, growing up as he did impoverished in Argentina. 

So. This Wall.  It’s grown into a true tourist mecca.  Terribly crowded with all who want to make the pilgrimage to see their hero.

Mergellina ‒ This neighbourhood has been a prized piece of real estate since before the Roman Empire and certainly during it!  

It includes a small boat harbour (some not small at all. We're talking major yachts) where one might encounter the cat lady (loyally feeding the dozens of feral cats along the breakwater) or sampling freshly shucked oysters from the old couple on the harbour’s edge.  

Lungomare ‒ This is a grand avenue perfect for strolling in the evenings, joining in the passeggiata with the locals.  The passeggiata, a tradition all over Italy, is more than just a walk. It’s a social ritual where people - often with generations of family - take a leisurely walk along the promenades, to socialise, relax and enjoy the evening air. It’s an important part of Italian culture because it reflects a sense of community and the enjoyment of life’s simple pleasures.

Souvenir hawkers also abound, selling gewgaws including keychains with the famous cornicello, a red coral horn symbolising good luck. The good luck part won’t work unless it’s a gift. In other words, you can’t buy good luck. 

This photo hangs in our fave pizza place, Nonna Elena up in Posillipo: it depicts Vesuvius spewing cornicelli. 

Naples Chapter Five

“Excursions” 

I mentioned the chaotic ground operator we endured to and from our day in Pompeii. It was, sadly, the same tour operator who mangled our ‘small bus tour’ along the Amalfi Coast.  Our day consisted of one hour each in Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi, all stunning cliff-side villages looking out on the Mediterranean Sea with the Isle of Capri in the distance.

The guide on this tour had both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking guests.

It was clear she preferred the Spaniards.

And she phoned it in.  Horrible, just horrible.  She wasn’t interested in engaging with us English speakers and her English wasn’t that good anyway.

At each of the three towns we visited, she made a point of saying “you have only one hour to enjoy this town: parking the bus costs us €50 per hour, so don’t be late back to the bus!”

One hour, one town.  Not enough. By a long shot. 

I had studied our little pocket guide and found a special shop in Sorrento that specialises in hand-crafted wood marquetry boxes and music boxes. I visited there with my mother back in 1960. The name of this famous shop is Stinga.  I asked the guide (I use that term generously) if she could point out where the shop was.  She had no time for me and dismissed my question with an “I don’t know:” she was on a mission to guide the group to a place to try the local limoncello.  (Probably gets a cut of anything sold to her group.)

Half-way down the outdoor souk-like shops selling souvenir tat, Scott and I turned back, knowing that the shop we wanted to see was somewhere on the main square.  We couldn’t find it but had a chance to visit some nice shops away from the souvenir tourist traps. And we did buy some pretty linen tea towels.

One hour elapsed and all but a few of us were back at the bus - the late ones were late because of the queue at the public bathroom.

They were chided by the guide. 

Can you tell I didn’t like her?

Let me now step away from my acrimonious memory of that woman to make a positive comment about our bus driver, Genero.  

Boy was he a great driver.   One of those let go and let god bus driver  drivers we loved so much in Naples.  The road along the Amalfi Coast is just plain scary.  Vertical drops on one side, vertical cliffs on the other.  Narrow tunnels and hairpin curves. Genero took them all with quiet confidence.  He was the only reason this trip was worth it.

Back to the tour: Positano and another hour.

There is a little shop at the top of town, just down from the bus parking lot (“One hour! One hour only!”) La Bottega di Brunella is one of the only shops that sells clothes designed and made right in Positano.

I made a beeline and bought a blouse before we sat for a moment in a nice café for a prosecco.

Cliff-hugging Positano

The last stop (“One hour!”) was Amalfi itself. There were many crowds and few welcoming purveyors.

This is where I will interrupt our regular programming and go off on a rant:

The crowds in all of these places are simply unforgivable. These ‘day-tripper’ enablers (the bus tour operators) have ruined these jewels of Italy.  It’s just like Venice. 

The ground operators shovel tourists in and out of town without a thought for supporting the local economy.

Yes, the parking lot owners make a lot of money.  But most of the people on these tours are looking for a selfie and that’s pretty much it.

Over-tourism is a big problem here and in many other Italian destinations.

We felt truly guilty being one of these rubberneckers.

Next time, if there is one, we’ll actually spend days in one of these towns - in a hotel overlooking the sea, enjoying the quietude of the place after all the day-trippers have gone.

A postscript:

I really wanted to visit Stinga, that little wood marquetry shop in Sorrento.  I found their website and had a vicarious visit through their beautiful objects.  I bought an exquisite ‘watch box’ for Scott’s antique watch collection.  And I feel a little better now, knowing we actually added to the local economy in a small way.

Hand crafted watch box from Stinga

Naples Chapter Four

Ancient History

Autumn 1960.  I’m nine years old and the family visits the ruins of the ancient Roman town of Pompeii. 

I have only fragments of memory from that visit, but those fragments are still bright in my mind: a dog writhing in agony.  Well, a plaster cast of what was left of a dog writhing in agony from the poisonous gas that was killing it before the pyroclastic flow engulfed it and vapourised it in an instant on that fateful day in A.D. 79.

The other memory is of the stepping stones crossing many of the narrow streets.  I couldn’t understand how any vehicle could navigate through those streets with all those stones blocking its way.

Sixty three years later, I learn new things, and see Pompeii in a completely different light than I did as a nine-year-old.

The excavation of this incredible window into the life and culture of the Roman Empire has expanded from about 110 acres in 1960 to about 123 today.  Not a lot in 63 years.  

The reason is that the focus has become more of preservation than unearthing. Pompeii is critically fragile.  Much of the wall art (mosaics and frescoes) that adorned many of the richer households,  and most of the relics (kitchen utensils, pottery) now sit in climate controlled rooms in both the Museum of Pompeii and the Archaeological Museum of Naples. 

There is only one human figure (plaster cast) left on-site.  And that’s a copy of the original that sits in a museum.

Pompeii is an extremely popular tourist destination.  Millions visit every year. It can be quite crowded, so we opted for a ‘small bus tour’ of Pompeii and Vesuvius for $50 a person.

It was worth it for only one thing:  Elisa Cassiani Ingoni, Guida Turistica. More of her in a moment.

The tour operator organising the buses was one of the most chaotic ground operators I’ve ever had the misfortune to experience. There was confusion on which bus to board and some people were even told to get off.  

Inexcusable. 

But. Once we arrived at the entrance to this UNESCO World Heritage Site, we were introduced to our English speaking guide for the 90-minute walking tour through the ruins. Elisa was amazing. She was articulate, entertaining and knowledgeable, engaging the entire group of us and answering our questions.

I finally understood those stone stepways across all the streets: the streets themselves acted as open-air sewers, so pedestrians were obliged to use those stones to cross the street unless they wanted to walk in the muck. The builders of the carts and chariots that navigated between those stones were well aware of the precise width and height of them, each of them consistent throughout the town.

I learned that there were more brothels in Pompeii than bakeries. Bakeries were indispensable (only the very rich had kitchens to speak of), so the middle and lower classes counted on take-away meals mostly, including bread.  Considering the number, brothels must have been even more indispensable!

The brothel we briefly visited made it clear this way of life was rough and short: stone beds and reusable condoms made from sheep intestines. Prostitute life started at 13, with a life expectancy of 20.

While Pompeii feels like a tourist attraction - with all the crappy souvenir tat surrounding the entrance - it’s still an amazing look into the past, because it is "the only archaeological site in the world that provides a complete picture of an ancient Roman city," according to Wikipedia.

Well, that and Herculaneum. 

One of the many things that makes it hard to picture what ancient Roman life was like in Pompeii is because the site itself is barren of pretty much anything but the building ruins.

Not so, Herculaneum.

We enjoyed Elisa’s tour so much, we asked her if she would be willing to take us on a private tour to Pompeii’s sister ruin: Herculaneum.

That visit was one of the highlights of our month in Campania.

While Pompeii was first discovered in 1600, Herculaneum wasn’t discovered until the mid eighteenth century. The difference in discovery was in part due to the fact that Pompeii was buried under 13-20 feet of hot ash from the 79 A.D. eruption of Vesuvius.

Herculaneum on the other hand, was buried in up to 65 feet of pyroclastic materials - super hot mud, then lava - ironically preserving wood beams and furniture, food and even human remains. 

It is a stunning sight to see this ancient town with its intact wall mosaics and frescoes, mosaic floors, wooden window jambs and wooden room screens. Even a baby cradle is on display. 

One especially sobering sight is at the former docks of this ancient port. While the sea has moved away from the ancient port town, Herculaneum was once right on the coast. On that fateful day in A.D. 79, many residents gathered at the docks on the water’s edge, hoping to be saved from the impending destruction. 

They weren’t.  

Today, in the open-air stalls along the docks are the bodies of dozens of people who perished. 

We tourists may only view this tragedy from a railed walk overlooking the docks, a fitting way to preserve the solemnity of that tragedy.

I've said little of Elisa, but she was a treat. Her delivery was so good in Pompeii, we wanted her for our own private tour. She’s been a guide for 38 years.  Although she’s a vetted guide for all of Italy, she currently focuses on her Naples home and surrounds. In addition to her native Italian, she speaks French, Spanish, English and Portuguese.  She’s personable and very professional.

We told her we'd be back.  

I recently caught up with Elisa to plan a number of tours to more ancient wonders of Naples on our next trip this autumn.

Mangia Mangia! Bere Bere!

 Naples! 2023 Chapter Three

Italy has a number of names for places to eat, from local pizza joints, to casual dining to in-between dining to more formal restaurants. 

It’s fun to read the Wikipedia entries for the definition of Italian eateries:

Osteria is a casual place where locals used to gather to play cards and drink wine.  It evolved into a place with simple meals and usually no printed menu, serving whatever the cook had on hand that day.

Trattoria is also a casual dining affair with no printed menu where wine is sold by the decanter rather than the bottle.  Trattorias often serve food family style at common tables.

Ristorante is the most formal one, with a wine list, printed menu and upmarket food. Linens on the table, nicely dressed staff.

We had the opportunity to eat at some of the best of all of these.  And a very few that were far from the best.

Here are a few we loved so much we went back again.  And again:

Pruneto 1944  on the Via Posillipo ‒ we came upon this pleasant trattoria on one of our first forays to the west, away from downtown.  We were in search of a supermarket and passed Pruneto 1944 on the way.  On the way back, we stopped at one of their sidewalk tables for lunch.  Strictly an oral menu.  The pizza oven was not yet fired up because it was still too hot to use it during the day.

You have to know my husband to understand how thrilled he was when the waiter, reeling off what was on offer that day, heard ‘sea urchin spaghetti.’ I ordered the fish and tomato linguini.  Both were wonderful.  And the best bruschetta ever to start. Plus deep fried scampi coated in cornflakes on a skewer.  They even offered cold red wine. ( Sadly, looking them up on Trip Adviser, they are permanently closed)

A fenestella ‒ while on a crowded bus back up the hill after a day spent in town, Scott began a conversation with a very nice woman who suggested a restaurant right on the water’s edge in a small enclave called Marechiaro (clear water), just a couple of kilometres from where we live.  The restaurant is right on the sea and the entire length is windows looking across to Capri and to Vesuvius.

    It’s an elegant setting with a view of the Mediterranean, the islands and people bathing in the coves just below us.

Once again the food and wine were superb. I had a langoustine - Italy’s version of lobster. 

We were treated royally by a young and beautiful married couple who waited on us during our lunch. The couple were pleased to have a conversation with Scott in Italian. All four of us enjoyed our time there so much, the couple gave us gifts of an espresso cup and some limoncello shot glasses, made especially for the restaurant. 

Nonna Elena pizzeria Via Posillipo ‒ At first we were sceptical of this place on a nearby corner because it looked uninviting from the outside. We ended up going in because of a time constraint to find an exceptional pizza and yummy pasta. Great hosts once again. The interior was much more elegant than we expected.  And we returned several times after that. Sunday was very popular with the neighbourhood families after morning Mass.

Rosiello via Posillipo ‒ This is another fine example of a ristorante in our neighbourhood.  They offer terrace service overlooking a lush vineyard. The wine served here is made from that vineyard and is tasty indeed. What a beautiful way to spend an afternoon, overlooking the Bay of Naples and watching the sun set while enjoying the balmy evening air.  This restaurant, and many of the others we frequented were not cheap. But the food, especially the seafood, was worth it.

Ristorante Reginella Via Posillipo ‒ this cliff-hugging destination is halfway down the hill toward town, and clearly popular for showing off to your friends.  The food was really great and elegantly served. The outdoor terrace was alive with several large groups, one an extended family celebrating a baptism of a baby girl dressed up in piles of chiffon. The wait staff were accommodating (they seated us on a busy Sunday even though we hadn’t booked a table)  and efficient (when the rain started, they quickly moved an outdoor table in, under the roof for neighbouring diners).

Restaurants in town ‒ Some were better than pretty good.  Some were way over-rated, mostly by the ego of the manager or owner.

Attori e spettatori (Actors & spectators) 👎Via San Lucia ‒ This restaurant displays across the front of the building in confidently large letters, in English: ‘The Best Restaurant in Naples.’ 

It isn’t. We sat down for lunch and ordered an expensive first and second course. They brought us beautiful bruschetta  while we waited for our first course. A threesome arrived a few moments later. They were dressed in black leathers with major bling, all tatted up. The woman had what we call duck lips. (We learned in Rome that the Italians call those puffed up lips ‘chicken’s ass’).  The manager was either a friend or a fan of the three, and fawned all over them. In fact, the waiters delivered our first course to them by mistake, passing us by on their way to impress the other table. We ended up waiting another 1/2 hour for our first course. We were invisible. And will be from now on - not coming back. 

Ristorante Antichi Sapori 👍 right across Via Santa Lucia from the above ‒ Not as fancy schmancy, but the locals like to eat here and the service is much better. The food is solid trattoria and better than average pizza. We came back often.

Pizzeria Salvo 👎Riviera di Chiaia ‒ we tried this place because of its reputation for the best pizza in Naples. It wasn’t.  It’s a clear tourist trap and the wait staff is indifferent. 

50 Kalò 👍Piazza Sannazzaro ‒ Now this place does have one of the best pizzas in Naples. You can’t book a table and have to stand outside in a queue to get in.

It’s worth it. They have a great selection of beers and our veteran waiter enjoyed joking with us and talking to Scott in Italian. It’s one of only six pizzerias in Italy’s Michelin Guide. They are famous, and they deserve their reputation.  

Gino Sorbillo Lievito Madre al Mare 👍Via Partenope ‒ this is a giant open-air pizzeria situated along the waterfront. A great place to watch people and the food is pretty good too. Excellent service and the toilets are very clean!

Rosolino Ristorante  Via Nazario Sauro ‒ this small but elegant waterside eatery is just around the corner from Gino Sorbillo seafood. The pasta was good but the food in general was inconsistent. It was our first lunch in Naples. Scott wants me to mention that the staff are all beautiful women. 🥱

Bechamel 👍Via Enrico Pessina ‒ a very small but really decent food; it’s kitty corner from the Archaeological Museum of Naples and a good place to eat after visiting the Museum.

Now. There were two, most important haunts during our month in Naples: These were visited almost daily:  

The term bar in Italian is a bit of a misnomer.  It means a place where one usually stands with a coffee and pastry in the morning, and later in the afternoon, a glass of wine or beer. Some offer an aperitivo,  a small plate of antipasti or more often a bowl of potato chips. 

We discovered Bar Posillipo on our first full day in Naples, it being at the top of our long trek up the hill to Via Posillipo where we’d catch the bus each day. 

Bar Posillipo has a couple of outdoor tall tables under umbrellas to protect from the sun or the occasional rainfall.  We’d almost always stop here after a day down in the city.  

It is the perfect place to sit and watch the world go by.  Scooters, cars, buses, pedestrians.  Neighbouring vendors would come for espressos to go, or they’d stand at the bar inside for a quick espresso pick-me-up. The butcher, the green grocer ladies, the fish monger … we’d say hello to them all and we were their daily customers too.

The bar staff got to know us well and were truly impressed by Scott’s command of Italian.  They loved talking to him! 

I loved listening while I enjoyed my prosecco.

Once we took some friends there in the late morning. When they went inside to order,  they ordered me a cappuccino. The waiter very earnestly said, ‘She doesn’t drink anything but prosecco.’ 

We became friendly with the owner, our hostess, Annamaria. On our last day there, we promised we’d be back.  

One other bar we liked to frequent:  Bar Maschiera, an open-air affair with low stools and tables under umbrellas.  If it was raining, they weren’t open. This was a ten minute walk west along via Posillipo.  It sits at the top of a long pedestrian walkway down to the seaside ristorante: ’ A fenestella, mentioned above.         Bar Maschiera does not sell breakfast pastries but they do offer the odd cocktail, Aperol Spritz for example. Scott was in love with Antonella, one of the bar keeps. We made a point of stopping there every time we had a table at the restaurants in that neighbourhood. The owner of the place also enjoyed talking to Scott in Italian.  He even presented us with notebooks he had made up with his bar’ logo.  It came nicely packaged in a white jacket and with a red placeholder ribbon inside. (We thought it might have been a bible at first. !)

We really look forward to returning to all of these wonderful places this autumn!