New Neighbourhoods

 Scott was on a mission to find some espadrilles for the summer, and so he researched the best area for shopping in Naples.

At first we decided on Via Toledo, down near the Spanish Quarters because there were lots of shops and familiar brands. 

But then he looked a little more and found a new neighbourhood up one of the many funiculars that transport people up the many hills in town. We could take our fave 140 bus down to the bandstand in the Villa Comunale then walk up the hill to the funicular to a street called Via Scarlatti. 

The Bandshell at the Villa Comunale, where
we alight from the No. 140 bus to catch the
funicular up the hill

Our advisor, Anna Maria at Bar Posillipo agreed that Via Scarlatti is infinitely better than trying to navigate Via Toledo because the former is not a place where tourists gather.

Walking up the skinny streets perpendicular to the main roads going into town is a bit tricky: we have to share the road with cars and motorbikes and other people. The good news is that everyone drives pretty slowly so as not to run anyone down.

Interesting little shops and cafes.  Shops selling Pope Francis bobbleheads (!). Fabric shops, antiques and fripperies. 

Walking toward Via Scarlatti on Via Bernini, we stopped into a shop that was clearly for the upper class where Scott found a very nice pair of suede espadrilles. We also found a Zara where he was pleased to find two pairs of linen trousers.  Now he’s set for Palermo and Rome!

Me - not so much.  Italian fashion is pretty much for slim women.  BUT, there was a Marina Rinaldi shop on the same street, where I was able to find my size. I love MR because mine is often the smallest size they carry.  For instance: I bought this nifty outfit at a Marina Rinaldi in Turin last year. 

My first Marina Rinaldi outfit

When the ladies in the shop asked if I’d been to other MR shops I was able to boast that yes, Turin, Paris, even London!

Scott also found a couple of restaurants in the area.  We chose Senora Bettola for lunch one afternoon.  Jackpot! No menus in English, no English speakers eating.  One long table for 20 elderly friends enjoying a reunion. We were there early and by the time we left, the place was jam-packed with tables full of multi generational families.  I was happy that Scott could speak easily to the waiters - they appreciated it too.

Near the end of our time in Naples, Scott discovered another way to get to the top of our neighbourhood of Posillipo and Via Scarlatti.  We could take our 140 bus the other way then transfer to the C31 that took another set of switchbacks along the back of the hill.  We saw the Diego Armando Maradona Football Stadium - quite an arena.  It took about the same time as going down then walking up to the funicular, but more fun.  And we didn’t get rained on like we would have on this rainy day.

On our last day in Naples we took a taxi down to the Grand Hotel Vesuvio, where we spent about six hours before boarding the ferry. The taxi driver didn’t like the queues of cars descending down Via Posillipo.  When we came to a dead stop, he decided to take a different route and made a U Turn back up about half a kilometre and turned onto one of those skinny little, one-way streets.  It was a series of perhaps a dozen switchbacks, up up up until we were at the top of the hill again, with a faster way down to where the traffic was just coming out at the bottom.  

We may not have gotten to the hotel any quicker, but the ride was really fun. There’s a reason almost all the cars one sees in Naples have some dents!

Our last meal in Naples was fantastic.  The restaurant at the top of Hotel Vesuvio is called Caruso, after the famous Italian tenor who loved to stay at this hotel. Our meal was exquisite.  I started with a beef tartare that matched what I saw looking out the window:

The sun over Vesuvius - beef tartare

It was as much fun to eat as it was to look at it.  The next course was a veal cheek on a bed of mash potato with a red wine sauce.  My god.

What a way to end our stay in our favourite city in Italy. We’ll be back to celebrate my 75th next year.  For an entire month.