Naples, Pompeii, & Amalfi Coast
If you are looking for luxury, you won't find it in Naples. If you are looking for angry Italians, insane traffic, narrow dirty streets, and pizza so good it will change your outlook on life, you will find all of that in Naples.
Any article about Naples will invariably mention food and the mafia; for good reason, Naples is arguably the culinary capital of Italy or at least the southern half of the country. Making much of this food is most likely some guy directly or indirectly employed by the mafia. However, this is somewhat of a taboo subject there so you just sit back and enjoy that slice of pizza with a glass of wine not worrying about who cooked it - it's just good and that's all there is to care about.
Not only is Naples known as the city that invented pizza, it is also home to some of Italy’s best street food. Most pizzerias will have a little window facing the street where some very happy or very angry Italian (there is no inbetween) will sell all sorts of deep fried finger food to passersby. From aranchini to fried zucchini blossoms and fried noodle balls, this too is all very, very good.
One can only survive in Naples for so long before needing to get out and explore the famed Amalfi Coast which has been staring at you from across the bay taunting you with its legendary beauty while you are still standing in Naples stuffing your face with pizza.
Mount Vesuvius in the center background, Sorrento across the bay on the right.
A quick ferry trip in a boat full of cigar smoking Italians and you are greeted by the stunning cliffside town of Sorrento. This town itself is pretty enough to make the trip worth it but only a second quick ferry away is the island of Capri and the jewel of the Amalfi Coast - Positano. Unfortunately I did not have time to visit all of these places so I settled on spending the day on the beach of Positano enjoying the warm waters of the Medditereanean while taking in the view of the colorful houses climbing the cliffs of Positano.
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, so after I finished indulging in copious amounts of fresh seafood and pasta at a beach side cafe, I took the ferry back to Sorrento which in classic Italian flare was late by 40 minutes making me miss my ferry (the last ferry of the day) to Naples. Instead, I got to experience a ride on supposedly the most pick-pocket prevalent train in all of Europe. Although nothing was stolen from me, I will die a happy man if I never have to take that train again.
Situated somewhat between Naples and the Amalfi coast is the fabled ancient city of Pompeii. For those who skipped history class, Pompeii is the city that was wiped off the map when nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. virtually covering the entire city in ash, preserving it, and its citizens for centuries until it was rediscovered in 1748. Today it is one of the oldest and largest active archaeological sites on the planet with still less than half of it uncovered to date. I have to be honest, it was interesting to see, but for some reason I was a little disappointed. Maybe I had to many glasses of limoncello at lunch and was just tired, but I had a different image of the place in my mind. For starters, this site definitely suffers from the unfortunate epidemic of overtourism. Bus load after bus load of Chinese tourists or retired old Americans crowded the place and did not respect what it was - many were touching things or walking on things they should not have as it is still an active archaeological site. Further more, I expected to see more human remains as well as actual artifacts in the homes, but most of it had been removed over the years. Maybe that’s a little morbid of me to want to see some skeletons, but I’m just being honest. However, don’t let this review deter anyone from visiting; it is still worth seeing at least once in your life.
As frustrating as Italy can be, it has such a unique charm and will always have a special place in my heart and stomach. It was good to be back for a second time during the summer of 2018 and in order to fulfill a promise to a good friend, I will be back before I know it, eating my way through the country once again.
