NAPLES!

7/27/2017

NAPLES!

Our recent trip to Southern Italy started and ended in Naples. We'll admit we didn't give Naples nearly as much time as it deserved; we had a problem with our connecting flight through Paris and ended up with an unplanned, 12-hour layover, which meant we lost the entire first day of our vacation that was dedicated to this city. We managed to walk around the Santa Lucia area located by our hotel, eat pizza, and visit the archaeological museum with the little time we had between transfers, but we ultimately had to forgo most of the historic center.

We'll also admit we read some unflattering stories about Naples before our visit and weren't sure exactly what to expect here. Sure, the city is a bit gritty, but we never felt unsafe. The language barrier, though, was a bit more difficult here, and yes, a bit intimidating despite how nice the people were to us. We learned here that maybe our Italian needs some work, and the confidence we gained in Milan might not extend to other locations.

Naples, you were an interesting experience!

Accommodations: Rex Lifestyle Hotel; Hotel San Francesco al Monte

Adventures: Santa Lucia, Castel dell'Ovo, Piazza del Plebiscito, Castel Nuovo, funicular railway, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (National Archaeological Museum)

Takeaways: 1) Having a confirmed flight reservation doesn't always mean your reservation exists. 2) Naples is less touristy than Rome or Milan. 3) We need to work on our Italian. 4) The view of the city from the hill districts is worth the climb or cable car ride. 5) There are less artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum on display at the museum than we expected.

Memorable Moments: 1) Strolling around Santa Lucia. 2) Attempting to order and pay for pizza. 3) Checking out the Secret Cabinet at the archaeological museum.

Foodstuff: Neapolitan pizza. Enough said.

[Pasta, seafood, and pastries are supposedly good here, too.]