When I sat down to write about this trip, there was a lot to digest. What should I write about? The pizza? The walking tour in Naples? The magic of Capri? The awesomeness of Rome? The food? The wine? Yes, all of that but what also made this trip so special, along with the spectacular destinations, were the people we met along the way. And I’m going to share them with you so that you can see what I’m talking about. Our first stop was Naples. Throw out whatever you’ve heard about Naples-the crime, the trash, the crumbling city. We loved it. What was the first thing we did when we arrived? Besides take a quick nap, we had to have pizza. The number of pizzerias is astounding! There is one on every corner. If you ask 10 people where to go for their favorite pizza, you’ll get 10 different answers. What’s so special about pizza from Naples? Most people say it’s the water. To have a true Neapolitan pizza it should be labeled D.O.C. which means “denominazaione di origine controllata”. What does that mean? That it is highly regulated by the government. Only two pizzas have that designation, the pizza marinara and the pizza margherita. The marinara pizza was served by fishermens’ wives and the margherita was named in honor of Queen Margherita and was created to evoke the colors of the Italian flag – green (basil leaves), white (mozzerella) and red (tomatoes). It also means that the pizza must be made in a wood burning oven for no longer than 90 seconds, the dough must have the proper ingredients only fresh, all natural, non-processed and that it must be kneaded by hand or by a low-speed mixer with no mechanical dough shaping. There you have it. A true Neapolitan pizza!
After our pizza, we did a little walking through a neighborhood market. Have you seen anyone doing their grocery shopping dressed like this? The women of Italy are in a class by themselves!!
We had a day and a half in Naples and we made full use of our time. On Saturday evening we had dinner at a restaurant that lines the the port. On Sunday morning we met Vicenzio, a guide from Mondo Guide Private Day Tours, who in four hours took us on a walking tour around the city he loves. He knows more about Naples than you could possibly imagine. I could tell you a lot about the churches, the piazzas, the history, but what stood out for me was Vicenzio and his love for the city.
A few things that stood out for me: The coffee bars of Naples. We learned how to drink an espresso in a coffee bar from a real barista. There are a few components to a good cup of espresso. The coffee machine is analog vs. digital. That means a human controls the process which is different than most places in Italy and controlling that process is the true art of being a barista. First the barista has to set the machine just right, brews and then he pours the coffee. Standing at the bar, the espresso is served with a small glass of water. Take a little coffee on your finger and spread it around the rim of the cup, have a sip of water to clear your palate and drink the espresso. If you drink water after the espresso, the barista thinks that something is wrong. This is a picture of an artisan who loves his job. He’s a professional and takes pride in what he does. I should mention that there are no Starbucks in Italy.
Via San Gregorio Armeno – This street is dedicated to everything nativity and is lined with artisian workshops. On this street you can find figurines in all variations, all handmade, including some that you might not expect. The artists have a sense of humor, , i.e “The Boss”. He is God in Italy and played in Naples in a piazza to about 100,000 people. So being that he is god in our house, we had to have a statue of him!
Among the artisians was a man who made beautiful miniatures. This little pig’s head is hand carved from wax. Not only did we buy the little piggy head but we also bought a 4″ (at best) miniature meat cleaver that got confiscated at the airport! Who knew???
Some of the people and sights of Napoli:
A Neapolitan dog walker
One of each, per favore!!
You know how I love street art – here’s a little Neapolitan street art
Street scene:
The port on a Saturday night – 100’s of parked motorbikes. The port is alive and vibrant with restaurants and people walking and enjoying themselves on a beautiful Saturday evening. People were waiting in line to get into restaurants at 11PM! That’s unheard of in Boston. Actually, you can barely get a meal in Boston at 11PM on a Saturday night!!
Pulcinella is from Naples:
So that’s my love letter to Naples, or Napoli. If you’re going to Italy, don’t just pass it by if you’re taking a ferry to one of the islands. Give it a chance. You’ll be happy you did!
Next stop, Capri!
See you at the bar….
