Napoli
He who doesn’t love Naples, has yet to learn how to love life”
– Anonymous
This traveller’s tale begins in 1993, on a ‘girls trip’ to Tuscany. We hired a rural farmhouse for a month, our base to go to Florence, Pisa and Lucca.
Two of us travelled to Rome, and wandered the ancient sites of the Eternal City, a couple of twenty something women. I can recall one afternoon with a guy on a scooter. He pulled over, curbside, and made some comment about my hair and my smile. I laughed it off and we walked on. A few minutes later he returned and pulled over by the side of the curb again, yelling out “I can’t stop thinking about you, Bella”.
Yes, the men can be very charming in Italia.
On one journey that summer, we boarded a very crowded train. We walked through a couple of carriages but every seat was taken. In the end we concluded that the best place to wait was in the narrow corridor, with large windows affording us gorgeous views of the countryside.
It was here that we met ‘the brothers’. There were seven on board, of varying ages. Apparently there were another two at home. And then there was an invitation. “Come with us to Napoli”. After more chat we realised that they were sincere in their invitation, along with a promise of their mama’s cooking and a tour of the city.
It was tempting. But after consulting with my friend, her gut told her “no”. After all, we had only just met these seven, young, handsome brothers. Surely we shouldn’t go?!
But what if we had?!
Thirty years on I was finally on a train to Napoli. This time travelling with another handsome man, my husband. And this time I had a seat, on Italy’s super fast service, Italo. We boarded in Torino. The train travels the 712 kms, all the way from the north to the south in about 6 hours.
Napoli. Finally!
The city is much busier than we had imagined, chaotic, with a population of about 5 million. The streets of the city centre are a-buzz; bikes, street traders, traffic and a lot of people.
A highlight was travelling out to Sorrentino Vesuvio wine estate, located in Vesuvio National Park. We walked on the volcanic soil between the vines, enjoying epic views of Vesuvius and the surrounding areas. And with lunch we got to try their wines; Sorrentino Verso Falanghina Vesuvio, Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso as well as some impressive vintage Aglianicos.
We had planned the perfect day in Procida, named Italy’s capital of culture in 2022. Back in the classroom, film students would always ask “what’s your favourite film?” That was always an impossible question to answer, but Il Postino would be amongst my favourites. I’ve wanted to visit Procida ever since I found out that some of the scenes were filmed here.
To cut a long story short, we over-slept and missed the ferry. The next one available was leaving for Capri and we thought, why not? The whole island was a surprise, with picture postcard views at every turn. Blue skies. Very few people, and still off season. Perfetto! Procida remains a pending trip.
Our last couple of days were dominated by street food; slices of pizza, pasticerria and more sfogliatella, the clam shaped pastry, an icon of Naples, with a creamy filling made of cooked semolina, sweetened ricotta, eggs, sugar, milk, and candied citrus peels.
We saw several sides to this vast city during our time there; the busy station area, the more touristy Centro storico, the backstreets of the neighbourhood leading to the port, the peaceful botanical gardens and the more salubrious Lungomare Caracciolo area, with its ancient Castel del Ovo. We took a full week to begin to get know this city.
The saying goes “Vedi Napoli e poi muori!”(see Naples and die), as not much can top its beauty. It was certainly incredibly beautiful in parts, especially along the coast. And there’s more too see.
We know we’ll be back.
©Maggie M / Mother City Time