Scusami, but you see, back in old Napoli...

Let me begin by saying that I was slightly terrified of going to Naples. It's reputation for theft and dirt/garbage preceded it. Let me also say that we just had the most amazing day EVER, in Naples. And that I only saw garbage on the street once.

We arrived in Naples yesterday afternoon. Our hostel is 15-20 minutes outside of the city, and is very nice. We had enough time to go to the National Archeological Museum, where there are countless frescoes, mosaics, and statues from Pompeii. We saw the famous Alexander Mosaic, as well as the Gabinetto Segreto, literally "secret cabinet" with rated-R art and sculptures from the brothels of Pompeii. After that we had a dinner of, among other things, delicious pizza, although we knew there was better pizza to come.

This morning we got out early and walked to the Palazzo Reale, Naples' Royal Palace. On the way, I found a copy of O Princepe Piccerillo and was deliriously happy, especially since a salesman in one of the bookstores I had checked the previous day laughed at me when I asked for it in Neapolitan. After the Palazzo Reale, we made our way down to the harbor just to ogle at Mount Vesuvius. It's majestic, really. It reminded me of the island of Bali Hi from South Pacific. We briefly saw the Castel dell'Uovo (Egg Castle) which juts out on a little inlet into the sea. Next on our agenda was to find the small bakery which, according to my guidebook, is the birthplace of Sfogliatelle, a pastry that is a Naples specialty. (I don't know how accurate wikipedia's description is, but the picture is similar to what we ate.) It was truly heavenly. It was warm from the oven, crispy and flaky on the outside and gooey on the inside. And topped with powdered sugar. Wow. And that was lunch!

After that, we wandered down a street and came across a bank that housed Caravaggio's last painting. Very fortuitous. We also wandered down to Naples' main cathedral, the Duomo, which also housed the Crypt of San Gennaro. The Duomo was absolutely beautiful. We passed a small limoncello shop, and the man in the store showed us how they made limoncello right in the back. I wouldn't call it a factory, it was much too small, just another area of the main shop. Limoncello is a specialty of this area as well, as are all other lemon-related products, including cooking oil and pasta!

By that point, we had walked all over Naples and were tired and hungry, and seriously in need of some pizza. We found L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele, a pizzeria with an excellent reputation. Naples is, after all, the birthplace of pizza, and we wanted only the best. We had read that people line up around the block for this pizza, but we went in the early evening and there were no crowds, so were able to sit and relax. Between the three of us we ordered one double mozzerella margherita pie, and one marinara pie. For 9 euros and 50 cents all together. Needless to say, it was outstanding. I even think that the marinara pie, just sauce, oregano, oil, and garlic, was better than the mozzerella pie. The ingredients are so simple, and yet, the result is amazing. I may never eat pizza again, because I will never be able to duplicate that experience.

Since we had such a full day, I'm sure I'll realize that I forgot to mention something, but I'll save it for the next post if I do. Tomorrow we leave for the Bay of Naples, and even more beautiful views.