Besides pizza, Napoli is a city that smells of the sea, with roads even more narrow than in Rome, full of laundry and whizzing motorcycles, smelly old men that yell at you in strong Italian accents, wonderful fried food, castles, and a lot of churches. Our hostel was tucked into a little corner besides my favorite church in Napoli, even though it gets no attention and you can't get inside. It's completely abandoned, but has still held on to its terracotta color and the shape of it's exterior carvings. I was quickly intrigued by it because at the top there's a masonic eye (pyramid with the eye in the center), supposedly representing the all seeing eye of the higher power, but quite uncommon to see on churches here. I looked up the church, but nothing came up. Anyway, it was very uplifting to see as we walked in and out of Contrera Hostel during our stay. For our first day in Naples, we basically stayed within what is considered the city historical center, seeing church after church, including the Dome of Napoli, the church that holds the vials of blood of San Gennaro (Naples' patron saint), that's said to miraculously liquefy twice each year. Quite interesting. We also made our way up the Christmas alley, or "Via Saint Gregorio", a street where you can enjoy Christmas year-round thanks to the seasonal props and nativity figures sold there by artisans. That night we took up the very convenient offer at the hostel: buy a drink at the bar and it comes with a pasta dinner. Okay. Pasta and wine it was.
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| Christmas Alley - Via San Gregorio |
The next day it was off to Pompei, to which we took a 40 minute train ride, standing up. It was sufficiently hot too, so it got old pretty fast. But, we arrived as planned, and began our exploration of the streets of the city frozen in time. Now I'm going to be completely honest. The story is fascinating, and what you can see that is obviously still very in tact from all those years ago is very beautiful...the petrified bodies, the ceramics, the stucco paintings, an entire amphitheater...leave you wondering what it would all look like if something like that were to happen in your city. All the while, the Vesuvius volcano follows in the background, bestowing upon you it's capacity of damage and the threat it implies still, after so many years. However after a while, the streets just look like streets, and the run down entrances of houses just look like rocks. It all begins to blend together and without the specific details of what that structure in front of you is, it's downright tiring. So, if you go to Pompei, pay for a tour. Or at least the audio guide. It's a great experience either way, but I think I would have gotten much more out of it with a little more information.
Back in Napoli, we decided to go to the "concert" we had been invited to at the hostel that night, but were quickly informed, after trying some of the food set out at a table, was actually a private party. How gracious. It was our turf though, and we had been invited, so we stayed and ate, and finished our bottle of wine..and ended up being served birthday cake by the birthday girl herself and chatting away with a younger version of Martin Scorsese, glasses and all, cigar tactfully lit. Some Italian guitar music ended the night, reminiscent of being at the beach in Chile, listening to the guitar there, in front of a fire...only not so alone.
Anyhow, the next day was our day to see the coast, the lively and glistening Golfo di Napoli, where cruise-liners harbor, regatta sailboats slide across the water, and local people slowly develop their famous Italian tans in little fishing boats and sprawled over the grey rocks along the bank. Getting there was actually a highlight, since we had to take what is an everyday part of the public transportation system in Naples: the "Funicolare Centrale". I didn't realize before doing so, but Naples is built along a coast with a large slant, so to get to sea level would mean a lot of time and walking. So the funicular did it's very amusing job; lowering us 168 meters, across a 1235 meter distance, basically acting like a downhill subway or train. Definitely a little more modern compared to the little wooden funiculars in Valparaiso. After our descent, we passed through the Galleria Umberto II, where I finally had a warm Svogliatella, oozing with ricotta; then the Royal San Carlo Theater and Palace, Plazza del Plebescito, and finally the Castel del'Ovo, with it's beautiful panoramic view of the city. |
| Funicolare Centrale |
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| Svogliatella |
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| Castel del'Ovo |
It was already getting late, so we made our way back to the historic center for another pizza, this time at Sorbello's (also mind blowing...I almost had two this time), and were on our way back to Rome. The train ride took longer than planned, so we got in around 10, but it was only Saturday, and we had the rest of the long weekend ahead of us. :)
In Rome again, besides resting, making a firm decision to do some intense exercises for the next few weeks, and determinedly studying Italian, I went out with Maria on Sunday to the first mall I've been to, and then for a romantic drink at sunset in Fiumucino, another little coastal town, also where one of the airports is. I didn't see that much of the area, but it seems like it has a lot of potential for summer, to sit and have a slightly sweeter drink in hand. I tried Campari for the first time, and as much as I wanted to like it, I didn't. Just way too bitter. Lemoncello is still trying to win me over too. We'll see.
Tuesday for the "primo di maggio" day off, it was to Lago di Martignano for a barbecue, about 60 kilometers from Rome. I got a taste of the crazy fast Italian driving, as Valerio just nearly spun the car out of control, through the curvy country streets on our way there. The weather didn't really cooperate though- as soon as we got there the drizzle turned into rain- but supplied us with an adventurous and unusual barbecue under a makeshift "tent" of towels tied to trees. The amount of chicken, pork and Italian sausage I ate did make up for the weather, as it did for the protein deficiency I currently had. I also got to be around kids, something I was missing after being surrounded by my fourth graders last semester. Still, after a few hours, little Anna and Gaia (pronounced "Galla"...O sea, gallla! jaja) had both Maria and I ready to go home, and just as the sun came out (isn't that how it always goes), we were on our way back.
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| Valerio, Flavia, Me, Maria |
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| Gaia |
The whole thing made me blissful - it was things like this that I imagined myself doing, with people I would hopefully meet here. So it made so grateful to be living here, with them, who can show me special places like that and allow me into their lives to experience what I think is something so much more Italian than seeing the Colosseum. Nice note to end the weekend with, and after some classes, before I know it.......
It's Friday. And...clearly I'm at home. Haha...but it sounds like a party in the kitchen so I'm off. Maybe there's a bottle of wine opened. Cross your fingers.
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