"Raucous, polluted, unruly, anarchic, deafening and with so many of its majestic historical buildings crumbling, Naples has at least as much in common with Casablanca in Morocco or Egypt's Alexandria on the other side of the Mediterranean as with fellow Mediterranean ports such as Genoa, Marseilles or Barcelona. And like the cities on the other side of the pond, it's glued together by the sheer zest and vitality of its inhabitants." -Lonely Planet's guidebook to Italy
After 36 hours of travelling the dingy streets of Naples were an anticlimactic welcome. From the street, the Hostel of the Sun looked anything but sunny. It is in a tired looking high rise and up seven flights of stairs. But once you open the postcard covered door you discover a traveler's oasis with great character and incredible attention to detail. Everyone is assigned a locker, it boasts free wireless Internet and two guest computers, and comes complete with a complimentary breakfast. English is the main language and the guests are young, hip and mostly American. The receptionist was eager to offer tips on the best pizza joints and draw up a map for a walking tour.
With daylight fading fast we headed straight for the heart of the city. The many churches were closed off by wrought iron gates, hemmed in by crumbling apartments and the stonework covered by graffiti. Apparently, that which is common isn't valued. As we walked on it became clear that this phenomenon wasn't unique to one neighbourhood. Throughout Naples The aisles of history have been converted into grungy bazaars with vendors hawking cheap trinkets and candy. With every step we were harassed by dare devils on vespas. Obviously it was unclear to everyone where the street ended and the sidewalk began.
Despite this, the city does have a certain gritty charm. The people are energetic and outgoing and the streets buzz with activity. Most importantly there is no pretense- the streets are grungy but Naples embraces this. Its historic sites may be worse for wear but it is almost as if the city is saying, this is our history but it is also part of our present and rather than exalt it on a pedestal or lock it away in a glass box, we are going to imbue it with our current character, dilapidated and dysfunctional as that may be. It's not a style that I would pick for my hometown, but it's one I can appreciate.
Still, after several hours of wading through clouds of cigarette smoke, fending off over eager salesmen and weaving through throngs of people, I was ravenously hungry and ready to clothesline the next scooter driver who honked at me. Fortunately for the motorists, we happened upon Pizzaria de Michelle just in time. I recalled that Lonely Planet rates it the best pizza in Italy and we immediately darted inside. The walls are covered with life size portraits of Italian grandmothers but a photo of Julia Roberts sinking her teeth into the pizza hangs discreetly near the open pizza oven. Apparently Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love gives it two thumbs up and the movie filmed a scene here. This pie isn't for the true cheese lovers (although you can order double mozzarella) and it only comes in two variations- margherita and marinara. But the flavour is fabulous- the lightly singed crust manages to be both crispy and doughy, the marinara sauce tastes like tomatoes dress from the vine and the delicate seeds speckle the pizza. It was a thoroughly satisfying end to a hectic day.
This morning we took a day trip to Pompeii- Roman city that was permanently evacuated when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. The buildings and artifacts have been remarkably well preserved by several meters of volcanic ash. Archaeologists estimate that about 2,000 of the 20,000 inhabitants of Pompeii were killed when the weight of the ash caused buildings to collapse or they inhaled the noxious volcanic gases. Their corpses, contorted in the throes of agonising deaths have been reconstructed from plasters molds poured into the ash. The sprawling city measures 30 acres and most of the buildings have been partially preserved, including delicate fresco paintings, wine jars and intricate stone work. We spent several hours meandering through the streets, singing in the amphitheater, sword fighting in the antitheater (miniature Coliseum) and wandering around the ancient market. The empty streets exude the feeling of a ghost town, but while its former occupants have been gone for almost two millenniums there is a unique immediacy about their shadows. It's obvious that many of them rushed out in the midst of their midday meal and you feel a bit like an intruder poking about in someone else's living room when they might come back in and startle you at any moment.
Vesuvius remains an active volcano and just as Los Angeles sits on a precarious earthquake fault line, the densely populated center of modern Naples lies in the shadow of Vesuvius. You have to wonder if we are tempting fate.
After 36 hours of travelling the dingy streets of Naples were an anticlimactic welcome. From the street, the Hostel of the Sun looked anything but sunny. It is in a tired looking high rise and up seven flights of stairs. But once you open the postcard covered door you discover a traveler's oasis with great character and incredible attention to detail. Everyone is assigned a locker, it boasts free wireless Internet and two guest computers, and comes complete with a complimentary breakfast. English is the main language and the guests are young, hip and mostly American. The receptionist was eager to offer tips on the best pizza joints and draw up a map for a walking tour.
With daylight fading fast we headed straight for the heart of the city. The many churches were closed off by wrought iron gates, hemmed in by crumbling apartments and the stonework covered by graffiti. Apparently, that which is common isn't valued. As we walked on it became clear that this phenomenon wasn't unique to one neighbourhood. Throughout Naples The aisles of history have been converted into grungy bazaars with vendors hawking cheap trinkets and candy. With every step we were harassed by dare devils on vespas. Obviously it was unclear to everyone where the street ended and the sidewalk began.
Despite this, the city does have a certain gritty charm. The people are energetic and outgoing and the streets buzz with activity. Most importantly there is no pretense- the streets are grungy but Naples embraces this. Its historic sites may be worse for wear but it is almost as if the city is saying, this is our history but it is also part of our present and rather than exalt it on a pedestal or lock it away in a glass box, we are going to imbue it with our current character, dilapidated and dysfunctional as that may be. It's not a style that I would pick for my hometown, but it's one I can appreciate.
Still, after several hours of wading through clouds of cigarette smoke, fending off over eager salesmen and weaving through throngs of people, I was ravenously hungry and ready to clothesline the next scooter driver who honked at me. Fortunately for the motorists, we happened upon Pizzaria de Michelle just in time. I recalled that Lonely Planet rates it the best pizza in Italy and we immediately darted inside. The walls are covered with life size portraits of Italian grandmothers but a photo of Julia Roberts sinking her teeth into the pizza hangs discreetly near the open pizza oven. Apparently Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love gives it two thumbs up and the movie filmed a scene here. This pie isn't for the true cheese lovers (although you can order double mozzarella) and it only comes in two variations- margherita and marinara. But the flavour is fabulous- the lightly singed crust manages to be both crispy and doughy, the marinara sauce tastes like tomatoes dress from the vine and the delicate seeds speckle the pizza. It was a thoroughly satisfying end to a hectic day.This morning we took a day trip to Pompeii- Roman city that was permanently evacuated when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. The buildings and artifacts have been remarkably well preserved by several meters of volcanic ash. Archaeologists estimate that about 2,000 of the 20,000 inhabitants of Pompeii were killed when the weight of the ash caused buildings to collapse or they inhaled the noxious volcanic gases. Their corpses, contorted in the throes of agonising deaths have been reconstructed from plasters molds poured into the ash. The sprawling city measures 30 acres and most of the buildings have been partially preserved, including delicate fresco paintings, wine jars and intricate stone work. We spent several hours meandering through the streets, singing in the amphitheater, sword fighting in the antitheater (miniature Coliseum) and wandering around the ancient market. The empty streets exude the feeling of a ghost town, but while its former occupants have been gone for almost two millenniums there is a unique immediacy about their shadows. It's obvious that many of them rushed out in the midst of their midday meal and you feel a bit like an intruder poking about in someone else's living room when they might come back in and startle you at any moment.
Vesuvius remains an active volcano and just as Los Angeles sits on a precarious earthquake fault line, the densely populated center of modern Naples lies in the shadow of Vesuvius. You have to wonder if we are tempting fate.
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