Naples! Our favourite. Getting there from Amalfi was a $300 taxi or a $12 bus and train ride, so we went the public option for our final piece of travel with Paul and Hashie. It all went pretty seamlessly but I have to say leaving Amalfi was genuinely sad, it had been so perfect.
The bus was about and hour and the train about the same, we stacked our luggage up against the window and settled back to cruise along the coast with views of Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius. The station was modern and huge which probably gave us a false sense of security. Maps told us it was a 12 minute walk to our AirBnB so we decided that was achievable and floundered our way over 1000 year old cobbles with 2 and half suitcases, sweating in the 35 degree heat. Probably a mistake.
Anyway, the AirBnB was lovely and quaint, it had a lift most of the way up and came with a free lemon granita.
I’ll start by acknowledging that Naples won’t be for everyone, it’s kind of dirty, kind of rough and a hint intimidating - but despite that, or probably because of it, the place buzzes with an energy unlike any we’ve ever seen. Everyone is hustling, selling, or on their way somewhere. It’s hot, tight, layered with centuries of texture and it’s awesome.
We dumped our things and got out into town to find Pizza. Naples is home, originator and custodian of the ancient art of pizza and takes this all very seriously. Despite this, a Michelin star level pizza costs around $10. We had been googling the best spots and grabbed a table at what we thought was the original (it wasn’t but the pizza was still other worldly) munched our way through a pizza and a spritz and worked out our next steps.
Our two days were basically walking around just living in it, taking photos, drinking and eating and trying to sink as deeply as we could into the vibe of the place. If that’s your thing I could not recommend it more highly.
Also I got a much needed haircut in a place where English was at best talk-see but we made it work! If you’re ever there, it called Barberia Dante Di Antonio Aita - and ask for Hugo ;)
Cloister of Santa Chiara Convent
