Napoli

We slept in and had a late breakfast. It was almost 11am by the time we met Stefano and Charles in the lobby. Fortunately, it was a beautiful day and so we went for a walk. We started by walking up to the Piazza del Plebiscito, an impressive and enormous semi-circular Piazza with the Royal Palace on one side.

Piazza Plebiscito

Then we checked out the Opera house (Teatro San Carlo) and the Galleria Umberto -- a beautiful Belle Époque shopping mall with a 5-story high glass ceiling and glass dome, and lovely marble floors inlaid with mosaics of the astrological signs in the center. We took a peek at the Spanish quarter, and then met Elena at her favorite jewelry store. I was eyeing a ring but it was too big for my finger so I settled on a simple peridot-beaded necklace instead. Finally, we looped back down to the waterfront and back to our hotel to pick up our car. It was time for lunch and Stefano drove us to his favorite sea-food restaurant in Naples, located in Posillipo, right on the water with incredible views. Just a short 5 or 10 minute drive out of the center (or longer depending on the unpredictable nature of traffic in Naples), and it feels as if you are in another world: a tranquil, fishing village with sun-bathers on the rocks.

Vesuvio

The restaurant was Trattoria de Cicciotto, and fresher fish is hard to come by. In fact, it was so fresh we ate it raw. We had a mixed carpaccio plate that included scampi, gamberi, bream and those little tiny fish that are usually fried -- eyeballs and all. Then, to follow the raw antipasti, we enjoyed mussels prepared two different ways, clams, and a whole spigola baked with tomatoes and potatoes. I was in heaven -- the food, the view, the company, the wine -- it was all wonderful.

After our lunch we visited a park called Parco Virgiliano. It was on the top of a cliff and afforded fantastic views of Nisida island, Procida and Ischia. Looking in the other direction, we had a clear view of Mount Vesuvius.

Fausto Coppi
"il Campionissimo"

I came away thinking that Naples is a pretty seaside city; not the stereotypical impression of Naples as a grimey, dirty city with much crime -- but one of beauty and the sea. We drove back down to meet Elena's cousin at the famous grande caffe in Piazza del Plebiscito called Gambrinus. Mario is an archaeologist and a professor at the local university. He agreed to give us a tour, but by the time we'd finished lunch, our time with him was limited. We walked over to the Castel Nuovo and got a brief Napoleonic history lesson. Brief as it was, by the time he had to head for class, I was ready for a nap at the Hotel Vesuvius. In a couple of short hours it would be dinner time again, and I needed to shore up my energy for another Napolitano meal. Josh stayed behind with Stefano in order to check out an exhibit about the Italian cycling hero Fausto Coppi who raced in the 1940's and 50's.

We met Elena and Stefano at Da Umberto in the Chiaia district -- the hip area of Naples for shopping, dining, and bar hopping. I was hard pressed to eat again, but we shared some antipasti including a delicious pizza marinara (lots of garlic). I liked the restaurant and wished I had more of an appetite. After dinner, we strolled along the sea front, back to our hotel.