So I booked Naples for a later time due to what happened in Milan. This meant I got to sleep in til 7 and that was pretty great. Afterwards I went on a nice little jog and then made myself an awesome semi-American breakfast (eggs and a pastrie). Then I cleaned up my apartment a little and got ready to go. I was planking on staying in Naples and then going on to Sicily so that meant I was going to be packing a good amount. So I packed and I never have enough socks, such I tried some extreme ways to dry my socks (they failed) and then packed them anyway. Then I was off to the train station. I got there with plenty of time (in fact, I was 15 minutes early and my train was 15 minutes late) and got to board and hang out for a bit. A nice Italian couple with a little baby girl sat across from me; she was really loud but very cute and funny. At first the weather looked very bleak and it was supposed to rain the whole time I was in Naples and I dreaded the thought of it. Although it got pleasantly very sunny as I moved more South. I would be lying of I said I didn't stare out the window at the landscape most of the time. I've been to Italy three times but never Southern Italy. The farthest South I've been is a small town called Chieti where my family is from, but even that is only a little South of Rome. That was the main reason I decided on Naples (I wanted to see the South). The trees were almost all palm trees and the views!!! Oh the views were like straight from a book. I stared out the window almost the whole time:
Then I hit Naples. Naples is the third biggest city in Italy. The only things I had heard about Naples was that it was where pizza was created, the mob owned it, the police were corrupt, and it was stunningly beautiful. I had high hopes for Naples. I was expecting a city like Miami, Florida, with palm trees almost everywhere and beautiful Italians everywhere. It's safe to say I was disappointed. The city was not quite up to my expectations:
As soon as I got off the train I got a slice of pizza, cause you have to try pizza in Napoli. It was really really good. The tomato was so fresh, it was incredible. This dog I at first thought was dead and I was the only one to stop and stare at it like an idiot until I realized it was breathing. Then the owner came out from a pizzeria and the dog popped right up and walked with him. The dogs here are too well behaved. It's almost scary:
As soon as I got off the train I went to the info desk and got a map. Unlike the map I had recieved in Milan, this map was terrible. I had 2 recommendations from AIFS for hostels and the addresses were under the names with the closest metro stop under each. I was able to find the metro stops for each but not the road. My Italian is not good enough for me to wander around and try to find these streets. The map just wasn't detailed enough and that frustrated me unbelievably. So eventually a guy told me a cheap hotel to stay at although after he showed me what it was he followed me around asking for a tip. Luckily all I had was a Euro on me in cash and after that he left. Did I mention all this happened in less than 15 minutes of me getting off the train? So the hotel was a 2 star place and 30 Euros for the night, which I didn't think was so bad because the hostel I was going to stay at was 18 Euros and this way I got my own room and my own bathroom. At first my credit card didn't work in their machine so I headed to the ATM and paid them cash. To be honest I really wished I had found the hostel and stayed in that. I would've met other young travelers and I wouldn't have been so lonely which it was pretty lonely. Also the hotel was located right next to the train station which is one of the crappiest places in town as I later found out. So I explored. The first thing recommended for me to see was the Duomo. So I headed in the direction I thought was best to find the Duomo. I went through a very terrible part of town. I mean it was ugly. Everywhere people were trying to sell me used iPods and used iPads or lighters. Beggars were everywhere and so many people just stood around. It was like 2 p.m. on a Thursday. Don't these people have jobs? There was trash and graffiti everywhere:
Once I turned on the Duomo street things got better. There were actually trees on this road and there were at least 10 wedding dress shops that I passed on this street:
The cathedral here was nothing on the outside. I mean it was still very pretty on the outside and I would love to go to such a beautiful church every week at home. But when you compare it to the other cathedrals outside appearance, it almost looked plain and weak:
The inside couldn't have been anymore different. The inside was amazing! More beautiful than the inside of any other church I've been to yet. The whole city might be trashy and disgusting but the inside of the cathedral was worth it. Even though the basilica part was closed the rest of it was grand. This is the side chapel, like literally just a branch if the cathedral and it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen:
The rest of the Duomo was great as well and there was only one security guard throughout the whole thing, which was nice. In Milan there was at least 10 soldiers walking around patrolling the cathedral. This place was also very easy to pray at. Even though it was very large (I know it looked small on the outside but it was really large on the inside) it had a nice, warm, cozy feeling about it and I loved it:
It was a nice place. So I turned left out if the Cathedral and walked diwn where my map said the harbor would be. I had heard that the mountains with the bay in front of it was quite a spectacle that everyone should enjoy. I could even see water as I walked down the hill the Duomo was on. I hit this nice travel circle and continued on towards the water:
It turns out I couldn't see any of the water from my location. And I walked. A lot. Thoroughly disappointed I confined to walk and there was just tons of trash everywhere. I was delighted to see that even though it was February these plants were still green and growing. Then again it was 65 degrees and sunny while I was there (I would've taken off my jacket but then people would've thought I was insane, most of the people looked like they were traveling into the arctic although they did look very stylish doing it:
Just walking by where the water should be, but it's blocked by the Port fence and equiemt so I didn't see a thing. Just these stupid ugly buildings:
Then over the fence I get a nice view of the Mountains:
After the walk (at this point I've decided I hate Naples and can't wait to get back to beautiful Florence) I stop at the hotel and take advantage of the wifi, then I'm off on another walk. This time I take the receptionist advice and head off down the main road. It's very commercialized and much prettier. I realize then that I should probably stick to this road the whole time. Also the receptionist showed me where the historical district was and I made a nice stop there where I found this bad boy:
Apparently Italians like to sit around this and drink beer and socialize, which I thought seemed pretty cool. Unfortunately I had no beer and no one to socialize with so I kept going:
There was another one if these things:
After passing a kebab shop which included me seeing and smelling the food coming out I decided to stop for a kebab. It was cheap and delicious. Then I stopped by a piazza at the end if the main road that was very stylish (Corso Umberto for anyone visiting):
A rather small but pretty church.
This was piazza Dante, which is around where the hostel I was going to stay at was. I became very unhappy at this point that I did not find the hostel because then I would've been near the center if everything! :
A nice little Fontana (fountain):
On my way home I saw a bunch of places where Italians were sitting watching the T.V. I went in to see what they were doing and Napoli was playing Swansea in soccer. This might have been an English pub but everyone spoke Italian and they were really into the game. I got my five Euro beer just like everyone else and stood and watched the match. The game was tied 1-1 when I got there and there were 20 minutes left in regular time. Napoli scored a goal with five minutes left in regulation and the place went crazy. Even a few people patted me on the back even though it took me 10 minutes to realize Napoli was the yellow team. Then 3 minutes into extra time Napoli scored again and the game was over. They got sooo excited:
After the match I went back to the hotel to grab some sleep. Just as I reached my room, it started pouring (how blessed was I?). The next morning I was up a little before 7 and went out for a run. I saw some really great sights:
Then I headed back to the hotel. I showered and booked a seat for a train to Bari. Unfortunately the train left from Caserta. So I had to take a 2 o'clock train to Caserta and then a 4 o'clock train to Bari and arrive there at 6. So I had done time to kill in Naples. So I walked down the Umberto again, stopped at a cafe for a croissant and caffe latte, and walked by the new castle and the palace. I didn't take any pictures because I wanted my phone to charge in the hotel room. Then I came back and checked out around 11:30. After that I headed to a cheap restaurant near my hotel. I was very fortunate that it was in the 60s and sunny both days that I was there because honestly it was supposed to rain both days. About 10 minutes after I got there it started pouring outside.They served me two of these little fried things first and they were really really good:
Then as my primo I got Spaghetti alla carbonara, which is like fried egg, cheese, and ham. Also Spaghetti is from Naples so it was a traditional dish and pretty good:
After, I got an espresso to finish up my meal like a normal Italian. Then I was headed off to the train station (which was only 5 minutes away but I had over a half-hour before my train left). I got a good seat and was in Caserta in an hour:
My segundo dish was a grilled sausage and spinach. It is not a traditional dish of Naples but I didn't know what was and I ordered this because I knew what it was in Italian. It was pretty tasty:
So now I am in Caserta's train station on a bench waiting for my train so I can go to Bari while it is pouring outside. While that might sound terrible to some people I just think about how lucky I really am to be here right now and how many people would love to be in my shows right now. I am very fortunate:
But in conclusion Naples can be a nice place if you go to the right parts. I personally do not think I would ever like to go back although if people stayed on the good parts of town they might truly enjoy themselves. I did also happen to go during the down season so maybe it's different with more tourists. I also didn't buy a metro pass and I went by myself. That could make me biased. The South is very very different from the North.All in all I think everyone should give Naples a chance. Like one day - not one week.
