Napoli, Pompei, Mt. Vesuvio, and the Best Pizza in the World!

Naples. We've been here for two-and-a-half days, and it has been quite an experience. We haven't spent much time in Napoli proper because we wanted to see Pompoeii and Mt. Vesuvius, but we've seen quite a lot in our short stay!


Before traveling to Napoli we read several reviews and travel guides about the city, but I was still surprised when we walked out of the train station into Piazza Garibaldi: the city is HUGE and incredibly DIRTY! There is literally trash all over the sidewalks and roads. It's like people have no regard for their city, nor do they have any idea what a trash can is. I read that the trash situation has vastly improved since 2009, but it's hard to believe. I have never seen such a dirty city. It makes me really sad. According to one article I read, the trash situation in Napoli is a result of the mafia and poor government. Apparently, piles and piles of rubbish used to line the streets and overflow garbage cans. Residents even started burning trash in an attempt to get rid of all the rubbish. But, the trash situation is improving. There are no huge piles of rubbish, but the streets are still littered with trash. Even up on Mt. Vesuvius, a national park, the trash was astounding. Truly, it's very sad.

Besides the trash situation, Naples is known for petty crimes. It's not an altogether unsafe city, but pickpockets and scammers are abundant. I can attest to this first hand. Before I get into that story, let me start from the beginning and provide a little background information. When Ian and I arrived at our B&B, Art Suite Principe Umberto, we were told that there was a problem with the client staying in our room and that we would have to be moved to the B&B's sister hotel for one night. Apparently, the client in our room had a sick child, so they couldn't leave. We were very hesitant about having to be moved to another hotel. We'd read horror stories about similar situations. But, the young woman in charge called the other hotel (where they spoke better English) and they explained to us that the move was only for one night, and that the sister hotel was four stars! Our B&B paid for two bus tickets: one to get us to the four star hotel, which was more inside the city, and then another ticket to get us back to the B&B the following morning. They were very accommodating!

We had to ride a very crowded bus with all our luggage (which we paired down to two backpacks and one carryon-size rolling suitcase). As we were getting off the bus roughly 20 people were trying to push their way onto the bus. Ian was pushing me from behind and I was focusing on trying to push my way through the sea of people. I had my purse in my hand, but I wasn't keeping my eye on it like I should have been because there were so many people. We finally pushed our way off the bus and a woman motioned something to Ian, so Ian had me check my purse. The zipper to my purse was half open and my wallet was gone. Ian dropped his backpack and ran after the greasy man who had been standing next to me while exiting the bus. Luckily, the guy was walking very slowly and hadn't gone very far. Ian put his hand around the guy's neck, and after he dug into his pocket to retrieve my wallet, he instantly dropped the wallet on the ground. I am so fortunate that Ian was able to get my wallet back! I feel sheepish telling this story because I tend to always be cautious and overly protective of my belongings on public transportation in big cities, but Naples is entirely different. Later that day, when we were riding the bus to a different part of the city, I noticed that all the women have their purses zipped shut and clutch their bags in front of them at all times. It's against my nature to be constantly on guard and skeptical of people, but in Naples, that's how it goes.


The pickpocketing incident happened early Friday afternoon. We (more like I) tried not to let it ruin the day. It was a learning experience, and I know to be even more careful now. I actually didn't even carry a purse the rest of our stay in Naples. Friday afternoon, after we settled into the amazing four star hotel (it was inside an all-glass palace and completely beautiful! They even had complimentary afternoon snacks and champagne!), we headed to L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele - the first pizza place in Italy. Da Michele opened in 1870 and is known for having created the first pizza. It is also known for having the best pizza in Naples...and Naples has the best pizza in Italy, and Italy has the best pizza in the world. So...perhaps Da Michele has the best pizza in the world?! We waited for roughly an hour to get in...the pizza really is that good! Neapolitan pizza simply cannot be beat. It is amazing! The dough is perfect, the cheese to marinara ratio is perfect, and the pizza comes to the table freshly bubbling from the wood fired oven. Oh man it's good! Besides Da Michele, Ian and I ate at Trianon da ciro dal 1923, another amazing pizza place that has been wood-firing pizza since 1923. And, lastly, we ate at another pizza place today. I don't remember the name of it, but is has been open since 1916 and was the only restaurant we could find open on Sunday. And the pizza was delicious! We've decided not to eat pizza the rest of the trip. I mean, how can we after eating the best pizza in the world?! (Sadly, Ian and I neglected to take pictures of the pizza - we were entirely too focused on consuming *inhaling* our pies!)


We did do more than just eat pizza. We took in the unique sights of Campania. Saturday we visited the ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii. Both cities were destroyed in 79 AD by Mt. Vesuvius. Herculaneum is a much smaller city closer to the bay and further underground. It was amazing to wander the old cobblestone streets and imagine what it must have been like back in 79 AD. There is ongoing restoration and it seems like there is still much more to Herculaneum than has been discovered/uncovered. In contrast, Pompeii is HUGE! I had no idea is would be so big. We were hoping to see all of Pompeii in under two hours and still have time to visit Mt. Vesuvius, but we ended up staying for nearly four hours just exploring the old city. The most amazing part of Pompeii are the casts of the people and animals who were so violently affected by the explosive volcano. They are a very sobering sight. I was also surprised by the interiors of the houses. Beautiful paintings cover the walls and are still intact after all these years. And the baths are just incredible! The technology and ingenuity of these people is astounding. I'm amazed that so much of the city has survived, despite the destruction created by the volcano.


Since we ran out of time to visit Mt. Vesuvius yesterday, we took the metro back down to see the volcano today. I'm so glad we did! We were able to walk around the top of the crater and look into the volcano. Parts of the rock were still steaming! Ian laughed at me because, for some reason, I thought once we were on top of the crater we would be able to look down into a huge pit leading, essentially, to the center of the world. Well, the center of the crater is filled in with dirt. Nevertheless, to imagine what the volcano is capable of is quite humbling. The last eruption was in 1944. It is very much an active volcano. Who knows when it will decide to blow again!

Tomorrow, we leave Naples and take a ferry over to the island of Capri. I'm rather excited to get out of Naples. The city rubs me the wrong way. I'm anticipating Capri will be a nice, romantic get away!