Taking advantage of the long weekend, we took a couple of additional days off and planned a mini-vacation to Italy. Specifically, we visited Naples and Sorrento. Because of the vast amount I have to share, this will need to be a 2 part post. In this first part, we will talk about Naples. Let’s dive right in.
For those of you who haven’t visited Naples before, it is not your average European city. It is a city rich in culture, food and things to do and see. However, it is also overrun with tourists and not particularly clean or modern. There is a fair amount of poverty in the area, which we already knew, but what surprised us was the large amount of panhandlers. They were everywhere, and that to a certain extent might have something to do with Naples’ reputation as an ‘unsafe city’. I should point out here that at no point during our stay did we feel unsafe. As long as you stick to the main neighborhoods and take standard precautions you should be fine.
The pizza and wine in Naples were good, and the sights were even better. We spent most of our time walking around the small streets lined with stores and kiosks selling everything from Italian specialty products to Christmas trinkets. We also took an underground tour of Naples that I highly recommend. It involves going 40 meters underground and visiting ancient Roman aqueducts among other things. There is no elevator and some spaces are tight, so if you are not okay with climbing LOTS of stairs and tight spaces, it might be a good idea to skip this one.
We also took a tour of the ruins of Pompeii, a city that was destroyed by the violent eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD. The city, along with its residents, was covered in 4-6 meters of volcanic ash. I’d highly recommend taking a paid tour instead of going it yourself. While it is a nice place to explore by yourself, there is a lot of information that you will not receive if you go unaccompanied. Our tour lasted 2-3 hours and hit all the highlights. Personally, it was enough for the Honey Bee and I. Nonetheless, there are a lot of people who choose to spend the whole day there. Our favorite sites from the tour were:
- The main street, where you learn about the city’s drainage system, stores, etc.
- The amphitheater
- The plaster casts: This is very interesting. When people and animals died due to the eruption, their bodies were covered in volcanic ash. Over time, as the ash solidified and the bodies decomposed, voids in the shape of their bodies were left in the solidified ash. Archaeologists were able to pour plaster into these gaps and make accurate replicas of the position in which people and animals died. Definitely gives you a certain sense of eeriness.
After Pompeii, we were scheduled to visit Mount Vesuvius to climb the crater for the thrill of standing atop an active volcano and some spectacular views. Vesuvius was in fact the whole reason the trip was planned. Unfortunately though, it was closed off to visitors due to a landslide and it was something that we were unable to do on this visit.
Another one of the highlights of our trip was our brief visit to the Capella Sansevero. While the chapel itself is beautiful, the star of the show is the famous Veiled Christ statue. The statue is a ridiculously real depiction of Christ covered by a transparent shroud carved from the same block of stone as the statue. The intricacy and detail of the sculpture is incredible, making this an absolute must visit.
Because of our limited time here, we weren’t able to see everything, but there are a lot of other hidden treasures you will discover while you explore the little streets and bylanes of the city including plazas, cathedrals, markets, and lots more.
In terms of food, some specialties from the area include fried pizza (which we dared not try), baba (a delicious alcohol soaked spongecake) and limoncello (we’ll get more into this in the Sorrento post).
We had a great time in Naples, and look forward to returning here to get to the top of Mount Vesuvius. For now, let’s move on to Sorrento!
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