Day 1 - Naples

Arrived in Naples! We're jetlagged and tired from travel, but excited to be here. Italian espresso will come in handy.

From the airport, we tried to go get lunch at L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele as we were early for our 2pm Airbnb check-in. When we showed up, there were tons of people outside, possibly in some unorganized lines. Dave was getting hangry, but unfortunately it seemed like that wait would just be too long. Being close to check-in time, we decided to head to the Airbnb and try our hand later at Lunch.

The Airbnb is perfect! It is really in the bustling part of Naples. Our street is always full of chachka shops and Italian grandma's screaming at you to buy their pizza and pasta. Upon arrival, we unpacked our backpacks and freshened up after the long night of travel. We then decided to try one of the other pizza places that was on our Airbnb host's recommended list, Pizzeria Di Matteo. Upon arrival, it seemed like it was just an outdoor counter serve place. We ordered a couple of mushroom pizzas, but after waiting for a few minutes we were unsure if that order was heard or placed and we saw others going inside. We asked if we could go inside, were invited in and walked through a room with only employees to a tiny winding staircase up to the seating area. The pizza was DELICIOUS! Dave was happily reunited with a real neopolitan-style pizza and I got to try one from the source for the first time. We ended up with a mozzarella di bufalo pizza and a prosciutto pizza, both phenomenal (Dave's fav = di bufalo, my fav = prosciutto). And finished off lunch with some Limoncello.

After lunch, we went nearby to look at the Complesso Monumentale Donnaregina - Museo Diocesano di Napoli, a museum spanning both the 14th century church of Donnaregina Vecchia and the 17th century church of Donnaregina Nuova. Even though it said online they close at 7:30, we were bummed when we showed up at 4:15 to be told they close at 4:30 and the last tickets are sold at 4. But even without museum admittance, from right inside the door, we still got to see the overall breathtaking appearance of the inside of one of the churches, filled with beautiful artwork and ornate detailing. But alas, on to the Museo Capodimonte.

The Museo Capodimonte was a 30 minute walk through residential streets of Italy and up quite a steep hill (the entire time we were very excited for the much easier downhill walk coming home!). You also learn very quickly the lack of law and order in the city. Streets are thin and winding, but there are never one way signs or street lights. And there certainly weren't sidewalks on our route. So we walked mostly single file, doing our best not to be hit by one of the many motorcycles or small cars that sped by. But at last we made it. The museum is located inside a striking palace with great views of the city, given its hillside location. While buying tickets (2 Euros each instead of 10 since we're under 25!), we were told that they close in 20 minutes. It was around 5 and Google said they close at 7:30, but it was now obvious that people just sort of run on their own time here. We decided for 2 Euros it was certainly worth it to do a quick walk through at least some of the massive museum. But unsurprisingly, come 5:30, 5:45, and then even 6pm, we were not asked to leave and there were still many people walking through the museum. It didn't even seem to have closed when we found an exit at 6:15. We enjoyed seeing part of the huge collection of art (we started on the 3rd floor, made our way down to the 2nd, and didn't have any time to even start on the 1st!). We saw works by Titian, El Greco, Raphael, Caravaggio, Bellini, and other Italian greats. We then sat out and enjoyed the stunning view of the city, before working our way back to the Airbnb.

Dave had made our dinner reservation before the trip for 8pm. We still had a little time so decided to grab a drink at a wine bar nearby. Dave got a Peroni and I decided it was time to try my first Negroni. After drinks and some light bar snacks, we went to our dinner. Recommended by our host, Trattoria C'era Una Volta was located down a small alley and away from the hustle and bustle. Immediately we could tell that we were the only non-Italians in the small restaurant... a good sign! We ordered a pasta with mussels, and a grilled squid dish as this place is praised for their seafood dishes. While we were waiting for food, a guy came in with a tambourine and serenaded the restaurant for about 10 minutes. The food was once again phenomenal (Dave now has me sold on his conviction that Naples is the food capital of Italy). On the way home from dinner, we stopped to grab shampoo and some other goodies at a local market. Then home to rest up before another tiring and eventful day tomorrow!Read more