Downtown Naples

I couldn't have done it without my tour guide/navigator, Melissa, but I did it--I finally drove off-base in Italy! It was only about 10 minutes each way to and from the Aversa train station, but it's a start!

We were on our way to explore downtown Naples (complete with friendly nationals willing to smile and wave for my random photos), which I still hadn't seen in the eight weeks we've been here. So, we parked the Pilot in a big lot, bought our tickets for each way at one train station and walked the three blocks to the correct train station. We hopped on board and began our smooth journey into Naples! (With walking time and waiting time between trains, it probably took about 1 1/2 hours to go the 30 miles to Naples, but 10 minutes was all I was willing to drive for a first try!)

I was glad to learn Melissa also likes to go "by the book" when it comes to tourist recommendations, and she'd even brought a useful book. So, after our train ride, we wandered into a coffee shop mentioned in her tour book, since it was right across from the station. We bought our ticket for "un cafe" (an espresso) for 80 Euro cents (about a buck) from the cashier, edged our way up to the counter, plunked down the ticket plus an extra 20 Euro cents as a tip, and answered an emphatic "si" when asked if we'd like sugar in our espresso. After chugging it down in about two sips, we chased it with the glass of sparkling water that was provided. After no more than 10 minutes, we were on our way to see some sights. Truthfully, it felt noticeably weird to be done so quick, having bought into the Starbucks strategic marketing plan to linger and savor your coffee...but then again, an Italian espresso is a fraction of the size and cost of a Starbucks espresso drink, so we moved on to put our jolt of caffeine to good use.

We walked down near the port of Naples, first stopping in the Galleria Umberto shopping arcade. It forms the shape of a cross, its roof is made of glass, and its floor is an impressive mosaic of the zodiac. Since all the Norwood women are Scorpios, I only snapped this one.

Then we caught a glimpse of Castle Nuovo from across the street, saving a visit there for another day. We meandered on (chuckling at the international toilet flag) by way of the Opera House, each of us vowing to see an opera while living in Italy. We ended up at Gran Caffe Gambrinus, a famous historical coffee bar, where we just had to partake in our second espresso of the morning (only the third espresso of my life).

After that, we geared up for a trek across town to find some famous Neapolitan pizza. The guide book recommended L'antica Pizzeria "da Michele", where Julia Roberts ate in the movie Eat, Pray, Love. But since it was already 2pm, the 50+people standing outside sealed the deal for Trianon (also in the guidebook) across the street. Not a disappointment in the least, it was most certainly the best pizza I've had yet! Now to bring Brian and the girls downtown...maybe once it cools off a bit.