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Surprised you're downvoted, but perhaps it's tangental to the discussion. It's also the weekend, so eh.. :) My personal biggest takeaway from Naples was a ques
by et-al 9y ago
Surprised you're downvoted, but perhaps it's tangental to the discussion. It's also the weekend, so eh.. :)
My personal biggest takeaway from Naples was a question of what happened between Italy and America that the food lost something. This is probably true of all cuisines that migrate to new countries and don't have access to their original ingredients. After Naples and Amalfi, I became that annoying friend that comes back from Italy and raves about how great the food was over there.
In terms of sightseeing, the things I still remember a few years later:
- Madre is a great contemporary art museum there and they were featuring lots of Italian artists when we went
- We really enjoyed the Piazza Bellini neighborhood both during the day at night. There's an art school there and it just has a really good vibe. At night it's also a popular spot.
- We did two underground tours of their cisterns. The one that meets in front of Caffè Gambrinus [0] feels more grassroots (like a couple folks who do this as a weekend hobby) and hopefully your group will only have 2-6 people. The larger one is at Via dei Tribunali. This one has a more corporate feel as tour guides are seasonal staff that know how to speak English. The sights are more stunning here, though.
- We rode the funicular up to Vomero in the west which is a wealthier neighborhood, hung out in the park there, then climbed up to Castel Sant'Elmo. Poked around its lovely courtyards and art collection, and walked down the backside while enjoying the view
- Pizza. Pizza. Pizza. Lots of blogs have written about this. Get there early, otherwise don't go at all because you'll waste half your day waiting.
Lastly, you're in the middle of everything. Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii are right there. Or take a ferry to Sorrento and explore the Amalfi Coast. The only thing is that it's super popular in the summer, so you'll need take in consideration dealing with the other tourists and higher prices.
[0] Gambrinus - http://www.lanapolisotterranea.it/orari_ing.htm http://www.lanapolisotterranea.it/orari_ing.htm