We Went to Napoli
The "new city" has a new, special place in my heart
When my partner and I were first planning this vacation, I was not sold on Napoli. We live in a bustling city and I was looking for a serene vacation. “This place IS Italy,” Sean eagerly preached. Those BIG ass blue eyes can convince me of nearly anything. But I would do almost anything to be there right now.
Getting there
We departed from JFK at 7pm to arrive in Rome at 10am. A flight that reminded me that if I am on a plane for more than 6 hours, I must upgrade for extra leg room.
Once Sean and I landed at Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO) we navigated to the Leonardo Express train. After 45 minutes we arrived at Roma Termini and found a cafe to drink the espresso we had been waiting months for. We hopped on our transfer to Napoli Centrale and arrived a little over two hours later.
Walking out of the station, shit is wild. First of all, there are close to no traffic lights. It is a complete free for all. However, I was almost more trusting of the drivers because of the lack of traffic policing? If there was really no infrastructure to ensure pedestrians crossed the street safely, then they probably really are looking out for each other - right?
It reminds me of how places without public trash cans tend to be cleaner. Some weird psychology there but I swear it’s a thing.
We arrived before our Airbnb was ready so we stopped for Peroni’s in the Piazetta Sedil Capuano.
Stay
To get into the Airbnb, we turned onto a quiet alley (they’re all quiet in comparison to the main streets) and met Fabio, our host, at the gate. We walked up the wide stone stairs to the apartment: A modern, quirky loft in a building the looked like it was hand chipped from stone. It was incredibly well priced, and Fabio is one of the nicest hosts I’ve ever had. Before he left, he showed us different maps of the city, activities to do, places to eat.
We’re both tall, so a lofted bed isn’t super ideal, but I never hit my head! Silver lining.
The spot did not have laundry so we had to hand-wash everything and hang pieces around the apartment.
To Eat
After a solid nap, we headed out to Gino e Totò Sorbillo which was recommended by Fabio. We got seated immediately since we accidentally got there right at opening and they filled up in the minutes following. My mouth is salivating thinking about that pizza. And it was only our first meal?!
I was eying other tables receiving what looked like plain fried dough; but when I checked out the menu I saw it was fucking FRIED PIZZA. Thought about that for days and eventually picked up from their takeaway location.
The next day we got up early and walked down by the ports for a classic Italian cafe experience at Gran Caffè Gambrinus. Now this was my first experience with the system where you pay for what you want before you walk into the cafe. It was hard because we didn’t know how to say more than half of the pastry names. So I stuck to my cwa-s-san e espresso.
We continued walking around and stumbled upon Ba-Bar La Nova Central for some wine and aperitivo.
That night we had the best meal I may ever have in my life at Aria. Sean made the reservation that day and we splurged on the - basically ten course - meal for $120. When in Rome Napoli!
From the service, to the wine pairing, and the incredibly delicious and inventive food. I feel so blessed to have experienced that.
Throughout our time there we kinda just had random snacks in the Airbnb from local ‘bodegas.’ Meats, cheeses, fresh ass fruit, sparkling water ONLY, chocolate, beer. Living it UP.
To Do
Thrifting: I was specifically looking for a leather jacket, but I couldn’t find anything for my long arms. However, the stores along Via Mezzocannone were stocked with other good finds.
Gallerie d’Italia - Napoli: Off of the busy Via Toledo, we came across the museum as a quiet break from the day. A lot of what we saw were their collections highlighting 17th through 20th century Neapolitan art. When we went there was an exhibit showcasing Mario Schifano — a painter and collagist (which I am too, I made a vision board this year).
Watch fútbol: Literally anywhere. We hopped into Bibendum one evening for beers during a game and the wifi sucked. But the vibes felt good so we stayed.
See Maradona Murals: There are so many.
Walks by the water: When we were there in October, the weather was still exceptional. And since this is a coastal city, you should definitely take advantage of the sun and water!
Listen to good music: The night scene in Napoli was jumpin’, but neither Sean nor I club or have any interest in it. So we were happy to find Vesuvius Soul Records where you could listen to the DJ or your own record at a station with a drink. We found an album called “Bumble” and had to buy it because, truth be told, that is how we met.
Heading to Napoli first was geographically planned, but thinking about it emotionally now I realize it threw us into the heart of Italian culture.
With that, it is rare to find someone who speaks English unless they are working at a museum, port, or that Michelin starred restaurant we went to. We don’t know Italian, but we know Spanish enough to point at things that are close in meaning. Absolutely do not rely on that though.
Make sure your phone plan is international, and secretly use a translator.
Next stop: Capri
What else do you guys want to hear about throughout my trip recaps? Leave a comment and let me know!
I would really read about you going anywhere on the planet, this was fantastic