A Wonderful Italian Surprise!

I may have mentioned that I avoided visiting Nice for years.  This was based on how terrifying it was to drive in that city which I had done a number of times.  So, because of traffic, I eschewed getting to know that city.  Of course, when I did actually visit it "sans un auto", I fell in love with it and have spent lots of time there since.  Similarly, when I have travelled in Italy, it has usually been with a car.  Believe me, driving in that country is not for the faint of heart, even in the smaller towns and villages.  One time about 8 years ago, I had to navigate around Naples when I was driving south from Rome airport to get to the Amalfi Coast.  We were slightly east of the city but certainly within "spitting distance" of it.  It was almost laughable how random the driving was and so, because of traffic, I have never been particularly interested in visiting Naples.  Well, much like the lesson I learned about Nice, if you give a city a chance without trying to be "macho" and drive in it, you can discover its charms.  I really liked what I saw of this bustling city, the third largest in Italy after Rome and Milan.  My first glimpse of the city was from the ship.

The last stop on our cruise, aside from the optional stay in Rome after we disembarked from the ship, was Naples.  I had booked a private walking tour through Viator which seems to be a broker for local tours you can find on Trip Advisor.  The one I booked sounded perfect - Flavors of Naples Decumani Street Food and Sightseeing Tour which was run by Bruno Tours.  It was 2 1/2 hours and it started at 10:30 so it worked for my schedule in terms of making sure I would be back on the ship in time to pack.  I have had good luck with other Viator tours over the years so picked it over the much more expensive shore excursions offered by Azamara.  

I thought about walking to Piazza Bellini where the tour was to start.  However, the traffic around the port was a bit congested and crazy.  It looked crossing the street - any street - would have been a challenge and I didn't really know where I was going.  As I left the terminal, there were lots of taxis.  I asked one of the drivers how much to go to the piazza and he said 20 euros.  I said that is too much and that I could walk but would he take me for 15.  He called to his buddy, that guy said yes, so off I went.  Now, I have been in taxis in lots of different places (including one in Paris when the cabbie played sudoku while he negotiated the route) but this ride had to rank up there with one of the most terrifying.  I just told myself I had to believe it was all going to be okay.  We raced through intersections and I can read international road signs well enough to know when we were ignoring stop signs!  We raced up and down some of the narrowest alleys I have ever been driven in miraculously missing pedestrians and cyclists!  It was like some sort of chaotic well-rehearsed dance which was really dramatic but had a happy when I was safely deposited mere footsteps from Piazza Bellini.  Whew!  Even though the ride had taken about 25 minutes, I had time to have some juice at a cafe and to wander around the small piazza.  I even heard some beautiful classical piano music being played at the nearby music conservatory.  That was calming after the taxi.

Greco-Roman ruins in Piazza Bellini

Naples Conservatory of Music just off the piazza

Mario, our guide, appeared just before 10:30 and 7 other people appeared and joined the tour - a gal from Hamburg plus 6 Americans (two from Olympia, Washington, and the others from Idaho).  Mario explained we would be sampling foods that are famous Neapolitan specialties.  We started by walking down a busy pedestrian street which seemed to be a main artery.  Mario explained there are two sides to Naples - the Spanish section to the west and the Italian part to the east.  There were lots of cafes, restaurants, grocery stores and small shops along this street.  Our first stop was at a deli where we got to sample buffalo mozzarella, some sort of broccoli apparently a "cousin" to what we get a home, a skewer with olives and sundried tomatoes on a piece of bread, and some savory almond cookies which one person described as eating cardboard although I thought they were tasty with a peppery flavour.  At the next stop we sampled two kinds of pizza - one fried and the other folded over sort of like a calzone but not.  Both pieces were huge and it was becoming apparent that this food tour didn't skimp on portions!  We then stopped at a shop that made limoncello where we tasted a crema di limoncello and the regular kind.  Our next stop was to taste some arancini which was excellent.  These deep-fried rice balls were stuffed with cheese, peas and carrots.  They were delicious.  Speaking of stuffed, that is how I was feeling by then!  Then, we stopped for some pastries – rum babas and sfogliatella, a shell-shaped pastry which Naples is famous for.  Finally, at our last stop, we stopped for either a coffee or a gelato.  I had a lemon sorbetto.  To be honest, it was way too much food. 

While we were wandering the streets and alleys, we went down one called Via S. Gregorio Armeno which is solely Christmas shops.  Mario said it was fun to visit at this time of the year but remarked it wasn't quite as interesting in August!  For me, it was a bit of a preview to what I would be experiencing on the next leg of this trip.

Our tour finished at Piazza del Gesù Nuovo.  I had managed to take a few more photos of the streets and piazzas along the way.  What was clear to me, however, is that I really like this city and I am hoping that I will be able to return and spend more time here.  There is definitely a lot to explore, see, and, obviously, EAT!

At the end of the tour, my intent was to walk back to the ship.  It was going to be mostly downhill but I would still have to contend with that traffic but as it was only going to take about 20 minutes, that was my plan.  However, I rounded a corner off the square and there was a taxi rank.  I talked to one of the drivers and he said he would charge between 12 and 15 euros.  As I had lots to do when I got back on the ship, I decided to go by car.  Well, that turned out to be an excellent decision.  On the way to the Stazione Marittima, there was a cloud burst.  I would have been soaked to the skin if I had walked.  As it was, just walking to the terminal and then from there to the ship, I got really wet.  The cool thing, however, is that I chatted with the cab driver a lot - his English was much better than the other one's - and I told him how much I enjoyed my visit to Naples and that I wanted to come back.  He seemed very pleased and charged me only 10 euros for the ride.  My faith in Italian cab drivers had been restored!!