napologetic Napoli, Uncompromising Capri, and Unassuming Amalfi
Jun 4th, 2017, 05:39 AM
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napologetic Napoli, Uncompromising Capri, and Unassuming Amalfi
I will admit that, at first, I did not really want to go to Napoli. The city was allegedly dirty, noisy, utterly chaotic, and filled with petty thieves waiting to pounce on even the savviest tourist. According to the word of mouth on several travel boards, Napoli seemed to better fit the description for ‘Places to Avoid’. But I wanted to go to the Archaeological Museum. Really wanted to. Badly. And that is in Naples.
I started to do a little research for the most painless, quickest in-and-out way to get into the city; just visit the museum and escape unscathed. Perhaps as a daytrip from Rome? That seemed very doable as the high-speed train takes just over an hour. We had been to Pompeii and Herculaneum before, so there was no real need for more time in the area.
But when I really started reading, I found that there were a few adventuresome souls that claimed to have actually liked the city. Even -gasp!- loved it. Ha! Interesting…. So I thought that perhaps an overnight stay would be okay. After all, I was maneuvering the itinerary so that I could finally squeeze in a visit to Capri.
So the plan evolved: an early(ish) train in from Rome’s Termini to Napoli Centrale, drop stuff at hotel, visit Museum, have a pizza for dinner, sleep, and go to Capri on the first boat out. Very doable.
But then, the serious research began. Why hadn’t I heard before of the masterpieces in the Capodimonte Museum? The Catacombs of San Genaro? The Sansevero chapel? The Caravaggio magnum opus at S. Pio della Misercordia?…. And the list just kept getting longer and longer. That was how we ended staying in Naples for 3 nights at the end of April.
Did we like Naples? I’m sure you want to know right away. But you will have to read along to find out…
I started to do a little research for the most painless, quickest in-and-out way to get into the city; just visit the museum and escape unscathed. Perhaps as a daytrip from Rome? That seemed very doable as the high-speed train takes just over an hour. We had been to Pompeii and Herculaneum before, so there was no real need for more time in the area.
But when I really started reading, I found that there were a few adventuresome souls that claimed to have actually liked the city. Even -gasp!- loved it. Ha! Interesting…. So I thought that perhaps an overnight stay would be okay. After all, I was maneuvering the itinerary so that I could finally squeeze in a visit to Capri.
So the plan evolved: an early(ish) train in from Rome’s Termini to Napoli Centrale, drop stuff at hotel, visit Museum, have a pizza for dinner, sleep, and go to Capri on the first boat out. Very doable.
But then, the serious research began. Why hadn’t I heard before of the masterpieces in the Capodimonte Museum? The Catacombs of San Genaro? The Sansevero chapel? The Caravaggio magnum opus at S. Pio della Misercordia?…. And the list just kept getting longer and longer. That was how we ended staying in Naples for 3 nights at the end of April.
Did we like Naples? I’m sure you want to know right away. But you will have to read along to find out…
Jun 4th, 2017, 10:27 AM
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This is the link to the introduction from my blog Stella's Spoon with a few pictures.
http://wp.me/p7rOvK-qC
http://wp.me/p7rOvK-qC
Jun 4th, 2017, 11:31 AM
#5
Wonderful start - and look forward to more of your wonderful report and blog! I don't know when but Naples is definitely high up on the List, the one that grows larger after every trip report I read!
Jun 5th, 2017, 05:48 AM
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<b>Day 1: Friday, April 29th
<i>Mission Museum... Accomplished </i></b>
We left the apartment in Rome’s Trastevere where we had just spent two wonderful weeks roaming around and visiting many (MANY) of the city’s so-called ‘secondary sights’.
I was sad to leave Rome but I was also very excited about the next five weeks we would spend traveling around the ‘shin, heel and calf’ of Italy. But I was particularly excited about the plan for today: Get to Napoli and spend a few glorious hours in the Archaeological Museum.
I had pre-purchased online our tickets for the 10:00 am high speed train to Napoli Centrale months before (€68 for both of us in ‘Quiet’ business class). I had also printed out the boarding passes so we just had to wait for the ‘binario’ to be posted.
I’m sure I cannot be the only one that suffers from this, but the waiting for the posting of gates and tracks is always nerve wracking to me; and I consider myself a rather calm person. I rationally know that 15 minutes is more than enough time to get from the big display boards to wherever it is that you need to go, but still...
It was only about 10 minutes before the departure time when the ‘binario’ was finally posted. Even C was beginning to get nervous by then. Within 3 minutes of posting the track we were sitting in the very comfortable seats. A good thing because it was cold outside.
Besides a perfunctory glance at our printed tickets at the security checkpoint to access the tracks, no one checked our tickets. Not during the trip nor upon arrival.
The scenery during the trip was interesting, but not quite enough to keep us from nodding off. So this was literally one of those ‘in the blink of an eye’ trips.
We gathered our belongings, detrained (actual word; I looked it up) and had to push our way through all the drivers that were trying to ‘grab’ passengers before they go out into the ‘official’ taxi rank. This hawking for customers seems ridiculous at first but makes total sense the moment you actually see the taxi mob outside the station.
The line of people waiting for cabs was orderly and calm, but the jumble of taxis outside, jockeying to get into position was… interesting. There seemed to be two ‘bosses’ directing who got into which taxi; I’m sure there was a system / pecking order to the assignment of rides but I could not figure it out in the 3 minutes we were standing there.
We get into our cab, tell the driver where to go, he –of course- says ‘Ok’, we take off and then he proceeds to ask every other cab driver how to get to the hotel. I show him the map and he mumbles something. Eventually I realize that the hotel is in a semi-pedestrian area and he does not really know (or want) to get to it.
About ten minutes later we are close enough (according to the driver) and we (almost have to) agree to be dropped us off at another taxi stand so that we could walk the rest of the way. Hummm… Ok. ‘Not far’ he said ‘just around the corner…’ pointing into a massive throng of people being herded around. Take a deep breath and go. Ok.
Our initiation to Napoli was walking straight into the Spaccanapoli, the city's main pedestrianized 'tourist avenue'. Yes, it was chaotic. Yes, it was crowded. Yes, it was not fun pulling our luggage through the crowd. But it was true, we were not far from the hotel so it was not that bad.
BTW, we did indeed get picked up by a taxi in the hotel when we left….but THEN we saw what a nightmare it was to drive through those mazelike not-quite-one-way streets. So I’ll be kindhearted and forgive the first driver.
The address given by the hotel, for reasons that I will never understand and did not care enough to inquire, is for the back entrance. You open a small door cut into a humongous wooden door and step into a residential courtyard –sheets and underwear hanging out to dry, neighbors squawking at each other…. It was kind of funny. Well, the kind of funny that you know is going to be funny in the future but not quite yet.
So first impression was certainly FAR from good.
<i><b>To Continue Reading:</i></b> http://wp.me/p7rOvK-rA
<i>Mission Museum... Accomplished </i></b>
We left the apartment in Rome’s Trastevere where we had just spent two wonderful weeks roaming around and visiting many (MANY) of the city’s so-called ‘secondary sights’.
I was sad to leave Rome but I was also very excited about the next five weeks we would spend traveling around the ‘shin, heel and calf’ of Italy. But I was particularly excited about the plan for today: Get to Napoli and spend a few glorious hours in the Archaeological Museum.
I had pre-purchased online our tickets for the 10:00 am high speed train to Napoli Centrale months before (€68 for both of us in ‘Quiet’ business class). I had also printed out the boarding passes so we just had to wait for the ‘binario’ to be posted.
I’m sure I cannot be the only one that suffers from this, but the waiting for the posting of gates and tracks is always nerve wracking to me; and I consider myself a rather calm person. I rationally know that 15 minutes is more than enough time to get from the big display boards to wherever it is that you need to go, but still...
It was only about 10 minutes before the departure time when the ‘binario’ was finally posted. Even C was beginning to get nervous by then. Within 3 minutes of posting the track we were sitting in the very comfortable seats. A good thing because it was cold outside.
Besides a perfunctory glance at our printed tickets at the security checkpoint to access the tracks, no one checked our tickets. Not during the trip nor upon arrival.
The scenery during the trip was interesting, but not quite enough to keep us from nodding off. So this was literally one of those ‘in the blink of an eye’ trips.
We gathered our belongings, detrained (actual word; I looked it up) and had to push our way through all the drivers that were trying to ‘grab’ passengers before they go out into the ‘official’ taxi rank. This hawking for customers seems ridiculous at first but makes total sense the moment you actually see the taxi mob outside the station.
The line of people waiting for cabs was orderly and calm, but the jumble of taxis outside, jockeying to get into position was… interesting. There seemed to be two ‘bosses’ directing who got into which taxi; I’m sure there was a system / pecking order to the assignment of rides but I could not figure it out in the 3 minutes we were standing there.
We get into our cab, tell the driver where to go, he –of course- says ‘Ok’, we take off and then he proceeds to ask every other cab driver how to get to the hotel. I show him the map and he mumbles something. Eventually I realize that the hotel is in a semi-pedestrian area and he does not really know (or want) to get to it.
About ten minutes later we are close enough (according to the driver) and we (almost have to) agree to be dropped us off at another taxi stand so that we could walk the rest of the way. Hummm… Ok. ‘Not far’ he said ‘just around the corner…’ pointing into a massive throng of people being herded around. Take a deep breath and go. Ok.
Our initiation to Napoli was walking straight into the Spaccanapoli, the city's main pedestrianized 'tourist avenue'. Yes, it was chaotic. Yes, it was crowded. Yes, it was not fun pulling our luggage through the crowd. But it was true, we were not far from the hotel so it was not that bad.
BTW, we did indeed get picked up by a taxi in the hotel when we left….but THEN we saw what a nightmare it was to drive through those mazelike not-quite-one-way streets. So I’ll be kindhearted and forgive the first driver.
The address given by the hotel, for reasons that I will never understand and did not care enough to inquire, is for the back entrance. You open a small door cut into a humongous wooden door and step into a residential courtyard –sheets and underwear hanging out to dry, neighbors squawking at each other…. It was kind of funny. Well, the kind of funny that you know is going to be funny in the future but not quite yet.
So first impression was certainly FAR from good.
<i><b>To Continue Reading:</i></b> http://wp.me/p7rOvK-rA
Jun 5th, 2017, 05:57 AM
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And this the link to the Rome Trip Report, in case anyone is interested:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...wanderings.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...wanderings.cfm
Jun 5th, 2017, 06:02 AM
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Marigross: I am so happy you are posting a trip report for the rest of your vacation! I was following along on Facebook 
BTW, I loved Naples, but people were generally appalled that I would consider doing the trip on my own as an unaccompanied woman. I combine Paestum, Herculaneum and Pompeii. When I was there, the Capidemonte had the largest Caravaggio exhibition ever assembled. I lined up in the freezing cold (it was January) to see it, and it was worth every chilblain. I saw the exhibition twice again - in Toronto and London.
BTW, I loved Naples, but people were generally appalled that I would consider doing the trip on my own as an unaccompanied woman. I combine Paestum, Herculaneum and Pompeii. When I was there, the Capidemonte had the largest Caravaggio exhibition ever assembled. I lined up in the freezing cold (it was January) to see it, and it was worth every chilblain. I saw the exhibition twice again - in Toronto and London.
Jun 5th, 2017, 06:21 AM
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thursdaysd: I have read and enjoyed all your India trips reports when preparing for my aborted India trip. ... you are a tad more adventurous than most
I should add though that a week after I was there, two Canadian tourists were caught in the cross-fire between two rival gangs! however, I walked through the streets in the (early) evenings and had no problems. Scariest thing in Naples was trying to cross the road - they are insane drivers!
I should add though that a week after I was there, two Canadian tourists were caught in the cross-fire between two rival gangs! however, I walked through the streets in the (early) evenings and had no problems. Scariest thing in Naples was trying to cross the road - they are insane drivers!
Jun 5th, 2017, 06:44 AM
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I know where you are coming from! Had my niece and I not been in Dublin for a family event on Saturday, we would likely have been right there. My niece had been in the pub on Thursday evening ....
Admittedly, I don't do many late nights anymore when I travel - I like to be in my PJs by 9pm .
Admittedly, I don't do many late nights anymore when I travel - I like to be in my PJs by 9pm .
Jun 5th, 2017, 11:25 AM
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thursdaysd et al, I too avoid the links and completely ignore TRs where the OP just posts a link to a website or blog. This is why I'm providing text here as well.
Having said that, it is much easier to format, write and combine with pictures without going into verbose descriptions. This is why I went to the blog format. It also facilitates the fixing of the inevitable errors.
I have a blog in WordPress, Stella's Spoon. I keep a Facebook page also named Stella's Spoon where I post the links to the blog posts.
I understand, and share, the hesitance to click on weird links. I need to find out if there is a more descriptive link I can use. Maybe this works:
https://wordpress.com/post/stellasspoon.com/1710
Having said that, it is much easier to format, write and combine with pictures without going into verbose descriptions. This is why I went to the blog format. It also facilitates the fixing of the inevitable errors.
I have a blog in WordPress, Stella's Spoon. I keep a Facebook page also named Stella's Spoon where I post the links to the blog posts.
I understand, and share, the hesitance to click on weird links. I need to find out if there is a more descriptive link I can use. Maybe this works:
https://wordpress.com/post/stellasspoon.com/1710
Jun 5th, 2017, 12:22 PM
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Hi! I'm hoping to head to Sicily in about 2.5 weeks, woman traveling alone, and um er, what cross-fire. Can't bear the news anymore so have been ignoring it.
Considering skipping Naples and going to Catania then Palermo, then tiny, tiny towns before heading to Sardinia.
REALLY want to do a cooking class if you know of any. Thursdays! Was wondering where you were.
Would also like advice on where to fit in Capri. It will be my only "elegance" of the trip -- the rest on a shoe string and as a deliberate escape, so I'd like to do it either right after Florence/Bologna and before SIcily, or at the end as I get ready to head back to rome 3 days, paris 3 days, then back to a semi normal life in Norcal, which will be very, very hard to do (much as i love it)
Considering skipping Naples and going to Catania then Palermo, then tiny, tiny towns before heading to Sardinia.
REALLY want to do a cooking class if you know of any. Thursdays! Was wondering where you were.
Would also like advice on where to fit in Capri. It will be my only "elegance" of the trip -- the rest on a shoe string and as a deliberate escape, so I'd like to do it either right after Florence/Bologna and before SIcily, or at the end as I get ready to head back to rome 3 days, paris 3 days, then back to a semi normal life in Norcal, which will be very, very hard to do (much as i love it)
Jun 5th, 2017, 01:13 PM
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Marigross - loved your Rome TR (and photos on your blog), and looking forward to this one covering Naples! Last year I spent a week in Matera and the Puglia area before visiting Sicily (highly recommended!). Hopefully more TRs coming on those areas! I've been to Rome six times (once for a six month work assignment), and thought I had pretty much 'covered' it. Nope! From your report I now have a list with a few more churches to visit, plus the Catacombs of Priscilla. Checking google maps, the Catacombs seem somewhat close to the early 20thC neighborhood Quartiere Coppede with the whimsical/mish-mash architectural styles. Always wanted to wander that area, but since it was off the beaten path, never made it there. Now with two sites, a reason to explore that area!
I'm thinking if I revisit Rome, I need to add some days in Naples, so hoping for some inspiration from this TR! However, traveling solo, Naples reputation has always given me pause. I did do a 2-3 hour visit to the city to go to the Archaeological Museum (then moved on to the AC). So it's doable, but I know there is much more to see.
Also, I love your planning spreadsheet! I'm now inspired to attempt that software. I usually have sites categorized A/B/C, and try best to see the A ranked site or those with a 'pausa', then fill in others nearby. But lots of paper ... your spreadsheet seems much more efficient. Thanks for the time and effort you have taken with these interesting, informative, and entertaining TRs!
I'm thinking if I revisit Rome, I need to add some days in Naples, so hoping for some inspiration from this TR! However, traveling solo, Naples reputation has always given me pause. I did do a 2-3 hour visit to the city to go to the Archaeological Museum (then moved on to the AC). So it's doable, but I know there is much more to see.
Also, I love your planning spreadsheet! I'm now inspired to attempt that software. I usually have sites categorized A/B/C, and try best to see the A ranked site or those with a 'pausa', then fill in others nearby. But lots of paper ... your spreadsheet seems much more efficient. Thanks for the time and effort you have taken with these interesting, informative, and entertaining TRs!
