Day 4: Naples
I had not planned on going to Naples on this trip. I used to work with colleagues in Pisa, one of them happen to be working from home in Naples during our visit to Rome. So he invited me over to meet him and I took the opportunity to see another part of the country. Before heading out to Naples, I have not read up anything about it and rely on him taking me out for the day.
Travel
We took the high speed train, the Frecciarossa (The Red Arrow), from Rome Termini to Napoli Centrale. One thing we realised is that they use placenames in Italian. It is going to be a bit confusing since I am so used to the English placenames.
You can get the tickets for the train from their website. The experience is surreal, we are travelling at 300KM/h and the train just glides on the rails. As we boarded and sat on our seat, someone will come over with complimentary drinks and snacks. Taking the train is definitely the way to travel as we just have to be at the train station 20 mins before boarding and take you right into the city.
Metro
From Napoli Centrale, we took the metro (underground train) to Toledo station. That would be the starting point of the old touristy part of town. I had wondered, isn’t Toledo a Spanish name? Apparently there is a Spanish quarter in Naples. Historically Naples has been invaded by many people over the years. All the occupation makes people of Naples to be less trusting of the government and also more rebellious.
There are day tickets or a fixed price per-journey tickets for the metro. Surprisingly, the tickets can be bought from newsagents in the station, not necessary from the ticketing counter or machines.
Ascensore Monte Echia
Ascensore Monte Echia (Google Map) was new and open for about 2 weeks when we went. So new that when we went, the place was not easily found on google maps. My friend had to ask around to find his way. It is an elevator that takes you to the top of the hill for a view of the city and surrounding areas. The elevator trip is free if you have a day travel ticket for the metro. Since we got the single trip ticket for the metro, we had to buy tickets for our trip up and down (so you need 2 single way tickets for the elevator).
Main reason for people to go up the hill is for the view. On a good day, we can see Mount Versuvius. That is the grand volcano that erupted in 79AD and took out the city of Pompeii. We can still see towns and villages build up to the foot of the hill, a reminder of the toll should the volcano erupt again. Was told that Pompeii is hidden behind the volcano when seen from our perch.
Up on the hill, we could also see the Sorrento Peninsula. Supposedly known for it’s beauty and nice beaches, it is a top holiday spot for tourist. Further towards the sea, towards the tip of the Sorrento Peninsula, isle of Capri come out as a faint outline. Supposedly the island is a playground for the rich and famous, bringing their multi-million yatch to enjoy the clear blue water.
Galleria Umberto I (Google Map)
We were early that day, most of the shops were not open. This is a mall with beautiful glass ceiling. Nice place to take pictures. This is the focus point of walks in this part of Naples, my friend called this the Port or Harbour area of Naples. The theater is just across the mall, also a nice building to take pictures. Down the road you will see Castel Nuovo, a beautiful medieval castle beside the harbour.
Drinks and a Greek Wall
We walked up the long load, Via Toledo. Naples is a quite hilly, so we worked up some sweat. Had lunch at Palazzo Petrucci Pizzeria for Fried Pizza. From now on, Fried Pizza is the way to go for me. Naples also have a dessert called Baba which is a soft bread soaked in rum. After more walks along the narrow lanes of Naples, we ended up in Piazza Vincenzo Bellini (Google Map). There is a ruin of an old Greek wall, which was discovered by chance during excavations in 1954. However this place is also known for it’s nightlife, for the students in the nearby university. Obvious we were 2 old blokes having coffee in the middle of the hot Italian summer.
Piazza
Walked past a few open areas in Naples. we only walked past to take pictures. Will figure out the story and history after we get home. First place we passed was Piazza del Plebiscito (Google Map). Other than being large square, it also has statues of Kings of Naples. I have definitely not caught up with the history.
Towards the end of the main road through the tourisy part of Naples, we ended up in Dante’s Piazza. There is a Monument to Dante Alighieri (Google Map) for a good picture. Most important, this is also where Dante metro station is located. That is our ride back to the train station for our high speed train back to Rome and hoping to reach before dinner.
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