Naples Italy Is Not All About The Food And Wine

Buon Giorno…

It’s hard to choose what to share about our first visit to Naples, Italy – the food & wine OR the places we have visited so far.

We (hubs and I) are so tired after this first few whirlwind days… and yet we feel so blessed to have seen so much – especially that we are also sharing the experience with my oldest son and his wife and 9 year old daughter.

Let me say first – flying to Naples, Italy from Arizona is not particularly fun.

It’s grueling – without much of a pleasant moment to be documented. Lot’s of uncomfortable seats, bad food, rushing from gate to gate in airports we have never been to, speaking a language we are very unfamiliar with and finally almost 24 hours later seeing the smiling faces of my family in the distance made it all worth the effort.

I was so glad to be on land!

We spent the first full day lounging around the house… and unless you used the bathroom (an experience not easily forgotten) you really don’t realize you are further away from home than San Diego, CA (which is about 3 hours from my home),

Our first taste of Italian food was Pizza!

The best Pizza in the world is made in Naples. Really! I’ve tasted wood fired pizza in the states many times… but I now know that they don’t come close to the real thing. I learned that these wood fired pizza ovens are only allowed in Naples. The ovens are not allowed in any other region on Italy… it’s either a pollution or fire hazard.

So far I’ve also tried:

• Limoncello – which i liked but my DIL says tastes like Lysol.
• Prosciutto – salty but better than I’ve ever had in the states
• Fresh Mozzarella – I’ve got to try it again… I don’t think it was buffalo. We had to explain to my hubs that Buffalo Mozzarella is made from water buffalo no American Buffalo.
• Gelato – favorite so far is strawberry. A bit hard to get use to how sweet everything is here.

• Cappuccino – Huge fan of this. have not been brave enough to try esspresso in Italy yet.

Our tour guide Aldo… tried to entice me to have an esspresso…  but I new I would be embarrassed when I grimaced at the thickness.

I settled for a good old fashioned diet coke at this cafe.

• Nutella – very popular in Italy. My grandaughter loves it… not my cup of tea at all.

• Beer – Peroni – cheap and good. I’ve seen this for sale in the States… but it’s not the same as the true Italian brew. Not a light beer… but sooo tasty.
• I’ll confess right here. I am NOT a fan of Red Wine… until now. The local wine is delicious – the best is about $2.00 a bottle. Go figure.

It’s nice to find a bargain… would you believe gas is $9 a gallon??? It’s true… thank goodness for some NATO Ration Card type things that the military gets. It does supplement about 1/2 a months gas use. These rations bring the gas price down to a normalish $5 a gallon.

We have seen so much – It’s hard to digest. The most fantastic (top of list for now) is Pompei (or Pompeii) at the base of MT. Vesuvius. I’m in a bit of a daze after spending 7 hours waking the streets of the this ancient city.

You might not know this… but one of my previous business ventures (when I was younger and able to climb tall ladders) was as an artist. I painting murals and decorative painting on walls for clients.

Why is this important to know? Pompei is filled with Fresco Murals! Ancient murals that I could actually touch! It’s very strange to be able to walk through ancient historical archeological preservation… and be able to touch the walls, and the art that should be protected from greasy fingerprints. geeesh.

I picked a few pictures out of over 350 to show you… here are my favorites.

Ciao…

p.s. Don’t eat at the cafe’s in or near Pompeii… very expensive and it’s pure tourist fare that does not resemble good Napoli food.