Hold on to your children! The streets are narrow and the cars/motorcycles go whizzing by as if they were alone on a 4 lane highway. If you’re lucky, they may give you a warning honk before they brush past you but not necessarily. I have also come to believe that across Italy as a whole, driving laws and speed limits are merely suggestions. It is not at all uncommon to see three lanes of traffic speeding side by side down a two lane street (with mopeds weaving between the cars…many of which have small un-helmeted children in tow-OMG!). We also happened to arrive on the second day of significant rain (after a 6 month drought) so the steep cobblestone streets had water rushing down them and lots of opportunity for a bad situation to occur. We stayed in an area close to Piazza Carità which while appearing a little run down in some areas, had hidden gems all throughout it. I was told by a Neapolitan local (rightfully so) to never judge a structure by it’s exterior. We walked in quite a few seemingly abandoned buildings only to go in and see some truly beautiful sights.

Transportation

I usually book the hop on hop off bus wherever I go but luckily here we didn’t. They don’t run very often and when they do show up, they may or may not even stop! We stood at the hop on/off bus stop for about 30-40 min (because I planned to purchase them on the bus) and when they finally arrived, they just rolled past the group of us (mixed in with the city bus group because it’s the same stop) and kept on going…so we took a taxi. The city is FILLED with taxis lined up 10-15 deep at pretty much every place of note…there are no ubers here though.

Train station

This is pretty active/busy but efficient-not a whole lot to report on this. We flew in to Rome, spent a few days there and then trained to Naples and it was much easier and time efficient than flying.

Airport

Not very big (18 total gates) and wasn’t busy when we went there. They have big leather couches (no hard plastic chairs) to lounge around on and USB charging stations so no need for EU plugs yet if coming from the states. They seemed very nonchalant and had a nice-not stressed air about them.

**trick of the trade: Even when you don’t use hop on/off, it is always worth a look at their map…they will stop at the highlights of the area you are in and will also note what some not so famous sites that you may not have even thought to check out.**

CHEESE!

One thing that I LOVED however is the formaggi shops that are down every alleyway! Big wheels of Parmesan and water filled buckets with fresh Buffala Mozzarella floating in it…this cheese lover was in heaven!! There are more cheeses that I even knew about…and yes, they give samples!

Where to go

We checked out the catacombe di San Gennaro (€9 per adult, €6 for seniors and gratis/free for kids) While they are not like the bone stacked ones of Paris, they are still extremely intriguing and historic dating back to the 2nd and 4th centuries AD. We arrived late and got the very last english speaking tour (1700 start time) of the day…all by ourselves! The people who work there are VERY personable and accommodating. It made it even more special that we were completely alone in the catacombs for the tour! (So cool) http://www.catacombedinapoli.it/en/places/catacombs-of-san-gennaro-naples

**note that armed Italian Army guards are guarding the cool stuff! If they’re there, check it out**

We also visited the gorgeous Duomo (free) but had weird hours. This is not only gorgeous but it also houses an interesting tradition. According to one of our guides, three times a year (I don’t remember which dates) the dried blood of Saint Gennaro (the patron saint of Napoli) miraculously turns to liquid in this church. The locals gather to see if it will turn or not. In the last century or so it has not turned and they have been afflicted by horrible catastrophes (cholera epidemic, earthquake, etc). We didn’t know this prior to going to the Duomo but it was still a gorgeous church without the legends that surround it.

Napoli is a good starting point for some day tours (Pompei, Amalfi, Capri, Sorrento, etc.)

Baby fever!

The locals in Naples loooove small children. If I had a dollar for every person who said something to me/my children, touched, kissed (yes-kissed), pinched their cheeks, exclaimed ‘Ah! Molto Bella!’, etc…I could probably pay my car note right now (and we were only there about 2 1/2 days). They love babies and it is almost like they hadn’t seen one in years…this is not just the little old Nonnas, the young men and women, grandpas, store clerks, customers at restaurants…everyone! It is soooo sweet and innocent (ironically didn’t seem creepy at all) but the kids were not used to it so it was kind of funny.

Holy Pizza!

We had pizza daily..at least. You’re not going to find much else because Napoli is known for their pizza! It’s a fresh, thin, crispy, wood oven baked, disk of pure awesomeness! Ugh-so good! My personal favorite (other than the standard Margarita) is the Quattro Formaggi (4 cheese) it is cooked differently at each pizzeria but my personal favorite includes fresh ricotta, mozzarella, some Gorgonzola, olive oil, basil (no red sauce) and some other cheese…amazing!

Definitely a fun quick trip. We didn’t spend too much time there (and surely there was plenty we missed) but it was a trip I would recommend if looking to explore an area in Italy with a more local vibe. Viva Italia!

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