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Tag: Italian vacations

Naples- Last Day!

I am thrilled to be here in Naples but am disappointed that we only allotted 2 nights for this fabulous city. For me the highlights have been Bologna and Naples. Sorrento, Amalfi, Positano and Capri were very nice but I think I like the cities- so much more to explore and so much more to eat! Well, there was plenty to eat in Sorrento as well- we did have some yummy meals but nothing compared to the big cities.

Morning started the usual way, exercise and breakfast… we ventured out soon after that and headed to the National Archeological Museum which is very close to our hotel. It was filled with all the artifacts from Pompeii… it was fascinating! After a few hours, we headed to a very highly rated dessert place called, Pasticceria Poppella…it was delicious stuff, but to go. We ate some pastries and realized a very high rated pizza place was just a 100 feel away, called Pizzeria Oliva. We walked over and saw a crowd waiting outside, we put our names down and found out there would be about a half an hour wait. As we waited with the rest of the crowd, one of the owners came out and started giving out small fried pizzas to everyone- topped with mozzarella cheese and a bit of sauce- they were delicious… small pillows of fried dough, not greasy at all. He then brought a bottle of beer and poured it for some of the people. After about 45 minutes our turn came and we ordered the fabulous pizzas- one with mushrooms and the other one with spicy salami. The pizzas were delicious- better than yesterdays! Yummy sauce, cheese and toppings!

Pizzafunghi1 PizzaSALAMI
After a very satisfying meal, we walked around the city for another few hours and finally got back to our hotel to rest our tired feet and have a drink and sit in the courtyard… Time to research dinner places!!!

So, we didn’t do any research and decided to jus walk out and explore. We walked and walked and finally came up with a place to go- La locanda dei borboni… it was empty when we got there- which was at 8:30 but as we sat down, the place started to get crowded. We started off with a fabulous bottle of red wine- it so good… ordered an octopus salad to start. We also got fried calamari and shrimp, a gnocchi with seafood and spaghetti with anchovies, pine nuts, raisins and crushed crackers- that one was mine and it was delicious- more Sicilian flavors with the sweet and savory- I love that flavor profile and so I was delighted with all the food- it was all delicious… what a nice way to end the trip! I ended the evening with a panna cotta with a berry sauce on top- exquisite!

Panna Cotta Fried Calamari Anchovie Gnocchi Octopus Salad
So, my final thoughts…well, this trip has been fabulous and feel lucky to be able to experience different cultures myself and also expose my daughter to all the world has to offer outside of the US. I will fondly remember Bologna and Naples. I enjoyed Sorrento, Amalfi, Positano and Capri but Naples has definitely captured my heart… and I can’t wait to come back!

 

Sorrento to Naples, Yay!

Half of our last day in Sorrento was spent in Pompeii- what an amazing site it is… we took a break in between and ate some snacks before exploring some more of the ancient city… by the time we got back to our hotel, it was after 5 pm. We were very tired… our feet were killing us as the streets in Pompeii were very uneven.. after resting in our hotel for a couple of hours and drinking a glass of Prosecco, we ventured out to enjoy the last evening in Sorrento. We had scouted a restaurant that was a bit off the beaten path, Il Ritrovo… it had decent ratings on trip advisor, so we decided to go ahead and try it. We started with the calamari- which was really yummy… nicely fried and great seasoning. We also got the pasta vongole, bolognese and a filet of fish. The bolognese was the best of all the dishes. Overall, it was good- not spectacular but quite good.

Fish Pasta Vongole calamari
We walked around a bit more and soaked in the lovely town and came home to pack and get ready to leave for Naples the next morning. I have been looking forward to Naples as it is supposed a gritty, old city filled with delicious food.

We woke up, ate breakfast and took the train to Naples and got out into the bustling city- very different from Sorrento. Sorrento was beautiful, filled with loads of tourists. Naples is crowded, old and filled with street foods- which is what I look for when traveling to new destinations.

We took a cab and arrived at our hotel, Hotel Piazza Bellini ten minutes later. Our room wasn’t ready, so we dropped our luggage off and set out to explore and look for a pizza place for lunch. We found, Antica pizzeria e friggitoria Di Matteo– yummy, yummy! We ordered the margherita with buffalo cheese and also one with funghi or mushrooms. We washed the yummy pizza down with white wine and beer. It was a bustling pizza place with a long line outside…PizzaNaples After sitting there for a bit, we ventured out again, exploring the windy, cobblestoned streets. Of course if was time for a gelato break- Scimmia Factory! We soaked in a bit more of the city and then walked back to the hotel to get our room and unpack. After a bit of rest, we ventured out again. Naples reminds me of a dirtier version of Rome- without all the excavations and monuments all over the city… it is the kind of place one needs at least a week at a time to explore. We only have 2 nights and I am already thinking when I can return to this vibrant place!

We sat down for a glass of Prosecco to give a rest to our tired feet. We sat in a small piazza watching all the locals walking by… soon there was an amazing street band that started performing- it was a great evening. As we sat, I researched some restaurants for dinner and found Tandem, a small restaurant not so far away from where we were. We got there as they were opening at 7 and were the first ones there- as usual! The restaurant was all about ragu… we ordered some pasta with ragu and a bowl of ragu with bread. We also got some salad and a bottle of Gragnano, a red bubbly… The meal was delicious but unfortunately I was too full for dessert. Ragu in a Bowl Spaghetti with Ragu
After a bit more strolling we returned to our hotel… city was buzzing but we were tired and wanted to take it easy and prepare for a full day of exploration- as it is our last day in Naples and Italy!