Napoli

Our flights from Trieste went well but the transfer to our apartment took more than a half hour just for the pick-up. AAArgh.  That is the first time we felt compelled to rate a service a 2.  Maybe that was generous, but they got us to the apartment and they did stay in touch with us until we were picked up. The drive itself was maybe 10  minutes.

The temperatures are not that different in Naples than in SMA, humidity is ~3x higher.

We had a late lunch at Sorbillo, on via del Tribunali / pizza street and, drum roll...we had pizza! To go with it, we chose a Taurasi (prestigious full-bodied red wine from the Irpinia hills in Campania, south of Naples, often called the "Barolo of the South". Made primarily or exclusively from the thick-skinned Aglianico grape, it features high tannins, rich acidity, and remarkable aging potential spanning decades). It was new to us, so we made careful notes.

On the way back we caught a local giving a serenade from his balcony. After putting a tip in his basket (let down from the balcony by a ropea0, we continued on to shop for our evening and morning goodies and to get settled into the apartment. 

Next morning we were off on a food tour starting at Galleria Umberto I, continuing along Calle Toledo, through the Spanish Quarter and finishing near where we started. Along the way, we sampled custard filled pastry, fried pasta, spaghetti in tomato sauce, pizza, and gelato. We are really glad we took the tour.

We started with coffee (Pat demonstrates the proper drinking style)  and Sfogliatella  (an iconic very yummy pastry that looks impossible to make). Sfogliatella's characteristic layers are produced through repeated rolling and folding of dough. It is rarely made at home, instead it is typically purchased from a pasticceria.

Then we had a short architecture and history tour. Galleria Umberto I (top left and right, bottom left),  Basilica of San Francesco di Paola in the Piazza del Plebiscito (center right), and Piazza Trieste e Trento with the Vomero hill topped by Castel Sant'Elmo in the background.  (bottom right).

Next up, Frittatina di Pasta / fried pasta. A long thick noodle, like bucatini, is bound with creamy béchamel sauce, prosciutto, and peas which is double-battered and deep-fried. Basically a hand-held mac & cheese. Yummy!

A couple pieces of street art in the Spanish Quarter: Sophia Loren and Saint Mary Frances of the Five Wounds. 

We moved on for a more typical pasta. Verrry tasty.

And finally pizza, after all Naples is considered by many to be the home of pizza. We learned how to eat it Napolitano style - quartered and folded in half. Armed with this technique, pizza indeed can be a street food. Bill demonstrates.

After all this we were not quite ready for gelato. But it looked very good. Probably later!

Next day we took an uber to the the National Archaeological Museum. It houses the world's finest and largest collection of original artifacts, mosaics, and frescoes recovered from Pompeii and the surrounding Vesuvian region

We walked down the hill for lunch at Da Carmine, pasta vongole (Pat) and pasta with meat sauce (Bill) and another fine red wine.

Another day and went to Il Mantegno Vineria wine bar for a light lunch.

And then on to Sansevero Chapel Museum which houses the sculpture known as “the veiled Christ" by Raimondo di Sangro. Carved in marble, the veil appears amazingly transparent. The other works are also magnificent.

And then time for pizza making at Santissima Pizza, so-called because it is located i an old chapel.  In the collage below note that the disciples at the Last Supper are enjoying their pizza. The class was interesting but not amazing. The pizzas were formed by hand pressing the dough resulting in pretty freeform shapes for us amateurs. We also sampled pizza from dough that had been raised overnight. The resulting pizza is lighter and less filling. And to top off the evening, deep-fried dough with sugar sprinkles and rich chocolate sauce.

We got an Uber for the ride up to the Charterhouse & Museum of San Martino for the view of Vewuvius & surrounds and to see the renowned Nativity display.

Besides the nativity scenes, there are other nice exhibits.

And then for the piece de resistance, Nativity scenes and pieces from other nativity scenes, It is difficult (impossible?) to capture the detail of this nativitty scene but hopefully you get the idea. There is a whole village in the space below the angels.

Here are some of the pieces of the scene and other pieces for other sets.

On the walk back we stopped for lunch at Tandem Ragu - Radicchio salad with nuts and pear, a potato pasta for Pat and Ragu sauce for Bill. A Taurasi wine with lunch plus one limoncello and one arancello with chocolate and cognac truffles topped with coconut shavings.

A more relaxing day wandering the neighborhood shopping ending at Galleria Garibaldi...at the main train station.

Lunch on a rooftop with a view of Vesuvius was nice - caesar salad, pizza, a nice wine plus dessert with dessert of chocolate, hazelnuts and fruit sauce.

The view from the rooftop over the Galleria included Vesuvius.

The Capadimonte museum  was significantly uphill from our apartment and we opted again for a ride up.

We stopped for lunch at La Monacone on the walk down. It was a pleasant  neighborhood restaurant with a nice selection of pastas and sauteed greens.

Now it is time to pack and ferry out to Capri.