Italy: Rosso Pomodori Napoli

After a successful rendezvous with Nige in Roma and our first Italian caffé later we caught the next train heading straight for Naples or better known as Napoli (by the locals). It took two hours on the intercity train for ten euro each and it was our first taste of Italy's public transport system. Lets just say it needs improvement in that department.

Our first impressions were, we set foot into a city of chaos, rubbish everywhere, crazy scooter drivers, no road rules, just plain madness. We missioned it to our hostel which was a rough 3 km walk with a crazy christmas lane thrown in for some added excitement before we reached our accommodation on the third floor. After that journey we thought we deserved a Mammas beer which was sold out of an old woman's window, two doors down and bought upstairs via the balcony's bucket setup. I guess it's the simple things in life you enjoy.

Nine beers later and they weren't your average pissy bottles but the monster massive 750ml vessels, we headed out in search of our first Italian food experience. We were quite hungry because it was well past our dinner time and it turns out Italians don't eat until 8.30pm or even later. So we chose the first restaurant that looked reasonable and took the plunge. It started good with vino and an antipasto with bread. Then our main pasta dishes came out and it was all over. I think the chief had dropped a tablespoon of salt in the sauce by accident. We aren't ones to complain, especially in a foreign country but it was really bad so Nige with some sign language complained and we got a replacement which was better but not what we came to Napoli for.

With one bad experience under our belt, it could only get better right?! right!

Our first full day in Napoli we wandered around the fresh food markets, dodged mad scooters, explored the cute narrow streets and climbed to a view point Avvocata Montecalvario. We were rewarded with a view of the city and Mt Vesuvius in the distance. After that we definitely deserved a gelati at the top of the hill. We weren't disappointed and went back for another after our tikki tour bus trip that went around in a loop and dropped us back were we started (that wasn't our intention we just got lost). After Nige's second galati ever he was set on Fragola - strawberry sorbet forever.

We checked out the Castle S.Elmo and a museum while we at the top of the hill and tried the venicular mode of transport down to the city (cable car) which put us in the direction of the shoreline. With the sun setting we strolled around the coast and checked out where the ferries leave from for the next days adventure. That night we did a bit more research into the dining and weren't disappointed a second time. We all had a form of pasta with Vino and left full and happy.

Capri was a nice escape from the busy city. The weather wasn't as nice to us which prevented us visiting a few grottos by water but we still had some amazing views along our walking excursions and checked out the land grottos along the way. After the cold had beaten us, after a good fight might I add. We retreated to a Ristorante for some hot pizza and our expensive service bill, 12% on top of the two euro per head. Only for pizza too! Oh well we learnt from that.

We took the next ferry back which was more expensive, another tourist trap we reckon because once you are on the island you have to get back right?? Once we were back relaxing in the Hostel we decided on a Nige cooked meal while we had a working kitchen at hand. It was really tasty and not salty at all!

On our third day in Napoli we packed up our packs and tramped the 3 km back to the train station to drop our packs in luggage storage for the day and caught the next train to Pompeii. We thought to understand what happened to Pompeii we first headed up Mt Vesuvius, the reason behind it all. The view was worth the 4 hour bus trip there and back which should have been only 2 hours maximum but it seems to be a common thing in Italy. Things never run on time!

With a little time to spare we raced to Pompeii's old city. The Roman city which was preserved amazingly by ash and rock from Mt Vesuvius sudden eruption on the 24th of August, 79 AD. 2,000 people died from a population of 20,000 and some of the unfortunates were cased in volcanic shells displaying what they were doing at the time of their death. It seems the eruption happened at night as most were in a sleeping position even the dogs! It was amazing to be one of the 3.5 million tourists per year walking around in the past. It is hard to believe it was 2000 years ago, you can still see so many similarities in our world today. It was fantastic to see the city as a whole, how everything was laid out with streets, footpaths and stepping stones across the roads to escape the water and filth which sure would have been around in those days. The theatres,outside gardens, kitchens and utensils also gave you a better idea of the period in which the romans lived.

The last thing on my list for Napoli was to try the best Neapolitan pizza. When we found it, there was a queue out the door which is always a good sign in Italy. If the locals are eating it, it has to be good. We didn't have to wait long as we opted for the takeaway option and were soon munching on the best pizza I have ever had on someone elses doorstep! Full with doughy goodness and the freshest tomato topping we braved 'Christmas Lane' a very long street with loads of christmas things from nativity models to decorations for every kind of christmas. Once we were good and exhausted we stumbled back to the train station, picked up our packs and boarded the night train headed for Sicily for volcanoes and the Mafia.

G