Giving us a great send-off on the subway in Rome, 2 buskers hop on - they are crazy good, Spanish guitar flourishes, with soft accordion accompaniment. We add to his hat of coins and manoeuvre our suitcases off, and up to the train station.
Our travel to Naples is fast, another 300 km per hour bullet train that gets us the distance in just over an hour, and cheaply! We are arriving close to dark, but the directions from our AirBnB host are perfect, and we meet him outside a bar on time and unfrazzled. Giancarlo is a university student in Physics, happy to greet us, and takes us on a tour of the neighbourhood pointing out the shops we'll need.
This is one of the best parts about AirBnB, we've met a medical student running her apartment on behalf offer parents, a retired geologist who's travelled the world and his artist wife, and now G and his brother Marco, in his final year at a science high school trying to decide between engineering and astrophysics. They have renovated their grandmother's apartment on behalf of the family, after she passed away 8 months ago. We are only their 2nd set of guests and they are very keen to make sure we're well set to get this new source of income for them off the ground. Her apartment is in one of the oldest buildings in Naples, she was born in this little apartment!
Now, most people would shrink when the massive courtyard doors were opened onto our stairwell. But not Marc and I! We giggled with delight. It was pitch black on our arrival, G apologizing up the flight of stairs with a flashlight. It was a beautifully redone apartment, a few wonky features, but ironed linen sheets, fresh fruit, a balcony and a little more space than Rome. We absolutely loved it.
Using AirBnB, you're in neighbourhoods! And this one was definitely jam-packed working class, everyone yelling, hanging out in the streets, laundry every day, children yelling and running everywhere, motorcycles and scooters vying for through way. If Florence is the soul, and Rome is the order, Naples is the heart - a beating loud, proud, gritty, irreverent, chaotic, passionate heart. People spoke to us all the time, helped us find our way, asked questions about what we were doing. Always a great reaction being Canadian! We felt very, very welcomed here.
Our little balcony
Naples is the birth of pizza! And Marc has been so looking forward to the taste test. Our first night's dinner from the 4-generations wood-fired brick oven storefront shop around the corner. And those deep-fried potato-cheese things in the middle? TO DIE FOR. I will never forget them, and we had them more than once!
Our little, well-equipped kitchen. The butcher on this day enjoyed our visit so much, that she gave us 2 free breakfast sausages! Their meatballs are massive and this just might be the best spaghetti Marc has ever made.
We decided that this is a job we could do! Each day a couple of vegetable trucks slowly come down the street hawking their wares via a loudspeaker, they stop every few doorways, get out, and hang their weight-measure basket off the side rear view mirror. There doesn't seem to be much difference in price between items, you load up and pay by the kilo.
Our local vegetable shop when the truck wasn't handy.
Note the loudspeaker on the top left of the truck, and the seller waiting for customers.
And by then end of our time in Naples, Marc is helped by Bella Annabella into a pair of Italian pants that were made in this century! Shop service is unbelievably good throughout the places we've been. Most business are tiny mom and pop stores. Everyone always has small talk, will show you any number of things without pressure, they are pleased to be showing you their wares - and I always felt like it was genuine. And if we didn't buy anything, they said the kindest goodbyes.
<3 Naples.
Naples does not disappoint! Rivalling China with their fireworks history, the hub of Italian New Year's celebrations takes place here in the Bay. Explosions go on for 2 days in the gritty streets, pre-teen boys ruling the land with the help of their older brothers, uncles, fathers, moms!, rattling your bones, watching above and below, beside, behind and in front as we walk.
Once darkness descends, neighbourhoods begin competing with one another for the greatest display, the loudest boom. At midnight, the Bay of Naples explodes, and by 2 am, the waterfront castle who's foundations date from the 6th century BC, begin the crowning glory. The crowds are enormous! You'll hear Marc exclaim, "the city's on fire!"
Hundreds of Chinese lanterns are lit and sent soaring towards Mount Vesuvius, out into the Bay, which we did, so many of you flashing across our hearts as our lantern began its ascent, sending you all our love, and wishes for all you desire in 2016. Thank you for your friendship, and all your best wishes in getting us here. Spectacular night!
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