Known for its gangsters, architecture, and pizza, Napoli grasps a distinct and popular slice of Italian culture.
Napoli would be the longest ride I'd taken in Italy, requiring a whooping three hours to arrive in the Neapolitan area. I grabbed an awfully early train to Napoli Saturday morning (Dec.11), during which I caught up on some much needed sleep.
After trekking through the Tuscany and Lazio regions, we soon approached the Neapolitan view.
After arriving at the Napoli's central station, I stepped out into the jam packed center of Napoli. The amount of mad walkers, drivers, and loud noise was quite shocking. After getting used to the hustle and bustle madness of Napoli and I went in search to find the ultimate Neapolitan pizza.
One of the famous pizzerias in all of Italy, Da Michele, was what I was specifically looking for. Di Michele houses pictures of one of their most famous returning customers Maradona, who dined often here while playing for the local football club, Napoli. The pizzeria also featured in Julia Robert's travel-log feature, Eat Prey, Love.
I finally tracked down the place, hidden deep within the narrow neighborhoods of Napoli.
As I stepped in, I was welcomed into quintessential Italian pizzeria.
The cash-register was run by an elderly Italian owner, pictures of classic Italian film posters on the wall, with numerous pizza makers furiously formulating random dough into artful food.
It was positively awesome having a pizza bigger than the size of my head, split into two distinct styles.
As lunch time approached, the pizzeria got extremely busy, requiring everyone to sit right next to each other. My personal bubble was sooo invaded!
After indulging in what must have been the greatest sauce of all time (secret recipe?), I caught the closet bus towards the distinguished Neapolitan art gallery, the Capodimonte.
Traveling through the core of Napoli was fascinating. It was far different from anything I'd seen in Italy. Endless lines of hanging clothes covered the heights of the Neapolitan neighborhood. Many parts of the city are built upon high hillsides, providing an incredibly wavy landscape.
There was also a lot of dust, sand, and dirt, with architecture built with brown rock and cerement. This all gave Napoli a very dusty atmosphere, totally opposite to the greenness found in the upper regions of Italia. It seemed a little grungy and dirty to be quite honest.
While traveling to the museum, I ventured into the one of the most popular churches in Napoli:
Also, do bear in mind that traveling through the transpiration in Napoli is far removed from anything in Florence, Milan, or Rome. It required utilizing my godlike Italian language skills and a drop of luck to emerge successfully at the front of gates of the Capodimonte.
The Capodimonte holds critical works by Raphael, as well as other paintings by renowned artists, such as Titian and Caravaggio.
They weren't very many people touring the museum during the time I visited. Regardless, I found the museum to be quite fascinating, full of the enchanting atmosphere found within a typical Italian art gallery. Since many prominent works of Raphael are housed here, I was able to properly focus on his work and get a true understanding of his art form. While Raphael's work may not contain the visceral nature of a Michelangelo piece, or the exquisite flavor found in a Da Vinci painting, they retain an intimate quality like no other.
The sense of compassion found within Raphael's drawn figures is phenomenal. The tender look of the Virgin Mary looking upon her beloved Jesus brings to life the love, affection, and bond between the figures. Raphael's paintings don't focus on the grandeur, but rather the chosen characters. Thoroughly absorbing.
After the Capodimonte, I headed for the Naples coastline. Upon arriving, I ventured into Castel Nuovo (New Castle). For centuries, this castle was run by the ancient royal family, and has since been become a true showcase of Naples Medieval history.
While in the castle, a few open rooms within were under heavy excavation:
The site was directly below, enabling me to travel across, thanks to a thick, but clear walk-way. I felt seriously disillusioned and a little terrified walking across a path that I could see clearly through. Heights are not my forte.
Ah, but I wonder what medieval wonders lay beneath my very feet!
I traveled to the higher reaches of Castel Nuovo and walked out to the balcony. The view was stunning! The entire Neapolitan seaport was before my very eyes.
It's was an engrossing and fabled view, putting into perspective the historical tragedy that turned Pompeii into a sea of dust by Mt. Vesuvius' volcanic eruptions, centuries ago.
After properly taking the tranquility of the classic coastline, I explored some of the more busier parts of Naples, where many people were shopping through the streets. Excluding the coastline, I didn't recall visiting any area in Naples that wasn't crowd or full of random noise.
I traveled past the Neapolitan Opera house:
With time rapidly dissolving, I pinpointed the correct auto-bus to take me back to train station. This bus ride was ridiculous. When I initially stepped onto the bus, it wasn't packed at all. Yet as we ventured on, each stop filled the bus with more travelers. It soon became absurdly packed, to a point where the bus-doors were having trouble closing. We were jam-packed like can of tuna, with numerous Italians shouting expletives far too advanced for my understanding. The accents were also far different from anything my ears were used to in the northern regions.
After what seemed like an hour in a furnace, filled with shouting, pushing, and odd bodily smells, the bus finally arrived at the front gates of the train station.
Naples is an interesting city, laced in mannerisms, styles, and an overall atmosphere far removed from anything I'd visited before in Italy. While I may not be as keen on Naples as Florence or Rome, it supplies Italy with a replenishing diversity. If you ever get tired of art in Florence, history in Rome, Fashion in Milan, or Water in Venice, remember there's always pizza in Naples.
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