Arriving in Rome’s Fiumucino Airport we took the train into the main terminal, and were transported immediately into the familiar sights and sounds that is Italia – the loud voices, the crowds, the foreign language to be deciphered, jostling for service at the bar (as in the cafe bar) and the intoxicating world of carbs. This year marks our third trip to Italy and the first time heading south of Rome, and thanks to the travel plans of family and friends we will spend over 50% of our euro-adventure here which is absolutely fine by us.
Just a few hours by train we emerged from Napoli Central Station, the gateway to southern Italy, and it was wildly different to any city we have encountered up north. Navigating chaotic traffic and streets of overflowing rubbish and touts we walked our luggage to our B&B, heeding the advice of a shopkeeper to keep our bags close. Naples has a long history of being an unsafe city for tourists, but we didn’t feel any less safe here than many other cities around the globe. In broad daylight the walk gave us the chance to get a sense of the area and in the few blocks around the station we could see firsthand the impact of the continuing refugee influx into Italy with so many different cultures present. It felt akin to an African or middle eastern city in some ways, given the people, food, and services on offer.
Accomodation near the main train station in any city is tricky – it’s great to avoid taxi fares, but is often the least desirable part of town. On this occasion the travel gods were on our side, and we had one of those travel experiences that will be etched in our mind as a reminder of that first time to Naples – a warm and generous host welcomed us with espresso and cake on arrival, followed by a plate of spaghetti with scampi and a cold beer. As we sat on the terrace in awe of the events of the intersection below us, and feeling full and content with good Italian food and hospitality, we were reminded how much we love travelling in this country.
We only had half a day in Naples, so jetlag had to be ignored as we hit the streets. Like peeling back layers of old paint, the city began to reveal itself as we walked toward the centre and although crumbling and seemingly in a state of disrepair, it was beautiful and colourful and dynamic. This feels like a city that tells it how it is – there are no pretty landscaped piazzas or perfectly maintained public buildings, and therein lies the charm: a city that is truly lived in and has aged, and doesn’t put on a show for the tourists.
At every turn and down each laneway there was a building, a street mural, or an intricate detail to see. Arriving in the heart of the city by the port, and strolling the main promenade the scene was more like that which we have become familiar with in other European cities – all cafes, shops, gelaterias and street vendors. We took the furnicular up to the top of the city for a wander and the view which was worth the short trip, rewarded of course with an aperol spritz for our efforts, grabbed a pizza for dinner (sadly it wasn’t the ‘amazing pizza in Naples experience’) and succumbed to the jetlag.
An additional day in Naples would have been put to good use doing some eating and more exploring, but Pompei was calling. Just 30 minutes outside of Naples we made our first stop at Villa Oplontis, one of the many sites in this area on the UNESCO protection list that was impacted by the Mt Vesuvius eruption of the first century AD. Parts of the villa date back to the first century, and the frescoes have been preserved in amazing condition. Well worth a visit.
It was actually a fortuitous first stop for a few reasons – we had the entire villa to ourselves when it opened at 8.30am wandering from room to room and capturing that perfect morning light; and buying the multi-access ticket that includes Pompei (€18 as at July 2018) allowed us to skip the (very long) queue when we got there around 10am. Note to future Pompei visitors – get there early to avoid the heat and the crowds in summer, it is worth the early start!
Having long been on the bucket list, it was surreal to enter the Pompei site. Thanks to an act of nature with Mt Vesuvius and decades of archaeological work and preservation, it is possible for us to walk through the site today and picture life as it was over 2000 years ago. The site is immense, and if you get away from the main thoroughfare where all the tour groups are led you are rewarded with deserted laneways, buildings and rooms to explore, and gardens to stroll through.
We spent three hours here which was tough in the heat, but enough to get a good view of the place and stop to read the history posts along the way. It was an awesome experience and so easy to get to on public transport out of Naples. I’m sure an organised tour would have provided more specific details of what we were viewing, but seeing the sites independently allows you to choose your own path and speed and was very cost effective. So far so good on the south side of Rome!
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