Ahh, Napoli

Welcome to Naples

Italy, and more aptly, Capri.   It is impossible to take a bad picture.   The land of the living postcard.  Everywhere you look is the quintessential Mediterranean city or town or barrow.  Terraced houses lining narrow streets and alleys where people's lives and work are so closely related.  Painted doors and steps lined with pots of flowers or herbs.  Lemon and orange trees grow freely in the garden settings behind the white stucco homes that climb up the mountain sides and overlook the blue blue waters of the Mediterranean.  A beautiful sunny day awaits us.

Castle Nuevo circa 1279, Naples

Welcome to the Isle of Capri

Naples or Napoli is the port city we come into where the Castle Nuovo greeted us.  The city that first mixed up tomatoes, cheese and dough and baked it to the delight of people all over the world.  The term pizza was first used way back in the 10th century.   Naples might have invented pizza but it was perfected here in the States.  Today, so many topping are available to make that one perfect pie for the discerning diner.  Thick, thin or deep dish crusts.   It doesn't matter, make it how you like it and enjoy.

Waiting with friends to take hydrofoil to Capri

In this region of Italy you have so many options.  Naples itself, Positano, Praiano, Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast Line and Capri.  No visit to the area is complete without exploring the lost city of Pompeii.  It is like time stopped in a single moment when the hot ashes of Mt. Vesuvius rained down on the city back in AD 79.  12 meters of ash and pumice covered the entire city and the nearby Herculaneum.

Today Vialula and I chose Capri because we were lucky enough to have been in this area before and fell in love with Capri. So we boarded the hydrofoil and away we went.  When we arrived on the other side we found that we weren't the only ones with the same idea.   The lower port area was jam packed with tourists from everywhere.  Our first clue of the problem should have been the other 3 large cruise ships in the Naples port as we came in.  But we were not deterred.  Our tour first took us up the mountain to Anacapri.  Here the quaint shops open their doors for you to enjoy the wide varieties of Italian tiles, spices and the ever present Lemoncello; a liqueur with a very strong lemon flavor.  After a quick sample of the lemony drink, Vialula and I opted to take the single seat chair lift up to the very top of the mountain to gain some breathtaking vistas.   It is a 10 minute ride where you can take in the local landscapes and gardens, and well worth the time as the whole 360 degree view up top offers unbelievable views.  A little coffee shop up top beckons you to sit and enjoy the view but we knew our time was short so after taking several great shots we headed back down the chair lift and gathered with the others and made our way down to Capri.   Here we had a delicious lunch with some local wine that you just can't describe.  We ate outside in a small garden setting just as you would imagine it to be.

View from top after chair lift ride

Ristorante Villa Jovis where we had lunch

After lunch we get some free time to just wander around.   We made our way up to the same hotel we stayed at in '05, the Quisisanna.  So much of the area is just as we remembered it ... from the high end shopping available to the quaint little coffee shops that so many of the people enjoy.  We managed to get in a little shopping, and all too soon we were lead back down toward the port area to begin making our way towards our boat trip back to Naples.   But this time we took the Funicular down to the port.  It is like a cable car on tracks.  Once there, we again fight our way thru the crowds and finish up a little shopping before jumping on the boat for our 50 minute ride home.

Hotel Quisisana right where we left it in '05

Overlooking Gardens of Augustus

Overlooking the Faraglioni

The day on Capri did not last near long enough but like all our stops we just get a taste of the treat and it teases you to come back.   We had just enough pier time before our sail-away to find a local Trattoria where we ordered a couple of pizzas and we carried them on board.   We found some new friends out on the back deck as the boat cast off and we said our goodbyes to Naples.  It's amazing what a good pizza can do to a crowd.  I had my first but not last Peroni beer with my pizza.  Not a bad day!   Enjoy the pictures.  We are on our way to Barcelona where we get to meet up with Melba Jean.  Vi and I are looking forward to spending a couple of days with her as she enjoys a week in Barcelona.  She is going ahead of us to check out all the wonderful things to do there and will be our Spanish speaking guide once we get there.

Leroy, the pizza dude!