Naples, Italy

A couple of weeks ago, I spent a weeklong adventure in Naples, Italy, traveling during the day and attending my classes at night.  This was also the first big trip that I had to travel completely on my own.  I was a bit worried at first, when people told me that Naples was kind of a dangerous place to travel alone, but after I've done it, I can honestly say that I wish I had ignored that advice.  Naples and the surrounding area is fine to travel alone, as long as you are a pretty independent and adventurous person that pays attention to their surroundings. 

I'm going to start using a ranking system for my posts because I feel it will be a helpful guide.  The key to the ranking system will be at the bottom of the post.  For Naples, I am ranking the trip high for near a beach, big city, good food, historical/museums, photo ops, and shopping!

 

If you are staying near the Capodichino airport like I did, there are very easy ways to navigate the city and the surrounding areas.  I took the Alibus near the airport to The Port of Naples for my first day.  The Alibus only goes to two stops; the train station and the Port of Naples.  Very easy.  And the cost is 3-4 Euro.




I arrived at my stop and immediately I could see the port and sea on the right and The Castel Nuovo on my left.  I had some key places that I was advised to visit.  I had no idea where I was going, but I did have my phone activated so I used my iPhone GPS to guide me to certain points.  I was advised to try the famous Napoli pizza.  And the best place to do that was Brandi Pizza where supposedly the first Margherita pizza was invented.  I made my way towards the pizza shop and it was pretty easy to find and not far from port.  Unfortunately, the guy said the shop wasn't open for another two hours.  Nooo.  I couldn't wait that long to eat lunch so I walked a few blocks more and found another pizza place.  Here is my lunch.  I opted for a Diavolo pizza which has salami, cheese, and apparently one basil leaf.  To be honest, I'd take a New York pizza over a Napoli pizza any day.  The crust was too thin and flavorless and there was way too much sauce and not enough cheese or basil.  But, I guess that's their style.  You also can't really order just one slice so you get an entire pizza.  And I won't even get into the whole "seating fee" thing.



I decided to walk over to what had turned out to be the shopping area.  There was a huge row of stores with beautiful Italian clothing, purses, beauty products, etc.  I actually ended up buying this gorgeous teal and gold leather purse by Valentina, which I guess is a popular Italian brand. 




Not wanting to spend too much money, I walked through the Galleria Umberto.  It's mainly a shopping and business area, but it's mosaic glass ceiling and beautiful architecture make it worthy of a stroll. 








Another restaurant I was told to try was Gabrinus cafe which was actually right near the pizza place I had eaten at earlier.  I was told to go there for the Conollo, so that I did.  I also tried a Cappuchino Freddo or iced cappuchino.  Maybe it's because I'd never tried a Conollo before, but I thought it was just so so.  The creme inside was great but it was a pretty hard pastry.  Maybe they are the same thing but does anyone know the difference between a Conollo and Cannoli?  Is one the Italian name and one the American name?








I decided that I wanted to go and get a look at the Castel Nuovo known to Italians as the Maschio Angioino, which is the big castle I saw when I first pulled in to the port.  It was only a few Euros to get in and it was very relaxing.  I could see a lot of other solo travelers just walking around at their own pace.  The building of this midieval castle began in 1279 during the reign of Charles I of Anjou.  It was built by the French architect Pierre de Chaule.  The castle has been renovated multiple times over the centuries and now stands as the symbol of the city of Naples and it is used for cultural events and a museum. 







Here are some uncovered bodies, though I'm not sure what their significance is.  Probably royalty that had inhabited the castle at one point. 







There is also the royal gold artifacts. 






Here are some Italian paintings.





There actually weren't that many rooms that one could visit because most of the rooms in the castle were blocked off for offices.  I was actually surprised and didn't understand what all the offices were for.  It seemed that half of the castle was filled with offices and people on computers. 

I had a very enjoyable experience at The Port of Naples.  Solo travel here might not be best for everyone, but I didn't feel that I was unsafe.  It's certainly nicer than some of the places I saw as the bus was making it's way to the port; Like the train station.  Though the port is nice, most of Naples is filled with crowds of people, too many Vespa's zipping all over the place, and trash EVERYWHERE.  The trash is really a problem here.  And so is the driving!  I have never seen such bad driving in my life and I've been to a lot of cities.  There is not rhyme or reason to how people drive, it's kind of like, pick a lane and try to get your car in there first.  Pile ups are essential.  Very dangerous, and I wouldn't recommend driving in Naples. 


Next Stop: The Island of Capri (You don't want to miss this!)

Have any of you been to Naples? What were your experiences?





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36 comments :

  1. Ive just across your blog and I think this is a wonderful idea im going travelling properly for the first time and i will log on to see wher your travel take you stay safe Karen :-)

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  2. We met a man on the plane to Rome who was going home to Naples, and he didn't speak very highly of it! I'd like to go to say I've been, but I'm more interested in Pompeii. I am excited to see what Capri is like though as I've always wanted to go!

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    1. I loved Capri. I also went to Pompeii during this trip, I'll be posting about that too. Yea most Americans don't speak very highly. There is a lot of trash everywhere and crime.

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  3. Great pictures! It looks like wonderful weather and not too busy there right now. Oh yes, I understand that it is their custom, but the multiple coperta charges definitely add up! One time I wasn't hungry, so I left my family to eat and just walked around to avoid the extraneous charge of me just sitting there. It was a win-win!

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Yes, lol I had the seating fees in quotation marks for a reason. Thanks for the picture complement and stopping by!

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  4. Fun! We wanted to visit Naples but were put off by the horror stories. So jealous our classes took you to Italy!

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    1. Yep, I was told these horror stories, too. I was told that I should not be traveling around by myself as a female. And I really wish I didn't listen to that because it's only dangerous if you make yourself look like you don't know where you are or what you are doing. People there aren't necessarily out to get you.

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  5. I was only there to catch the boat to Capri. Oh, how I want to go back.

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    1. Capri was my favorite part of the trip. I'll be posting about it tomorrow!

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  6. I thought the same thing when I had a cannoli for the first time, cream inside was good but the shell was too hard. Maybe the difference between a cannoli and cannolo is the size with the cannolo being bigger?

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    1. Denise above says it's the plural form. But I know in the States everyone calls it Cannoli, that's why I was confused, because I knew I had eaten a Canolli before.

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  7. Naples is one of the first places I ever solo traveled (well, only halfway as I ended up meeting some old friends). I also heard all sorts of horror stories before I went but found that, with common sense, any "horrors" could easily be avoided. I also hadn't met many people who enjoyed their time in Naples, but I loved it! I have since traveled to a few places and N. Italy, so I can understand why people might experience a little culture shock in the craziness of Naples, but I thought it was such a great city. Loved the post!

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    1. Yes, I thought the same thing, as long as you have common sense and don't make yourself out to be a tourist, you'll be fine. And I think the American that really hate it are military, because I wouldn't want to be stationed there, only visit. I kept saying to myself, wow, I'm glad I live in Germany instead.

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  8. 'Cannolli' is the plural of 'cannolo' in Italian, and your description of the pizza you ate is pretty much the description of a classic Italian pizza. The American version of pizzas and cannoli, as you noticed, are quite different, and you will never appreciate Italian food if you compare it to the American version :) I am thinking this is why you found it so disappointed? Because you were expecting something more American?

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    1. Denise,
      Thanks for informing me that it was the plural of cannolo! I am not expecting the Napoli pizza to taste like American pizza, I know they are going to be different, in my opinion, however, I prefer America pizza. I love other traditional Italian foods and don't think the American versions are better, in this case however, I do. Currently living in Germany I am near Italy and get to eat authentic Italian quite often and I've been to Italy several times this year so I am by no means upset that it wasn't American tasting. But I totally know that other people do compare them and are dissapointed for that reason. Can a girl just get some more cheese on her pizza? lol

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  9. I went to Naples this year for just a day before we were meant to fly back in to London. We didn't feel safe there and no one had warned us. But we will definitely pop in again just to have some more of that heavenly pizza!

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  10. I just did a blog hop about solo travel. In many ways, your post reminded me of my solo trip to Paris. I'm glad Naples turned out to be such a fun place to visit even though the pizza wasn't what you expected. Castel Nuovo looks like a beautiful highlight - well, except for the unexpected bones.

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  11. Oh my, that pizza! I miss true Italian wood fired pizza!! When we lived in Cortona we had a great pizza place near us, it was just addictive.

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  12. Hi Brittany,
    I'm Kiki and I'm reading your blog from north Italy, from Turin in specific, linking from be inspired #160. I love reading your adventure in Naples and yes, it's true, even for us living in the north of italy going to naples can be a shock! I'm happy your solo travel went well.
    Travelling many times in the Usa and Canada showed me that italian cusine is perceived really different from how it is here, in italy I mean, and pizza too! What you eat at Gambrinus cafe is a "Cannolo siciliano" a typical sicilian dessert made of crisp fryed pastry filled with creamy ricotta, chocolate and candied fruit. Instead what is usually called cannolo or cannolli in the Us is a "cannolo" which is made of puff pastry filled with custard. I'll read your next post about capri.
    kiki from caseperlatesta.com

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  13. Fabulous pictures. I made a brief stop there many years ago, wish I had stayed longer. Thanks for stopping by My Dream Canvas.

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  14. I've never heard great things about Naples but you seemed to have made the most of your time there. Pity about the garbage as I always find that a turn-off.

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    1. It seems lots of peole haven't heard great things about Naples. I had a good time though! You have to go to the right parts!

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  15. Oh I have always wanted to go to Naples! Bummer about the pizza though, at least that gorgeous bag makes up for it :)

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  16. Wow, that Galleria is beautiful! I can't get over the glass ceiling. And I want all of that food...

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Rachel. I had a pretty good time at The Port of Naples!

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  17. Italy is on my bucket list. I have two shelves full of books, dictionaries, and photo books of various parts of Italy. Thoroughly enjoyed your photo tour! Thanks for sharing!

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  18. I wilk happily eat that pizza, I love them saucy and miss European pizza. But that pizxa and American are two diferent foods completely, ij my eyes...but both delicious.

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  19. I noticed the trash too especially as we drove to Pisa at the Leaning Tower. I thought many times that someone should start a litter campaign.

    We didn't get to stop in Naples just drove through to Sorrento. It looks interesting.

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    1. How did you like Sorrento, I'm going to post about it later this week!

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  20. I've briefly been to Naples as a port-of-call for a cruise, but we quickly hopped on a bus and went to Florence for the day, so I never saw anything of Naples other than the cruise terminal. That conollo looks exactly like a cannoli to me. I guess I will have to go to Naples myself to give it a try and figure out the difference. The outside of the Castel Nuovo looks very interesting, but the uncovered bones weirds me out. I wonder what type of office workers they have at the Castel.

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    1. Michele,
      I wondered what all the offices were for too! I'd like to see more of the castle not offices. And Florence. I'd love to visit one day.

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  21. Oh my goodness, such gorgeous places and I love your pictures.Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty

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  22. We lived in Aversa (outside of Naples) when my husband was stationed there with the Navy from 1999-2002 and ended up loving it. It took a bit to get used to life there, but we honestly still talk about it almost daily. The trash seems to have become more problematic since when we were there, but it wouldn't keep me away today if we could return. The food, the people, and even the crazy driving are my fondest memories.
    ~Angie in Tennessee

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    1. So awesome you look back and see that it was a great experience! I think Naples can be harder to get used to than other places but it's good you made the best of it and liked it!

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I love to hear from readers! Questions and comments welcome. I try to respond to everyone (I respond back to your comments on the comments page so check back for a response). Thanks for reading!

-Brittany Ruth