Travel from Rome to Naples, Italy
My first view of Naples. I knew right at this moment that Naples would be very different from Rome.
Well today I have made my way a couple hours south of Rome to Naples. As expected the city has a very different feel to it. Almost anything you read will warn you about the pick pockets and the triple digit murder rate (due to the mafia presence but apparently it is only the pick pockets that tourists need to worry about). It was the streets lined with guys selling knock-off hand bags that got me though.The train ride was relatively uneventful. I sat with this very nice couple and their 2 kids (aged 3 years and 9 months....reason number 800 that I remain childless). They were really well behaved and quite entertaining (and Danish so spoke some English) however the 3 year old did have a slight accident on his seat, which made me think about who might have been on my seat before I got there.
Anyway, I did manage to sleep a bit and at least I knew everyone was going to the same place so I was not worried about missing my stop. We got into Naples 30 minutes late (which I am told is normal for trains in Italy) but as I had no place to stay and no real plans I was not too concerned about that.
A random street in Naples.
I consulted my trusty Lonely Planet Guide (first time I have used it to find accomadation but it certainly will not be the last) and found the mid-range hotel that seemed to appeal to me most (and that included ease of locating at the time). I started to walk in the general direction knowing I could get close with the un-detailed map that I had and I was sure someone would know the name when I got close. Turned out when you got close there were a whole lot of signs so it was really no problem at all. And I didn't even take one wrong turn (yeah for me).
I somehow figured it was a good idea to climb this hill. It wasn't.
One of the narrow "walk" ways between buildings. The motorbikes also use them even though there really is not space. It is quite fun sometimes.
I lucked out and there was a room available for me for both nights (I will have to change rooms tomorrow but no worries) and for a decent price (40 euros a night….no tax, which is a bargain compared to what I could have paid somewhere else). The hotel is actually in a very nice building that is about 450 years old. The hotel is like a fortress and you have to go through several locked doors....that will only be opened from the inside to get back in, so I feel very safe too. The area of town is not bad either.....just off the main road and down this little alley way. I might mention that once you get off any larger road the whole city is nothing but little alley ways…barely wide enough for people let alone the cars and motor bikes and trucks that drive down them.
One of those little streets. Pretty empty when I took this picture, but not so empty a few hours later.
I got a couple maps from the hotel manager and then decided to take a walk. The alley ways are very lively with little shops and pizzerias and gellaterias and that kind of thing. The big thing that I notice lacking here that Rome had were all the little cafés with tables outside you could sit at to enjoy the evening. Seems like this area of the city likes to eat and run.
Inside a random church I found. I could not figure out the name of it at all. Nobody seemed to know and there were a bunch of different names written on it so it will go nameless here.
The ceiling in the nameless church. Needs a little restoration I think. Most of the paintings I found in this church looked like this. Certainly not as cared for as the churches I found in Rome.
I finally found a café to sit down at and realized that Naples was not as tourist friendly as Rome was. You can almost always find some English on signs and menues and that kind of thing in Rome…..not so much in Naples. Some words are certainy easy to figure out and some are close enough to French that I can get it but the others not so much. A nice waiter helped me out though (he is actually from the Dominican and my Spanish, as limited as it is, was much better than my Italian). Dinner was great and I managed not to get runover by a motorbike...they seriously speed up as they travel down the alleys and I guess the rest of us are just suppose to move….or get run over.
The sun was just setting in Naples when I took this picture.
This is what I saw when I walked up the earlier mentioned hill I should not have walked up. Yes it took some time and it was a little bit darker when I walked down.
Well it has been a long day and tomorrow will be a full day..... but aren't they all.
Julie
