I had visited Italy on two different trips, but I never made it to Naples..... and I had this city on my radar for not just months, but years and years-11 years to be exact....make your travel dreams happen friends because life does pass us by and then we are missing out on eating the best pizza ever haha
It was the first day of Naples and I finally wore my Calvin klein belt I had sitting in my suitcase for 5 months. I had my new tan slip on shoes from India and a pink Linen shirt.
Everything
in Naples is Hills, which was something to definitely get used to as I walked
down the hill I stopped at the church. Then there was another hill going down
to the main road. Everyone was talking on the street, having their coffee, scooters
passing by at lightening speed, delivery drivers, and restaurants all with their
doors open.
“ I made
it to the bottom of the hill and turned right without looking at the giant pothole
that was under my feet. I tripped and fell right on my knee s-staining my jeans
and giving a couple black marks to my brand new shoes…Was I physically injured?
No…. WORSE
I
just made my outfit dirty and walking around with stained jeans and shoes is a
Tourist Red Flag Alert. Italians would
go home and change, but I decided to skip those hills going all the way back up
to my friend’s apartment. I had to utilize my wet wipes.
What
a great place to fall in front of a gas station…..I was so embarrassed that I
quickly got up and hid behind a car to check if I had injuries. I also wanted
to make it look natural when I walked past the gas station haha.
I stopped
with a business man who was trying to speak with me using “Google translate.” He
was trying to ask ME for directions, which I always find to be entertaining- I
did not look Italian with that look.
I
took the old school trolly with grafitti and 80s vibes to the Spanish quarter and
life in Naples was ALIVE and ALERT. The
streets were alive with the sound of Opera and the taste of Pizza.
I stopped to get the famous Napoli pizza… I
did not just “stop for a slice.” I do what an abnormal person with a fresh food
obsession does…I walked back and forth non chilantly waiting for a new batch to
come out….and when something is fresh- it changes the game. The basil, the
sauce, the dough-ok the whole thing- Wow.
It
does not take eating 3 big meals a day or eating all day- it is just a few
things in a day that make it “food worthy.” I definitely could never eat like a
normal tourist, croissants, gelato, pizza, Italian pasta, big breakfast, frappacino…..not
Priscilla!
I proceeded
to walk up the hills through the streets admiring the locals hanging their
laundry, the art graffiti, the votive shrines, the charming cafes/restaurants, tailors,
umbrellas hanging in ceilings, futbol memorabilia everywhere, small mom and pop
shops. I just kept walking around with my eyes wide open up one hill, down a
street, up another hill- my eyes were leading the way. They lead me up to the
most beautiful panoramic point of the city-this is where you get when you spend
most of your time walking.
I had
not used any map, but managed to find myself down to the bottom to the exact
point where I started in front of the Bershka store…That is always astonishing
when that happens because I do not really have a great sense of direction, but somedays
are just perfectly aligned with the universe.
Summary:
Sooo
many groups of kids and students….Piazza Plebsito, Galleria Umberto…Italian
kids are literally the cutest and they are so well behaved…the older ones are a
bit rough with each other and loud, but that is what happens when you go from
being a cute Italian kid to a real Italian, loud, opinionated and
patriotic…ready to shout and ready to fight if needed…like my Italian friend
and her family always having these verbal disagreements and then loving each
other at the end of the day….they are family….
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