HoboDrifter

Naples (Napoli) has been the biggest surprise thus far. Maybe it was the people I met or the hostel I stayed at, but underneath the rugged, dirty exterior lies the beautiful soul of the culture and people of Southern Italy. My first impression as I leave the construction riddled train station is that I may need to watch my step with a little more attention then usual, not only to guard my belongings but to dodge trash that has been tossed carelessly into the streets. I head towards the hostel through a predominately immigrant neighborhood and duck into a back alley putting my trust in google maps. After 20 minutes and a dozen close calls with cars, scooters and pedestrians moving hastily through this cramped alley way, I make it to Giovanni’s Home… welcomed with the most warm greeting I have received during the course of my trip. Giovanni makes checking in a secondary option to setting my bag down and providing me with a glass of water. As he disappears one more time into the back room I can’t help but wonder what he’s doing back there… preparing for myself and another traveler a delicious bowl of pasta and a carafe of wine to be exact. Already, I could not have asked for a better trip, but we can always talk about what to see and experience.

We’ll start in the city, which is rather centralized in terms of what you may want to see. A simple suggestion to to walk down towards the harbor and you will run into nearly everything of interest to a tourist. Castel Nuovo (New Castle) dominates the waterfront near the main docks, you can’t miss it. Just beyond is Naples’ oldest castle, Castel dell’Ovo (Egg Castle). This structure juts out into the bay and provides great views of the surrounding environment, I highly recommend this free attraction. There is one more castle left to see which stands atop the highest point in Napoli, providing great views over the harbor and neighboring towns. For only 1 euro you can take the Funicular (cable car) up to see Castel Sant Elmo. Entry into the castle is a little more, but it worth it if you like the castle scene. Putting fortresses aside, there is one other site that you really have to see during your stay in Napoli. This hidden gem is tucked away in a small chapel in a back alley as you climb the hills from the waterfront. Ask around for directions to Museo Cappella Sansevero, where you will find the Veiled Christ, a life-like marble figure carved from one piece of stone that resembles Jesus covered in an unbelievably realistic veil after his crucifixion. This easily rivals Michelangelo’s David for one of the most incredible sculptures I have ever seen, well let’s just make it the world. This is a must before you head out of town to embark on some incredible adventures back in time.

The initial main attraction of Napoli for me was the ruins of Pompeii. Destroyed by the infamous Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD, an astonishing amount of the city has been uncovered and somewhat restored in certain areas. You really feel as if you have stepped back in time as you walk through the old streets and enter into many of the structures and common places that have been preserved in amazing fashion by the ash of Vesuvius. Pompeii is the most well known of all the ruins nearby Napoli for a reason. A quick stop in Ercolano may have provided us with a better idea of how complete structures looked in the first century, but the amount of the city that is still present is rather small. Ercolano did serve a better purpose in my eyes, a starting point for our trek into the heart of ancient destruction… Vesuvius. Myself and some fellow travelers purchased a shuttle ride up to the top of Vesuvius for 16 euro, which was worth it in my opinion. Even though it was extremely cloudy atop the volcano that day, the wind was strong enough to push the cloud cover away at certain points providing a short lived opportunity to snap some amazing photos or the central crater and distant towns.

The last day of my stay in Napoli will come as no surprise to most of you who have been following me thus far… I wondered the streets to see what I could find. I scoured the city with a couple new friends (just so you don’t have toe worry about my well being), Alby and Larry from Wyoming. Great guys that I wanted to give a little shout out to, hopefully we’ll stay in touch even after all of our traveling adventures. Good luck fellas on you next 3 months! This part of the trip is of course my favorite as you get to see parts of a city most tourists don’t care to travel to. As usual, there was nothing overly impressive in terms of buildings or other sights, but wandering through the back streets and observing the people and taking in the smells always intrigues me. Which makes me think about a great pizza joint you have to visit. The alleged origins of the calzone started here, Gino’s pizza a few blocks off Via del Duomo. Definitely check it out for whole pizzas starting around 5 euros, can’t beat it. It may have a reputation as a dirty, scummy, mafia riddled city in southern Italy, but dig a little deeper and you just might find a unique environment with a mysterious charm.