Nosey Nomad

They say all roads lead to Rome. Well, in my case they have led me to all the other Italian cities so far and this time I found myself ordering Margherita pizzas on the streets of Napoli, sipping fresh lemon juice on Capri Island and wandering around on the hidden routes in Amalfi Coast. And there’s one thing I have learnt – Italy never fails to amaze me.

The first destination was Napoli – the city of pizza, pasta and coffee. Rumor says that it’s not the prettiest and the safest city in Italy, but I would like to disagree. I definitely do not advice one to visit suburban areas late in the evenings, but if one looks behind all the graffiti and the ill-maintained streets, one will discover all the beauty Napoli has to offer.

I started my holiday with a street food tour combined with city tour and I believe it was the best thing I did there. Have you ever had deep-fried pizza or a mozzarella, which is so juicy that loads of milk just comes out when cutting it? And I believe everybody is aware of the fresh handmade gelato there! The best part about that tour was that while enjoying all these delicacies I was able to see quite a few main sights as well. I booked my tour from here.

Once the strong midday sun has passed I highly recommend climbing up the stairs that lead to the Castel Sant’Elmo. The climb is tough but reasonable and the panoramic view from the top is pretty rewarding.

 

The second day took me to the city of Pompeii. Discovering this once a thriving and sophisticated roman city, that was established in 600 B.C, now buried in ash and pumice after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1979, takes one back to the classical period. One needs to take a bit of time and follow in the footsteps of some great men who graced the ancient streets, dedicate a few lines from ‘O Sole Mio’ to the former residents of a bygone era in the amphitheater of Pompeii and admire the imposing view to Mount Vesuvius. These are amongst some of the must-do things while visiting Napoli.

Last but not least, as we all want Napoli to leave a good taste in our mouth, the best way to do it (literally!) is to EAT (pray, love) at the famous pizza place called l’Antica Pizzeria da Michele. The pizza there is so good, that even Julia Roberts was in a relationship with her pizza there. One needs to stand in a queue for about 30 minutes, but the wait is totally worth it.