Pompeii & Naples

After a relaxing breakfast and our last one on a terrace, we took a selfie as we enjoyed the view of Mount Vesuvius:





Our agenda for the day was to visit the famous archaeological site of Pompeii. It took an hour to drive from Sorrento and took a little bit longer as we stopped at a Tabacchi shop to try to pay for a small parking ticket. However, we’ll have to pay by wire as the city of Sorrento doesn’t honor payments at Tabacchi shops despite what several hotel employees were telling us. Once we found parking at the Zeus lot, we walked right in as I paid for the tickets via TicketOne which needs to be done at least a day in advance. It was very busy with tour groups and crowds that just disembarked from the nearby train station. But we had it easy and started enjoying the ruins straight away:















Here are some pictures from the bathhouses:







Justin and my mom recreated a 2015 picture Amanda took of me at a food stand:



2015 original here for reference:



We popped into different houses, enjoyed the Pompeii red walls, and admired various homes:





The popular one is this house of a wealthy trader family who had a slave who was also a prostitute. Famously, she had different positions displayed on the wall for her clients to choose from - there was a long queue for her room within the villa:









I enjoyed poppy flowers everywhere as they seem to be “on brand” with the red walls:



We had the ruins plus Roman villas tickets, so we headed to the most famous one, the Villa of the Mysteries which has the famous frescoes:





Instead of returning to the main exit, we exited at the Villa of Mysteries exit where there was a food truck and as the family was washing up in the bathroom, a man said his wife makes excellent sandwiches. So I walked over and purchased a tomato and mozzarella panini and chicken with zucchini panini and some soft drinks. We sat at some nice tables and enjoyed the snacks in this low key area and away from the crowds.

Afterwards, we walked along the road to our parking lot which was actually just a straight shot down from the villa, got the car and filled it with gas, and got on the highway. Surprisingly, we had to pay the Naples toll with cash while the other tolls we could pay by credit card. Then in about thirty minutes, we were in Naples and at Palazzo Caracciolo Naples, which is a Hilton Tapestry hotel. The hotel was the home of the famous Caracciolo family of Naples.

We dropped off luggage and my mom, checked in, and Justin and I retuned the rental car at the Naples train station which can always be daunting. The signs are never as clear as they could be and sometimes the address doesn’t match the actual parking lot that is separated from the rental car office. But having done this in several European cities, Justin and I used our senses and dropped it off in no time and walked back to the hotel.

Amanda and I had transited through Naples in 2015 (posts here), but didn’t sightsee much. Naples has a mixed reputation, but I knew that the family would want to sightsee a little as they’ve heard so much about the city, but because how strong the local culture is and known around the world. A top contender of a Korean cooking show is nicknamed “Napoli Mafia”.

After resting, we walked about 10 minutes to the church of Pio Monte della Misericordia where we saw our last Caravaggio, “The Seven Works of Mercy”. It was originally supposed to be seven separate panels, but Caravaggio combined it for the altarpiece:







You’re also invited to the picture gallery on the 2nd floor and see the painting from the choir seats:



Around the corner was the Duomo which honors the city’s patron saint, Saint Januarius or San Gennaro. We have enjoyed the San Gennaro festival many times in New York and apparently a vial of the Saint’s blood is here. My mom opted to do her confession and we stayed for Mass which made her happy:







About 7 minutes away was a location for L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, famous for their pizza but also where Julia Robert’s enjoys a margarita pizza in the movie, “Eat, Pray, Love”. We got a paper ticket with a number which Justin managed as he walked up ahead, and were seated rather quickly:



They only had three types of pizza: margarita which has mozzarella, marinara (no cheese), and cosacca which has pecorino cheese. You could also order a half and half of the margarita and the marinara, but we ordered one of each and swapped:



We then treated ourselves to gelato as we walked back to the hotel:



Our last stop on the Amalfi Coast…Thanks to big brother Justin for doing all the driving and parking. I knew it would be precarious, but as I weighed the pros and cons of convenience and ease with luggage and my mother, I knew this would be best. I definitely would not recommend the Amalfi Coast for a first time renter overseas, but it all worked out safely and conveniently. Thanks to all who were concerned, because it definitely was an Amalfi Adventure!

Capri Sun (After the Rain)

After a rushed breakfast right when the buffet opened, we ordered a taxi to the port of Sorrento. I had booked on Viator a small group boat tour to Capri as I thought this would be easiest for the family. When I came in 2015, we had taken the ferry from Naples and booked a tour on the island, but we had more leisure time as we had stayed several nights. Memories from 2015 can be read here.

Upon arrival at the port, it was chaos with different tour groups, but also because it had started to rain. We were still given the go-ahead and when we boarded, immediately headed inside and were crammed on one of the bunk beds. All twelve of us were regretful and there was a couple from San Francisco, a mother-daughter duo from England, and some college girls from Michigan - all pretty bummed out.

But in about 30 minutes, the rain stopped and the sun started peeking out. We starting drinking beers and the young folks sat upfront on the boat. Here’s a picture of the Italian Navy flag in the sun and includes symbols for the four maritime republics - Amalfi (octagonal white cross on a light blue background), Genoa (red Cross of St George on a white background), Pisa (white cross on a red background), and Venice (golden St Mark’s lion brandishing a sword on a purple background):



We circled Capri and saw the same places as in 2015 with Amanda and it was fun to revisit. Capri is technically in the Tyrrhenian Sea and is a popular resort destination. The boat tour lets you really observe the limestone landscape with its high cliffs:







You can see a Mary statue inside the White Grotto:







The sea stacks or faraglioni rocks are the iconic symbols of Capri:







Here’s the green cave:



The Punta Carena Lighthouse:



And the famous Blue Grotto which was closed due to the choppy and high tide. I had hoped to visit, but alas struck out again. Maybe a third time will be the charm!



We then arrived at Marina Grande and were taxied in:





We were given about four hours on the island and opted for the hop on and hop off bus that I’m pretty sure is owned by our boat charter company. We first headed to Anacapri where we wandered the welcoming streets:





Then we headed to Capri which has beautiful views and very crowded streets with luxury stores:





For lunch, we sat near our dock at Lo Smeraldo and enjoyed seafood salad, fried mixed appetizers including zucchini flowers, spaghetti with clams, grilled calamari, and a chocolate cake. We also enjoyed the restaurant breaking out into Neapolitan songs and cheers under the shady terrace:



After taxi-ing back to our boat, the group wanted to jump in. Justin and I had to be persuaded as we weren’t as young as the others, but we finally did it:



I had to screenshot a video as my mom only took video when we were in the water:



Then we left Capri for Sorrento enjoying fruit and prosecco and the warm sun:



After taking a cab back to the hotel, we all rested and took it easy. Here’s a photo of Mount Vesuvius from the pool including one of many lemon trees in the garden:



The big news for the night and as warned by the U.S. Embassy through my STEP notification, was the Napoli home football match against Cagliari to clinch the Serie A championship - it would be the second time they’ve won in three years. The football club is famous for Diego Maradona who played in the 80s and as we overheard a tour guide today in Capri, stores were closing at 6:30 pm so folks can get home for the 8:45 pm match, and the city will go nuts if they win. The coach has also won the Serie A championship with two other teams, so winning with a third team would be momentous. I learned the Italian soccer league title is also known as the Scudetto which means “small shield” as the winning team gets to wear it on their kit for the following season.

I headed to the lobby to watch the game and shared a couch with some friendly Brits and enjoyed a draft beer and bar snacks. The family comfortably watched the game from the hotel room:



The bar was filling up and the staff would huddle around the TV after the goals to watch the replay. The ambiance was also interesting because they had a cover singer belting out Whitney Houston, Alicia Keyes, Billie Eilish, and others as we watched the game. Naples won 2-0 and from the hotel terrace, you could see fireworks, honking, lights, and excitement from across the Gulf of Naples and surrounding areas. Here’s the pandemonium at the stadium on the lounge TV:



It reminded me of the time when Atletico Madrid won La Liga when I was in Spain in 2013. So fun to be near the action and to see the locals so excited!