15 Random Observations of Naples

Naples is a bustling city and I found that underneath the chaos is beauty and kind-hearted people.
You can read about my random observations series here.


1. Scooters are the main mode of transportation.
2. Garbage piled up and thrown everywhere. No one recycles :(
3. Laundry is also hung outside windows/balconies.
4. People are louder.
5. It's the birth place of pizza. Thus, they make the most amazing one's!
6. A great starting point to get to different islands/ruins (i.e Capri, Procida, Amalfi, Pompeii, Herculaneum).
7. Tough looking people but the nicest!
8. Food heaven! No shortage of great food and desserts.
9. Gelato is cheaper here.
10. Home to a street full of Nativity shops.
11. Cheap wine from Vesuvius.
12. Amazing fresh produce and seafood!
13. They don't care about fashion as much as Rome.
14. Driving is a sport as people drive erratically.
15. The gateway for the islands in the south.

Procida Part IV

After having our lunch, A and I strolled around some more to walk off all the seafood we ate. We went to the other side of the island to explore some more. We found another spot to see another perspective of the island. We got to see the ex-prison building that we explored before lunch. 

We also found orange trees on one of the streets that we explored. Too bad they weren't ready for picking yet. I may or may not have stolen one if it was ripe ;)

Procida Part III

It was time to start hiking up to get a better view of the island. It was not a bad hike because I was distracted by the pastel coloured buildings! This was what I came for in Procida - the million dollar view!

A and I hiked all the way up the top of the hill where the ex-prison building in Procida is located. Can you imagine being a prisoner there and having this view? Maybe not so bad?

As you can see, I took a million pictures while I was up there. I love the sweeping panoramic view of the sea, buildings, and the hills.

After walking around some more, it was time for lunch. We took the stairs down passing by beautiful houses along the way.

We ended up having lunch at Bar Graziella. The patio pretty much sold me to eat here and it was a good choice because they had a seafood platter that was divine! The best part of this platter was the fried sardines. I could have eaten a whole plate of those!

One day, I will return here to spend a few weeks. Get my own little room with a view of the sea. Eat on the patio and write all day!


(Part I,  Part II)

Procida Part II

After gobbling up my gelato (Part I here). We finally explored the island. It's a sleepy fishing village full of cats. We found cats everywhere. Some of them napping, some enjoying a stroll, on stairs, on scooters..the cutest cats!

I didn't even see the cats when I took my photo above. A pointed out to me after and I started laughing. 

I was loving the vibe of this island. It was so relaxed. We just kept walking around. Not following a map. We went up a hill and looked at the houses/buildings we passed by. We went on empty alleyways. Everything was beautiful! 

I'm not sure if the island comes alive in the summer but I loved it being so peaceful.

I want to wish my family, friends, and readers from the States a very Happy Thanksgiving! 

Procida Part I

 

I have been saving posting this until the very end. Ooh Procida! If you watched the movie "The Talented Mr. Ripley" then my photos will be familiar as the movie was partly shot on this island. I completely forgot about it until I saw photos on instagram. 

I picked this island because it was quiet. I wanted a peaceful but picturesque island to visit on a day trip from Naples.

We picked the slower boat for this trip. It was a great choice because we snapped photos along the way. If we took the high speed boat, it would have been impossible to take photos while riding the boat. 

We lucked out on the weather being sunny so we stayed at the top deck to enjoy the view! I think the ferry was only 9 Euros each way.

Of course, my first order of business (aside from taking some photos) was finding a gelato shop. I had two scoops of gelato before we proceeded to walk around. I just couldn't function without it in Italy!