September rolled forward in Napoli, the tension and excitement growing for my birthday in even greater increments than a normal year. This year, my friends Ali and Shane arrived in Rome and had a few days of seeing that amazing city before coming to Napoli. I was beside myself with excitement. I usually take such a moment to get my hair done.
We did a lot of prep work, Ramon and I. We mapped out walking distances, best pedestrian streets to get to various destinations, whole day itineraries. And of course we ate. Well, we couldn’t just bring The Guys to our town and not know where to take them, could we?
Oh, and I got my hair done! :>
Day 1
The Guys arrived on Birthday Eve, and we made the most of it by starting with lunch at San Carlo, our favorite family joint that happens to be in the center of the action, between their hotel and our first tourist stop. The website pics make it look much more sterile than it is – it’s actually a mess of wall coverings, tiled tables, hand-made fishing baskets, bow-tied waiters, loud families, and pizza-making classes. (On our recon mission, Ramon and I saw Becky Ann and Dylan Baker, two marvelous actors, getting properly covered in 00 flour. I am probably too swayed by celebrity in general, but Becky Ann Baker played Ted Lasso’s mom Dottie Lasso!)
Anyway, here’s us at our first meal in Napoli!
Walking it off
Then we had a gorgeous walk up to Castello Sant’Elmo, which overlooks the city and the grand Napoli Bay. This is one of Ramon’s favorite walks, so he had no need to reconnoiter it, but it turns out I did! Anyway, we made it and the ticket office gave us a discount because we were so full and needing to walk off lunch! (Actually, it was because we arrived after 4 p.m.)
Yeah, it really is that stunningly beautiful. We rode the funicolare from Via Toledo and then hiked up (including some well-placed outdoor escalators) to get this view. It’s a beautiful way to get the lay of the land, and we lucked out with a five-star sunny day.
The day continued with a visit to Chiesa Gesu Nuovo, which has a weird quilted façade, A selfie from a low angle looks a bit like you’re standing at the edge of the pyramids in Egypt or something.
Inside is very churchy, grand vaulted ceilings and a couple dozen niches filled with exaggeratedly gorgeous statuary, inlaid marble floors and columns, and at least one possessed-looking cherub with wings.
Drinkies
We walked around the historic center for a while and then, parched, found a tucked-away, slightly disturbingly decorated but ultimately “cute” bar for drinkies. Nothing wrong with a birthday-eve negroni!
The idea that Napoli is not Italy is, for a foreigner, a surprise, but becomes undebatable as you see more and more of the country. It’s not just that they speak more Napolitano here than Italian, though that definitely makes Napoli special. It’s not just that they revere Maradona as a god, though that is also unique. I can’t put my finger on it but at least I’m pretty sure which finger to use.
Finishing out the day
We closed out Birthday Eve with a nice walk along Lungomare, which hugs the Bay of Napoli and gives you views, views, views. Then because we were all completely knackered, we had pizzas and more drinkies right by the water, which in any other city might mean crappy food. But in Napoli, in even the most touristed spots, the food is outstanding. Meanwhile, we had some Dramatic Foreshadowing for tomorrow’s big trip:
