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My American friend Kelly asked if I wanted to join her for a weekend trip to Naples. Her friend had already paid for the flight and was unable to go so I got a free ticket! Yipeeeee!

I take back anything I said about any other cities being dirty. Naples is known for not having regular trash pickup due to the garbage collectors constantly being on strike, also there is some story with local mob types controlling the city and not allowing the trash to be collected. Supposedly the worst of this is over, but there was still trash everywhere. In front of our hostel there was a pile as tall as I. We saw a car driving by get their tires stuck on a rotting mattress. In addition it rained nearly all weekend. This coupled with the crazy buzz of the city led to an unforgettable chaotic weekend.

Friday we arrived and made the most of a stand selling pizzas for 1 euro. Unbelievable. We then headed to the archaeological site of Pompeii. In the year 79 nearby Mt. Vesuvius blew up and covered Pompeii, killing many of the people living there. Many of the buildings have been uncovered and preserved. It was very interesting to see how advanced the city planning and architecture was for a 2,500 year old town, very well organized and efficient. I very much enjoyed seeing inside the houses, some of which had mosaic floors and frescoes which barely survived the eruption and years of burial. The house that was best preserved was the brothel which had some very ‘interesting’ frescoes. There were several temples and theaters and a collection of pottery.

Friday night we wandered out for some dinner and found a very modest local joint. The owner insisted we stay and even showed us the inside of the refrigerator to convince us to stay. Good thing we did. The food was mediocre but it was the most fun I’ve ever had people watching. We ended up staying for hours. Neapolitans are extremely spirited, the polar opposite of the conservative quiet Swiss. This restaurant was owned by several brothers, we didn’t understand them, they didn’t understand us. The cooks got in a good-spirited fight with the waiters, there were spoons and bowls being thrown all over the restaurant. The place was small but it was packed and sooo loud, everyone shouting and laughing with full force. The brothers brought us round after round of wine, limoncello, licorice spirits. They sat down and drank with us and then after we finished our food they took us over to their wine shop which had been closed for hours but they let us in to try the wine. One of the other diners spoke English, he took us to a nice bar and we ended up talking to him all night. Sooo much fun.

Saturday we took a ferry to the Isle of Capri. Beautiful. The sun came out for a few hours, just long enough for us to play on the beach and take a nice stroll through the town. More people watching. Capri is very ritzy and watching the men in their beautiful suits and the ladies in their stilettos and tiny dresses was good fun. We followed a small path through the beautiful villas down to the sea, then some boys driving a milk cart let us hop on the back and gave us a ride back to the top. We had a nice picnic with the best Mozzarella and prosciutto. The ferry back to Naples was crazy, we sat on the deck to get the views and the Italians turned it into a massive party. It seems as if everyone in Italy knows each other, by the end of the ride everyone was best buds, including us even though no one understood us.

That night we had some food then realized the trains weren’t running any more and we couldn’t find a taxi. Some really nice boys who spoke English stopped to offer us directions and then after talking a while they gave us a ride all the way across the city to our hotel. I don’t know when I’ve ever met people so friendly and helpful. Neapolitans as a whole are the most welcoming, most hospitable people I’ve encountered in Europe. They are so high spirited and genuine in their love of life and each other. Life is a party it seems.

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