Italy: Naples

Our first thought when we ported in Naples was–PIZZA.  We really have one track minds.  But, after a little research , we realized we would arrive just outside the nearby city of Pompeii.  Pompeii has a very special place in my heart.  The subject of my 2nd grade Odyssey of the Mind team skit was the ancient city and nearby Mt. Vesuvius.  My mom was the coach, and I had to cry to get a part.  So, I gave Joshua my best synopsis of the history (mostly incorrect) and we jumped on the train.  We opted for the audio tour, so I could relive the fateful day when Mt. Vesuvius erupted and buried Pompeii, freezing it in a single moment of time.  The city was much larger than I expected with well preserved buildings in a very organized layout.  The only thing missing was the story of the people who got trapped under 25 meters of ash which rained for 6 hours after the eruption in 79 AD.  It was a lot of history to take in during one morning without the interesting color I dreamed of.

At the conclusion of the tour, we returned our audio guides and asked the man at the counter how best to spend our afternoon.  He sent us straight back to Naples for pizza at his favorite place, Michele.  We arrived late in the afternoon and the line was still flooding out the front door.  It took an hour before our number was called, and even then we were seated with two other guests at a shared table for lunch.  To make it easier we ordered exactly what they had (although, there were only two choices).  The options were tomato sauce or tomato sauce and cheese.  We were surprised by how good such a simple pizza could taste…we ate everything on our plates…quite different from the Italians sitting around us who used a fork and knife to eat just the middle, leaving a ring of crust for the birds.  The awards on the wall were numerous, and as we left, we saw a signed picture of Julia Roberts…it was the very same place she visited in, “Eat, Pray, Love.”  We’ve definitely mastered the Eat part!  Love is pretty easy in Italy too…there’s something so sexy about the cities.  Whereas people in the US mind their own business, Italians seem to notice everyone and look you in the eyes when they walk by.  Perhaps, we misinterpreted the feeling, and they were looking for a made-to-order pizza from vending machines which can be found around the city!