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The island of lemons
They're huge and EVERYWHERE. So many citrus trees in the region! Naples is the closest airport to Sorrento, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast area. Liz and I hopped a local flight down to Naples Fri afternoon to meet Paula in Ischia for the weekend. Crazy how a little cheapo 2hr flight from Paris and you can be in the beautiful Mediterranean off Italy for the weekend. We had a slice of pizza in the airport, which turned out to be amazing, and our only slice in Naples, the supposed birth place of pizza.
Naples has a reputation of being a crime-ridden, poor, and dirty city. I can't offer anything to disagree. We were swindled in the cab as most tourists are (despite the clear posting of prices, he insisted it was old and that there were extra fees and taxes. BS). If I had it to do again, I'd say before getting in I'll pay 19 Euros, the posted price, no more. Or better yet just take the bus, which Shweta said she did and it was so easy! Liz got swindled on the way back too, with different "taxes" and excuses. I think it's just a thing there. Fortunately we didn't plan to stay long in Naples.
We got
Naples airport pizza!
I didn't get the one with fries on it but the cheese slice (called margherita- not the same in US) was REALLY good! Thank goodness because venturing out in Naples was not a great option. to the port and wandered around for a bit with our luggage looking for the ticket office while an Australian couple was telling us it was closed for the national holiday. It was a holiday, their 4th of July, but I think they just talked to someone who didn't speak English well (which is the surprising majority). We found the office and booked the ticket, then hung out in the little coffee shop by the port for an hour. Cafe shakerado - highly recommend! It's like a coffee smoothie but very smooth, no ice.
The ferry ride to Ischia (pronounced Iskia) was only an hour or so, and pretty comfortable. We passed the time with a new Netflix find called Glitch. And before we knew it we were on our way to the hotel!
Just under a mile along mostly cobblestone roads and we were there. Not bad to just walk, but not fun with bags. The sun stays up until 9+ so we still had plenty of daylight and planned a late dinner with Paula. She found another B&B on the other side of the island (which is very small and takes about 30 min to drive
First Italian dinner!
That fresh mozzarella... Yum yum yum. All meals come with bread and olive oil. So good!! across, slowly).
Our B&B was gorgeous! (Relais B&B Corte degli Aragonesi) The owner, Sofia, has lived on Ischia her whole life (which I'd compare to living on Oahu but 1/4 the size, if that). It's a bit bigger than Capri, but is much less visited by anyone other than Italians on holiday. Consequently, very few people speak more than a few words in English.
We dropped our stuff in the romantic little chamber (seriously this whole trip feels like a honeymoon haha) and met Paula to walk to dinner. Sofia made a call and we had a great table and great device waiting for us south a nice view of the castle! And our first real meal in Italy was phenomenal (Ristorante Pizzeria O' Sole Mio)
They do first course, second course, meat course, fish course, salad course, dessert. Holy cow. We did not go hungry. I think because Sofia sent us, we had these awesome bread balls and a glass of Prosecco to start (or maybe they do that for everyone). And almost everywhere we ate in Italy, there included, ended with a complementary shot of limoncello. The island is known for their lemons, but really
Naples taxis suck
Avoid at all costs. That's my advice. No Uber there, which really makes me think the whole thing is rigged. Crooked as a dog's hind leg, as my dad would say. the whole region is. Limoncello is easy to make- just marinate lemon peels and sugar in vodka or grain alcohol.
After our fabulous meal (fresh mozzarella!) we parted ways for the night back to our respective hotels.
We went for a run in the morning, but the island is basically a volcano, so it's all hills. And we ended up on the only highway there. oops. GPS fail. But it was pretty! And great views once we got up there.
When we got back to the hotel, we had a yummy breakfast with fresh mozzarella (yum yum yum) and nutella (yum yum!) Not together, though I'm a little intrigued. There isn't a ton to do on Ischia but the weather was gorgeous! Much like Paris (boy did we get lucky) it was mostly 70s and sunny. There's a castle on the island, but they're known for their thermal springs. We went to the one recommended by Sofia, which is better and more popular with locals - Negombo.
There is what is probably a very easy bus system, but when you don't speak Italian (it's not really close enough to Spanish) and no one speaks English, it
It's the Italian flag!
If you squint... I just really liked the colors on these houses. can be challenging. We hopped on and headed to the other side of the island, and along the way picked up Paula! Not bad for no cell communication.
Negombo was really awesome! It was a pretty big area, and like everything in the region, was partly built into the side of a mountain. There were little pools of varying temperatures all over the place. It never ended! There were a ton of people, but the place is so big and spread out that it rarely felt crowded. And the views were amazing! We spent a nice relaxing afternoon there, then walked along the super narrow roads to the next town over for a very late lunch at a cute oceanside cafe. We lounged there for at least a couple hours. After that we walked all the way back to Paula's hotel (which was gorgeous! La Madonnina), about 1 hour walk total including from the park. Gotta make up for the awesome food somehow. Liz and I got the bus right in front of Paula's place, then went back to our b&b. It was Liz's last night on vacation, but I still can't bring myself to go dancing/clubbing (and no
Negombo
Just one of the many many many pools. Such a nice day! one else was interested either) so after just chilling for a bit and walking around the shop-lined streets, we met Paula for dinner.
We found a cute restaurant, which was crazy busy even at 9:30pm, because of some soccer game. The typical Italian restaurant has you sitting for a solid 10 min before anyone comes over. Though after you order, the food comes out fast. We got various pasta dishes, and thoroughly enjoyed them! For a tropical island covered in lush green vegetation, there is surprisingly little basil around. The pizza was still amazing. This was also where we learned that restaurants in touristy areas in Italy (at least this area) may have a cover charge. So we paid 2 Euros per person for the honor of eating there. After dinner Paula headed "home" and Liz and I went back to finish off the season of Glitch before she left the next morning. (We almost did it)
Sun morning Liz left crazy early for her flight home (well Naples to Paris then home). I had a nice breakfast and my first ever soft boiled egg. Oh man- new favorite. It turns the insides into an eggy sauce for
The honeymoon suite
Haha not really, but so nice! It had a cute balcony, a very nice writing desk, and a bidet, which is actually a nice touch :) bread. If you like to dip your bread into the yolk, you should definitely try this. Immediately after breakfast, Sofia called me a nice little taxi so I wouldn't have to lug my bag a mile down the cobblestone streets. Then to the port and then to Capri with a ton of other people on the only ferry that morning!
I didn't mention it, but there were a lot of stops along the way for gelato and Italian pastries. Yummo!
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Aunt Mad
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WOW! Now THAT'S living!
It all sounds VERY lovely! You're such a good travel writer -- I can almost feel that glorious Italian sunshine!!