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Published: August 9th 2007
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Naples
The view from my hotel window I flew from Colorado Springs to Denver to Munich to Naples on United, Lufthansa, and Air Dolomiti. I had checked in online the day before through United's website, but they only gave me boarding passes and checked my luggage through Munich. I didn't know they could check it all the way to Naples, but apparently if you check in at the ticket counter they can. Note to self. I had to collect my luggage in Munich and then go to the ticket counter and get a boarding pass and re-check it. Customs going both ways is very anti-climactic. Everyone talks about "clearing" customs, but all that entails is saying "I don't have anything to declare" and you don't really have to tell anyone that, you just walk through the green door instead of the red one. I don't get it. No one asks, no one checks.
When I arrived in Naples, the tour guide thankfully was waiting for us right outside baggage claim with a big Go Ahead Tours sign. I met three girls my age who were also on a Go Ahead tour, so I got all excited to have someone to hang out with, but it turned out
Naples
The view from my hotel window they were on another tour. But that's okay, because I was adopted by some very nice people on my tour.
After a very chaotic romp at the airport (think 50 cars and 10 tour buses packed into your driveway), we met Pasquale the bus driver and made it to the hotel. We had several hours before dinner, so I batted around in the hotel room and then a couple of us took a short walk down the road to do a little sight-seeing.
Traffic in Naples is.... interesting. Stoplights are just a decoration. There are crosswalks, but since no one obeys traffic signals, you get really good at stepping out in front of moving traffic and just trusting them to miss you. The key is to be confident and walk at a consistent pace... if you stop in the middle of the road because you think the car that's coming isn't going to stop, you risk getting hit by someone else who assumed that you'd be out of the way by the time they got there.
At 7:30, we met for our welcome dinner where we were introduced to pizza, Napoli style. Naples is the original home
Santa Maria Incoronata
This church dates back to the 16th century... of authentic pizza, made fresh and baked in wood fired ovens. Pizza was originally a peasant dish, and dates back to the 18th century. It did not catch on to the rest of the population until Queen Margherita (wife of Umberto I) decided to try it. The pizza Margherita was invented in her honor -- tomato sauce with mozzarella and basil leaves for the colors of the Italian flag (red, white and green). So, if you go to a restaurant in Italy and order a margarita hoping to get a drink.... you get pizza. (Also if you ask for pepperoni, you get peppers, not sliced meat. If you want pepperoni, you order salami.)
I decided to try the Margherita, and though it looks and sounds plain, it was REALLY REALLY good. I tried several more pizzas during my stay in Sorrento, but none were nearly as good as the one I had in Naples.
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Tanya
non-member comment
You are so right about the pizza - after Naples, no pizza is ever good enough!