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Published: July 10th 2008
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Arriving in Naples, we found our hostel hidden up several steep flights of stairs in a building accessed by a nondescript door opening directly off a cobblestone street in the oldest section of the ancient city. Naples was established by the Ancient Greeks as a colony in the 7th Century BC and played a significant role in the Roman Republic's war with Carthage, before becoming a Roman colony during the early expansion of Rome's Empire.
Originally we had planned to be in Naples for only one evening before moving on to the Amalfi Coast - however, after the first couple of hours spent wandering through the narrow streets and alleyways of this edgy, but charming city we decided we needed to stay longer so that we could sample more of what Naples had to offer. During our two days we walked through much of the old city and sampled many of its gastronomic delights including - arancini (fried rice balls sometimes stuffed with meat), fried eggplant and, of course, pizza - we waited for almost 2 hours on our last day to get into the oldest pizzeria in the city and tasted supposedly the best pizza in the world.....it was
View of Naples
with Mt Vesuvius simmering in the background great, but a little sparse on toppings for my taste - you can only choose from two varieties - either Margherita (base, tomato sauce and oregano) or Double Cheese (Margheria plus Mozzarella cheese); but the crowd of fifty or so people out the front (many locals as well as tourists) was a testament to its popularity.
As well as visiting the city's higher regions to view the panorama, including the impressive volcano Mt Vesuvius responsible for the destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 AD, we also spent a number of hours wandering through Naples prized collection of artifacts in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli. There is an impressive collection of Greek and Roman artifacts, including many erotic items (statues and frescoes) recovered from the ashes of Pompeii and now kept in the "Secret Cabinet" - this room was only opened to the general public in recent years and you still require a reservation to get in. We also spent a few hours wandering around Castel Nuovo, built by Charles I of Anjou in 1282.
Naples was a fascinating city - we had expected a dirty grotty place based on the experiences of others, but instead we
found a city brimming with life, a grittier, edgier Italian culture than that in Rome and fascinating history without the hordes of tourists we had come to expect.
While we were a little sad to leave Naples, we were very excited to get to our next destination as a good friend (thanks again Mark!) had arranged for us to stay in a villa in the small village of Praiano on the Amalfi Coast. We had no idea what to expect, but when we finally got off the local bus in this tiny village and made our way up the steep hillside to the place that matched the photo and map we had been sent we were totally blown away. The apartment, while not large, was right on the rooftop of an old style Italian villa originally owned by one of the ruling families in the area - the view of the Amalfi coast from our window and rooftop balcony were unsurpassed.
The next five days were spent wandering around the small village of Praiano, visiting the beautiful town of Positano regularly frequented by the rich and famous and strolling the streets of Amalfi, the once great maritime republic
of the middle ages. We also took a day trip to the famous island of Capri, neighbour to the island supposedly home to Homer's Sirens. With Capri's reputation we expected a great day, but unfortunately the weather wasn't great and we didn't really get the experience that we were hoping for - I think to really appreciate the island you need to stay for a few days (beware - it's very expensive!). But, it wasn't all bad - the weather began to clear in the late afternoon so we took a chairlift to the highest point of the island to get a panoramic view of the surrounding area (we could see all the way back to Naples), including the iconic Faraglioni islands. Holiday spot for the rich (Mariah Carey has a villa there), and former commune for artists, writers and poets, Capri is blessed with a beautiful location, but is now filled with expensive shops, hotels and restaurants as well as a huge number of tourists.
After making our way back to Positano on the ferry, we headed back to Praiano and went for a hike down several hundred steep stairs to see the tower fortification built by Charles
I - this tower of stone hangs right over the ocean and is now a private home! The next day we said a sad goodbye to "Colombaia" (the name of our Villa), repacked our bags and headed off on a long journey to the home of the Mafia - Sicily.
A full day of train travel later (including a point at which our train boarded a massive ferry to cross the water between mainland Italy and Sicily) we arrived in the city of Palermo. Founded by the Phoenicians, annexed by the Greeks and later part of the Roman Empire, Palermo has a rich history and has been influenced by many cultures throughout the years resulting in a curious mix of Italian, Greek, Norman and Arabic buildings and cuisine.
During our short time there, we visited a few of the main sights, but by far the most strange was when we wandered into one of the main squares to see hundreds of people riding exercise bikes in front of a massive stage being urged on by a guy with a microphone on stage - it was apparently a "spinning" competition that was traveling across Europe and they weren't even
on real bikes!
The next day we headed off again to the town of Agrigento where we picked up a rental car (and saw two "godfathers" in the restaurant where we had lunch) and went out to the place we had booked on the verge of the Valley of the Temples. Originally called Akragas, the city was founded in around 580 BC by the Greeks and later became one of the leading cities during the Greek golden age. Today, it is well known around the world due to the seven massive Doric Temples constructed between the 5th and 6th centuries BC. The UNESCO World Heritage site contains some of the largest and best preserved ancient Greek buildings outside of Greece.
Wandering through the temple complex was amazing - there weren't that many people around and walking through the massive complex and seeing these temples, one of them very well preserved, was a great experience. That evening we hung out at the place we where staying at as there was a great view of the temples from there so we sat and ate pizza, drank wine and spoke a mixture of Italian and English with our fantastic hosts!
Me at the Castel Nuovo
With my new 5 euro fake sunglasses spent seconds before.... The next day we visited the Agrigento museum and were blown away by their impressive collection of ancient Greek and Roman vases, statues and other artifacts. Then it was in the car to head to our next destination, Syracuse. On the way, we stopped at Villa Romana del Casale, a Roman Villa built during the 4th Century AD and owned by the ruling elite of the Roman Empire. Today it is a world heritage site and is home to the richest, largest and most complex collection of Roman mosaics in the world. After jostling our way through groups of school children and other tourists, we managed to get a decent view of the mosaics and were suitably impressed - the level of detail and colour still present in the scenes is amazing considering that they were laid down over 1,500 years ago.
Arriving in Syracuse, we set out for a look around the old city (it was founded over 2,700 years ago) and were pleased to find that where we were staying was very close to the oldest part of the city, the island of Ortygia, the area where Archimedes lectured his students on mathematic principles.
The next
Streets of Naples
Washing hanging between the narrow streets is an everyday sight in Naples day we went out to see Syracuse's ancient sites, including the Roman Ampitheatre, the Greek Theatre (which has been disappointingly rebuilt) and the Ear of Dionysius. The remainder of the day was spent wandering around looking at sights from middle ages, including the Castello Maniace built by Frederick II.
The following morning, we packed our bags, handed in the rental car and headed back to the train station to begin our longest journey so far - this trip would take us from the southernmost part of Italy to the capital of Greece, Athens.
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LEE S EVANS
non-member comment
PIZZA
WE ATE THERE LAST YEAR BUT I DID NOT CARE FOR THAT KIND OF PIZZA,DIFFINATLY DIFFERENT FROM AMERICAS PIZZA..........