I Did Not Expect This...

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But I really like Naples, even in the pouring rain!

We walked around the oldest part of town today, then took a funicular up to the top of the hill. We visited St Martino and the fort (just from the outside, since each admission is between 3 and 6 euros each...and there is so much to visit!), and appreciated the wonderful view from there. We ate great pizza and then took another funicular (this one runs for more than a kilometer in a tunnel, no views...) to the port area.

We were lucky that it didn't start raining until we got to an area where we could sit inside during the worst of the thunderstorm, the Galleria. We had coffee and I spoke with an older Italian lawyer who was fluent in french...

Forgot to say last night that my favorite Italian English menu mistake so far was "horse d'ouvres".

Tonight we happened on a jazz concert in a nearby former church...it turned out the conductor was an American from NYC, Adam Rudolf, who plays with many well known jazz musicians, including Yusef Lateef. There were about 100 people there, and we spoke with him afterwards...interesting guy...and great music (and I normally don't like jazz, and especially not modern jazz...)

We hope to go to Capri tomorrow, since there will be a one day break in the rain...then to Caserta on Monday, and to Sorrento on Monday evening.

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Photos

Bellini Square, near our hotel
Greek ruins and garbage..

Jesuit church with a Very Different Exterior
Interior is very ornate..Jesuits liked drama and emotion...unlike, say. Lutherans..!

Can you spot the soccer balls?
I guess a lot of people play soccer up here at the view point...and lose balls off the edge...

Favorite Grafitti of the Day
It says "Ultras Napoli" and is probably from the ultraconservative party...we liked the mean guy logo..

Castle at the top of the hill
Never used for defense but the dungeons were used as a military prison until the 1970s...ugh!!!

Inside the Galleria
They are repairing the dome...we are now back down into the harbor area of Naples.

The Opera House/Theater
It is closed to visits due to renovations...too bad...

Here comes the storm!
This looking back up at the castle and St Martino's where we looked down on Naples earlier....it really poured about ten minutes later.

Where strollers go when they die
All the umbrella sellers in Napoli use old strollers to hold their wares...

Comments

[Jo Ann Deringer]

Good to hear from you.
Hi, Leonard asked me the other night if I ever hear from you guys and where I thought you might be now. I told him that I was pretty sure you were in Italy, because I had received a blog notice from you that day. Hope you're having fun. Stay dry!!! Love, Jo

[Christian]

Correction for explanation photo Favorite Grafiti
I wanted to point out you that the graffiti from you photographed it doesn't refer to a political formation, on the contrary it is one of the loghis of the fans of the local team of soccer. The Ultras, even if they have a political indication directed to the right, I am not anything else other than the supporters of the team NAPOLI.