(17) Wilder Italians : The Southlands

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Antonio the Italiano had the weekend off and we were going to cruise south for my Birthday! We got in his Volkswagen and zipped down the Mediterranean coast. As soon as we were an hour southwest of Rome we saw hot women on the roadside. I asked Antonio what that was and he said "ah you knowa like a prostitutia" "ahhh" ... That's a novel idea, i thought!! You're driving along, you get tired and every so often they have their pick me ups. Oh those industrious Europeans.

We passed through several towns finally reaching the town of Sperlonga on the Mediterranean sea. I swam out in the stillest waters I've ever seen. Then we headed down to Napoli! Antonio's coworker and friend Luigi was from Naples and he was going to show us the real deal when it comes to food. Now if only we could find the restaurant through the maze of the city streets.

After driving for about 30 minutes in seemingly circles and seeing only other motorcycles I discovered why. We were manuvering through tight turns with barely room for 2 cars. Antonio and Luigi were arguing in Italian in the front which still sounded nice. When all of a sudden we came to tightness and a 90 degree turn. Luigi tried backing up and re-approaching as Antonio directed him. 6 or 7 times. Still we couldn't budge. Soon we got out and there was a guy on a scooter behind us trying to direct us on what to do. In front of us there was a tiny little french car that would have fit. The driver was whistling and laughing. It was comic. We all ended up lifting the little car about a foot over to the right so we could squeeze through the corridor. Phew...It was an everyday occurrence in Napoli!

That dinner the Pizza we had at "Pizzeria Di Matteo" was splendid. There was other magnificent food for us as well. Luigi ordered almost everything on the menu while we all tried to eat up. I couldn't understand Italian or the menu (not like I would have ordered anyway) but I appreciatively watched as the waiter describes for several minutes all the incredible dishes and their special tastes. The Italians are all about eating and eating and eating. It was a bit much after a while to where I was stuffed and couldn't enjoy the taste anymore. But my Italian friends had extra room.

In the morning we explored gritty Naples, Italy. It is south Italy so it's more rugged than the north and than the capitol Rome. It felt like there was a mysterious underground scene where the mob is definitely strong and lawlessness runs deeper. We took a tour of the underground walkways of the city which was quite fascinating. They had walkways where they were safe from the bombings and where the light would never shine.

Walking within the darkness I imagined myself an Italian seeking shelter with my family and confirmed what risks I would take to ensure our safety. The fact that over 500 feet below the earths surface an intricately designed micro city rested was amazing in and of itself and I applauded man's engineering and ability to adapt. I appreciated the effectiveness of such a serious undertaking.

We saw some street music in the gritty streets and I admired the authentic and creative graffiti. Then we drove north past Mt. Vesuvius, the devastating force that covered the Roman city Pompeii in 79 AD. When we got back to Rome I felt like I was returning from the third world to the first world.

A few more days and I was going back to Portugal to meet again the Brazilian lovergirl who lived there and explore the north of Portugal. But what was it about Rome? I felt like I could happily live there. For the first time in my travelings I had an urge to explore the mysteriousness of a city and become united with it. Oh well, something for the future... I had another adventure calling. The adventure of Love.

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Photos

Graffitti in Napoli
The caption beneath the depiction of a rebel and a soldier reads, "But my love will never die".

Lighting Candles
Our only light as we explored the underground caverns.