First Monday: Vacation from a vacation

Last week we decided to take a train ride down to the Amalfi Coast, which is located on the coast of Naples, Italy.

We had previously purchased a Eurail pass for 8 days of travel in Italy.

So we decided to put it to good use and take a 2 day trip to Naples.

Naples has been labeled as a dirty, seedy, dangerous, shady city, full of pickpockets, drug dealers and fake merchandise. In our short time here, we couldn't agree more.

Upon announcing our plan to venture south to Michka's father (against his advice), he woefully replied in a thick Persian accent: "Michka, just... you know, be careful. These people in the Naples, they will rob you!"

We heeded his warning and moved our Euros into our underpants, kept the camera in the duffel and wore our backpack backwards. (a move I'm certain helped us blend in as locals).

We avoided an overnight stay in Naples and opted instead to head to L'antica Pizzeria da Michele; by way of the open-air market. In Florence (and most of Italy), open air markets are filled with artisan-crafted cheeses, salumi, wooden toys and non-GMO vegetables. In Naples, the tables are filled instead with Louis Vuitton bags, Ray-Ban sunglasses and Converse sneakers. All "artisan-crafted" I'm sure.

We passed through the Open Air (black) Market quickly, avoiding eye contact with the smooth-talking salespeople and headed to lunch.

L'antica Pizzeria da Michele is heralded by many as the best pizzeria in the known world. Not that Hollywood would have any idea, but it was the pizzeria featured in the book/movie Eat, Pray, Love. The photo of Julia Roberts wrapping her mouth around a slice hangs proudly in their "foyer". We arrived at the pizza place, took a number and waited our turn to be seated. Every table was filled, everyone indulging in super-thin, gooey, warm pizza. Our mouths were watering within a minute.

Lucky for us the wait was not long (it can normally take over an hour to get seated)

Our sever arrived within 30 seconds and basically told US what we wanted to eat (they only offer two pizzas: margherita & marinara).

It took less than 5 minutes to get our food, and it was just as advertised, blackened crust, simple & fresh marinara sauce and melted fresh mozzarella. Pizza perfection!

2 Margherita pizzas, two beers and one bottle of water later our stomachs were happy. And at less than 12 Euros for the whole meal, we didn't have to reach into our underwear for extra funds.

We made a b-line to the ferry dock and hopped on the boat heading to Capri. Looking back at Naples, we were surprised to see how nice it looks from the water. Not a pickpocket in sight.

45 minutes later we were in Capri! Warm sun, lots of tourists and plenty of street vendors.

We arrived at our hotel, dropped off our things and walked down to the beach to admire the clear blue water.

The island is small, but very rich in tourism, and well kept. Lots of expensive stores like Prada, Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Capri is like Santa Catalina Island on steroids. Everything is bigger; except the roads...

Seasoned drivers whiz past each other in full-sized busses on roads that Americans might consider dicey in a golf cart.

We covered the island over our two days and saw some ruins, crystal clear waters and plenty of close calls between scooters and taxis.

Our last day on the Amalfi started with a ferry ride to Sorrento, where we browsed the tiny streets free from cars and filled with dried peppers, limoncello and souvenir magnets. We caught a train to Herculano, a town that was covered by the same Mt. Vesuvius eruption that crushed Pompeii.

The town of Herculeum was preserved far better than Pompeii, owing to the hot volcanic gasses that engulfed the city shortly after the eruption. Wooden beams literally "carbonized" in place (you can Wikipedia that... I had to). Essentially, this cities frescos, baths, streets and columns were frozen in time. It was really cool to be able to go back in time and see the way these people lived before they had Blogger.

And so ended our vacation from our vacation.

Back in Florence now and thankful to be on familiar turf.

Ciao for now!