Browsing Tag

Mount vesuvius

Europe Italy

Naples, Italy Trip Suggestions

28th December 2016 - 6 min read

 

As my parents were in town, Damar and I had made some plans to take them somewhere Europe. But as I could not take that many days off, we were looking for options that allow us to explore for 1 week and enough. And the choice fell to Naples, an old city in the Southern part of Italy. This was going to be my second trip to Italy, but certainly my first trip to Italy with Damar and more over my parents. My dad always has a special interest in history especially Islamic, after last year visiting the Andalusia to walk on the history trail, this time should be a somewhat a good resume to the last trip. And for me, I was so excited to eat the PIZZA NAPOLITANA in its birth place!

Find the suggestions below:

  1. FLIGHT TICKET: We purchased the ticket from a low fare airline (EASY JET) for 92 euro/person. We decided not to buy extra baggage because everything is considered cheaper in Italy (compared to the Netherlands) and we could just do our groceries over there (SUPER IMPORTANT! especially with mama coming along, she demands some home food cooking that herself will cook :p). It also allow us to feel a little bit more blended to the real Neapolitan. Plus it was super summer time thus all of our clothes were thin and light. Our ticket got us directly to International Airport Napoli Capodichino, we arrived at around 8 pm. Once landed, we took ALIBUS and head to the central railway station for 3 Euros (one way ticket)
  2. PHONE, WIFI, INTERNET: For those who want to keep WIFI, you can purchase the EU-bundle which is 5 euro/day. Or just turn the roaming on when you need  it the most. The city WIFI does exist but unreliable.
  3. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION/RENT CAR: We have decided to walk everywhere and a little bit of metro when needed. At first I was a little worried for my mother, but she made to all of the places so well. I think one of the privileges to be in Europe is that everything is easily accessible and pedestrian friendly. I wanted to enjoy the street life and the building that we might miss by taking the subway. Also some places we wanted to target in the city is really walking distance, so I was not being mean to my mom, but because I know it is reasonable for them. The traffic is quite crazy in the city due to the lack of discipline (similar with Indonesia) and the massiveness of motorcycle. It is just not the most convenient place to drive. I understand that Damar prefers to be stress free by not bearing the responsibility to protect the car and us, plus looking for parking lot.
  4. FOOD: Italian food is all bellissimo!! However, be careful to buy in the touristic center because the price can be so different and with average taste (taste like an instant pasta sauce, which is still delicious for me but it could have been much better with the price). The must try is L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele and order the PIZZA! all is good and made in the stoned oven. It is so simple yet super delicious! The portion is HUGE so you can share with 2 people. Depends on how big your appetite and your stomach capacity is. HAHA. I could eat one by myself but mom and dad shared. There were only 2 choices there, which were NAPOLETANA (tomato and garlic) AND MARINARA (tomato, garlic, and herbs). Both are good! I don’t prefer either one. The seafood of south of Italy is fresh and tasty. I bought fishes and octopus in the local market to be processed at our airbnb, it was just amazing. Simply pressed lemon on top of it and some veggies or rucola. You should try octopus salad (insalata di polpo) if you go to a restaurant. Sooo good and fresh!!! no fishy taste at all. Things that you have to try as well is the dessert, Sfogliatella. Sfogliatella means “small, thin leaf/layer”, as the pastry’s texture resembles stacked leaves and it is filled with cream filled.
  5. ACCOMMODATION: We stayed at airbnb with the owner named Carlo, he is an old italian man who does not really speak english. The house works perfectly and the woods there are from hundreds of century ago. I feel like seeing an art gallery as there are old elements in the house interior in every corner.
  6. MUST PLACE TO VISIT: Mount Vesuvius, Pompei, Capri Island (Blue Grotto, Capri and Anacapri – a day), Amalfi Coast, Naples National Archaeological Museum, and Toledo Metro Station.

And below are the videos I made that sum up our holiday.

DAY 1-2 (Mount Vesuvius and Pompei)

Day 3 (Naples National Archaeological Museum, and Toledo Metro Station plus the street around it)

Day 4 (CAPRI Island)