A Tour of Italy: Naples and Procida

Campania

Not all of it - Procida - one of the islands off the coast of Napoli and one of this year's European capitals of culture. Of course this means taking in Napoli too. This is my third or fourth visit to this city. And, like all great cities, it always shows something new with every return visit, some hidden treasure, or some reinvention of itself. And of course there's pizza! (plus one or two other culinary delights).

Piazza Garibaldi is its usual chaos of taxis and cars dropping people off or picking them up - regardless of any regulations relating to the highway code. Why have double parking when you can have triple parking? There is this stereotype that Naples is always chaos and dirty. That may be true in parts but not everywhere and besides, for someone who grew up in Peckham, it has the same vibrancy and spark which gives the city that edge.

I am hungry and so I make my way to Antico Forno delle sfogliatelle calde Attanasio. There's a queue which is not surprising since this is one of the most popular pastry shops in Naples and its noted for its sfogliatelle. There are two types: I don't know what the other one is because the only one worth trying is the "riccio" which is filled with ricotta and pieces of orange. They come straight out of the oven and for three euros for two, I eat one there and then and save one for emergencies.

Suitably refreshed, I head for my hotel. This is a bijou residence situated in the port area. The blurb promises a sea view which, to be fair it has, albeit of the ferry terminals. Since this is what I precisely wanted, there are no complaints. It means that I will only have a short walk to catch the boat to Procida tomorrow.

The room is on the 9th floor which gives an impressive view across the bay of Naples. Equally impressive is the fact that it has air conditioning because Naples in July is HOT! 33 degrees and suffocating.

Santa Chiara

I head out without a plan: I think this is always the best plan in a city like Naples - just get out and explore because wherever you end up, it's more interesting than where you were before! I arrive at Santa Chiara which is a beautiful complex of buildings with a cloister of columns decorated in majolica. It was once an example of a baroque church but after it was heavily damaged during WWll, it was restored to its original Gothic simplicity. The cloisters provide welcome relief from the sun and it's not too crowded so it's a nice place to recover.

Pio Monte della Misericordia

There is really only one reason for visiting this church and that is the Seven Works of Mercy, a painting by Caravaggio. You have to pay to get in but it IS a Caravaggio. The most frustrating thing about it is that you can't really get close to it. Previously, you were allowed to go up to the first floor of the church which would have given a good view of it. But it IS a Caravaggio.

Amazing is just an understatement!

Wandering

I head round to Castel Nuovo and then up to Piazza del Plebiscito. Napoli Pride is being staged this evening so the streets are filled with people of all ages and all colours. I am too tired to party (I have walked about 20km today.

One of the things that always surprises me is the way people's houses open out directly onto the street. It means as you walk around, it's not uncommon to be looking into someone's kitchen, front room or whatever the room is being used for. People don't seem phased by it, maybe they are used to it but it is odd when you are a metre or so away from someone who is eating there lunch or talking to their family.

The other thing with Naples (and many other Italian cities) is the graffiti - I don't mean the senseless tagging or urban scrawl: there are some genuinely fun pieces to be found on the walls of the city.

Castel Nuovo

Street Art

Piazza del plebiscito

Procida

I am not really sure what being a European capital of culture means in reality but Procida is nice. I made the mistake of going early in the morning and staying all day. It's such a small island that you can probably see most of it in 5 hours maximum. It is pretty - as one friend described it, "it's Tobermory with sunshine". Colourful houses and shops line the waterfront and make it altogether far too photogenic. Other attractions include the Abbazia - at the top of the hill, the Terra Murata - at the top of the hill, the Palazzo d'Avalos - at the top of the hill. I think you get the picture ...

And there are electric bikes and scooters, taxis and buses everywhere running up and down the hill. Obviously there were a lot of tourists and group leaders and it was difficult to find somewhere to sit and simply soak up the atmosphere. The port itself is a typical one with small shops selling souvenirs, and a range of restaurants with of course the emphasis on fish and seafood.

Procida is also where the film Il Postino was shot. To get to the beach where it was filmed, you have to climb down a ladder. I settle for the Spiaggia Chiaia. As someone who lives in the foothills of Italy, the beach is always a welcome stopping off point. The sand is sharp and black (from Vesuvian eruptions) and I spend as much time as I can in the water (because it's HOT) ....

Sand and the importance of leaving a good tip at the restaurant

I have asked various friends about this because I wasn't sure if the experience was unique to me but no, I am not the only person to have suffered with "sand in the pants" syndrome. Remember this sand is sharp! Before departing the beach, I managed to return most of the sand which had accumulated in my t-shirt. And, even though I thought I had done a reasonable job of doing the same for the deposits in my swimming trunks, I had not. The walk back to town was not very comfortable so I stopped for lunch (a very nice plate of gnocchi) and asked to use the bathroom. This is where it gets messy ... turn away if you are squeamish! Well, let's just say that a sizeable portion of Chiaia sand ended up on the floor! The white marble floor. Black sand. What to do? What to do?

I did my best to make the bathroom as presentable for the next person as I could but it's sand and I didn't have a broom! :-(

Wracked with guilt, I left the restaurant a large tip. The gnocchi was good guys - sorry about the beach!

Naples again

For my final few hours in Naples, I am accompanied by a Neapolitan! With a car! I am taken to Ciro in Mergellina, a chic looking bar in a posh part of the city. I am given graffa. It's a Neapolitan donut but again straight out of the kitchen. It's just one of the things that I love doing - sitting outside in the sun with a cool breeze and a breathtaking view to accompany it all. From Ciro, we go to Posillipo, another affluent part of the city with superb views across the bay.