Report from Southern Italia
Three Takes on a Trip to Napoli & The Amalfi Coast
Vanessa, Take 1:
Even though I was constipated for 5 days (you read that correctly), traveling to southern Italy with two
besties exceeded expectations. All I can remember is endless pizza (Margherita was ALWAYS the
winner), white wine and non stop chitty chat café sessions. The ferry ride to Sorrento was puke inducing,
the massage was terrible, the wind knocked us about, the deserted seaside town was boarded up for
the winter season but…… no matter!!! Every moment or vacation within a vacation felt like heaven.
Specifically…. thank you to Papa Felipo for providing the best restaurant experience in Sorrento
(we went twice!!!). Da Felipo was the perfect homey experience where we were literally whisked up a hill
and then given some of the best of the best Italian food. Were the mussels fresh?!?! Eye roll from our
waiter. It’s all fresh. What’s wrong with you people. 
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| Stop #1 @ Da Filipo |
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| Stop #2 @ Da Filipo |
breakfast!) but in terms of the city…. felt like we only just scratched the surface. Loved the graffiti,
people in streets socializing on a Sunday at 1am, blow your socks off pizza, Feminist cocktail bar, and
seaside embarcadero….
people in streets socializing on a Sunday at 1am, blow your socks off pizza, Feminist cocktail bar, and
seaside embarcadero….
Basically, was enamoured (UK style) to stand in a sun blast, smell the ocean air and temporarily shed
my winter attitude. Oh, and we visited Pompeí! Huge. So huge.
Strolling amidst laundry drying in the street, Roman ruins, hunting for the elusive gelato, constant convos and enjoying all things Italian made for so many memories. Conclusion: traveling with great pals is just so so so so great.
Saluti Tutti!!!
Baci baci baci!!!!
Colette (Co-leh-tahhh), Take 2:
For me, the trip started when our taxi driver asked Meg and me if we were Erasmus students
(college students studying in Granada) when we were on our way to the airport. It was at this point we
knew the trip would be laced with magic (even though we take a deep bow to our current ages of 41.9
and 40.6). After 23 years of friendship/sisterhood, this would be our first trip as women in aviation, or if
you're a fact checker, women riding a tiny airplane (seats 2A and 2B) together, holding hands, ordering
Punk IPAs and chips from the UK called Corkers. Cut to tears in our eyes while ordering, "Un Corkers,
por favor." So many other highlights but I'm on deadline here.
Ed note: Colette missed her deadline. This story's been sitting on my desk for four weeks. I know her
opening paragraph has you thirsty for more, but I have to publish. You can call, email or DM her directly
for her musings on the trip.
For me, the trip started when our taxi driver asked Meg and me if we were Erasmus students
(college students studying in Granada) when we were on our way to the airport. It was at this point we
knew the trip would be laced with magic (even though we take a deep bow to our current ages of 41.9
and 40.6). After 23 years of friendship/sisterhood, this would be our first trip as women in aviation, or if
you're a fact checker, women riding a tiny airplane (seats 2A and 2B) together, holding hands, ordering
Punk IPAs and chips from the UK called Corkers. Cut to tears in our eyes while ordering, "Un Corkers,
por favor." So many other highlights but I'm on deadline here.
Ed note: Colette missed her deadline. This story's been sitting on my desk for four weeks. I know her
opening paragraph has you thirsty for more, but I have to publish. You can call, email or DM her directly
for her musings on the trip.
Meg, Take 3:
For me, this trip was a redemptive one. I went to Napoli twenty-one years ago for a long weekend with
childhood bestie and travel partner, Gina O, and let's just say we were less than enthused. (Main memory points include being forced into a unwanted tour by an old man (whom, after we refused to pay him,
subjected us to loud cat noises and a horrible Minnie Mouse impression...later that day we were sprayed
with shaving cream all over our late 90's performance fleeces by some Napoli hoodlums) I knew there
was a good side to Naples -- all it took was 70 euro roundtrip tickets and two completely-down-for-
anything lovely ladies to get me back to check on this ancient town by the sea.
We spent Sunday and Monday strolling 400 kilometers around the city, bopped over to Sorrento on
Tuesday for a windswept vacation from our vacation, trained it to Pompeii for a ruins visit on Thursday
and ate our last meal at the best pizza place in world. Literally. It's on every list for being the best pizza in
the world. Exploring and eating with your best friends in a pizza and wine-filled region is an experience I
highly recommend. And it made me love Naples--a city full of black-clad Italians (not a tourist in sight)
enjoying a simple life full of high quality ingredients.
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| Nightmare ferry ride making me feel like barf city. |
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| Those two delectable treats are the famous sfogliatelle and are shell-shaped filled Italian pastries native to Campania. Sfogliatella means "small, thin leaf/layer", as the pastry's texture resembles stacked leaves. The filling is a light not-too-sweet ricotta and lemon mixture. The three of us promptly died and went to heaven after taking one bite. |
Ok, what everyone says about Naples and surrounding environs is true: the pizza is incredible. We were together from Sunday night until Thursday night and we went to four different pizza restaurants and had to restrain ourselves from gorging on more. It's just so good. The crust--ethereal, light, elastic in the best way. The sauce--just a tad sweet and not overwhelming. The cheese--salty and stretchy and mmmmmmmmmmmm. Any other ingredients: local, fresh high quality and perfect. I've been ruined for life.
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| The above place is the "best pizza place in the world". Lived up to it's #1 ranking. |
Napoli, you've done good. I'll come back and visit you anytime. As long as I have these two in tow.
Comments
anytime!!!