My anticipations for Naples were somewhat low. WELL, WAS I SURPRISED!! There was a surprisingly modern terminal that was actually a Mall that young people & college students hung out at. There were cafes, shops and of course the usual tourist vendors.
This is a view of the Terminal Mall!
Again, my pictures are in random order....this one is a short walk out of the terminal and on my way into the City.
Once again, even though Naples is a large metropolis, you still had the same flavor of being in Europe with all it's incredible architecture and surprises around every corner!
This particular Mall was so so impressive. I will have to come back and update the history behind this building. It was so beautiful inside with the windowed dome, lovely shops, cafes and incredible tile work on it's floors. It had two main openings with two side entrances/exits mid Mall.
Of course I found a dog.....this little monster was so possessive of his "Mall"...it was almost comical!
More views from inside to outside this Mall!
Incredible street views.....very cosmopolitan....yet so OLD! I really like that mix.
And, of course, an Outlet. I haven't been doing much shopping....but it almost felt like home to see an Outlet!!!!
Yet another view in the glass domed Mall!
This was a fun find! I just happened upon it on a side street. The entire inside ceiling was totally decorated with hanging Hot Peppers....real dried peppers!
Of course, I couldn't resist buying a dried salami!!! Since I have a fridge in my cabin, I figured I would have a nice snack when I wanted. What was interesting, I am in Italy, yet this particular shop was run and owned by Indians.
The Castle/Fort just outside the Port Exit....quite impressive!
I stumbled upon this HUGE Piazza.......surprisingly not that crowded. It was heavily guarded by the military, not sure why. Perhaps a demonstration venue!
Just a colonnade that led into another Piazza!
Another building within the Piazza! I said it was huge.....the buildings surrounding it were amazing!
Of course I was drawn to a local fruit and vegetable market!
As Cliche' as it may be, I did find that I had to have Pizza in Naples. This one was Fresh Tomatoes, Mozzarella & Funghi!!! Actually, it was pretty good. It was on a little side street that lead to the water.
The waiter was kind enough to take my picture. Also, they had really strong WIFI....so while I pigged out on pizza.....drank some house wine....I actually got a lot of blog work done. I try to do the uploading of my photos to the blog while using free WIFI and eat lunch....the upload takes a long time on board the ship and costs a fortune.....so what better way than to eat, drink and UPLOAD!
So, my opinion of Naples is favorable. I hadn't expected it to be so accessible from the ship. And it was busy but not unmanageable. I found it to be a fascinating City and I am so glad that I ventured out......it was a highlight of this trip! So my advice is, don't let Naples scare you. Many people on board the ship opted to take excursions to Sorrento, Capri etc. .....but I had been those places, however, I never spent time in Naples....Now I am glad I did!
Next stop after Naples is Rome.....Since I have been to Rome a number of times....and it is 45 minutes from the Civitavecchia Port.....I used this day to just recover from all the ports I had visited. Next stop Alicante, Spain!
In the meantime I am still working on getting my Cyprus Blog together!
Ciao.....Holly
Wonderful photos Holly. Keep up the great work! Love the ferocious doggy. Woof!!!!
ReplyDelete