Weekend Getaway: Pt. 1

     This past weekend Emily and I decided to try and see a few more cities around Italy while we had the free time. We left Rome Friday and headed towards Naples on the train. After a couple hours ride we arrived, with unfortunately heavy backpacks in tow. We were immediately surprised to pull up in the trap, rather than some glorious cultured city. The already arguably second world nation of Italy quickly barreled towards third world, in a way very reminiscent of Central America. Fine by all means in its own way, still pretty unexpected for the two of us. It was early and we were starving, so we headed towards the city center in hopes of breakfast. As has been the case for the past month, jokes on us, breakfast is cappuccino and a cigarette, so our choices were pretty slim. We managed to find a panino spot that Emily’s hunger had me force open (in fear of my own life) for early service. After a weird burger sandwich with spinach, we were back in the streets. We aimlessly walk for awhile, stumbling on a few interesting shops and the Duomo (main church). After some time killing, we made it back to a pizza spot that enticed us, but wasn’t yet open when first passing by. Even though just opened, it was packed, so we thought it was likely we chose right. After we sat down I looked over and saw a picture of Julia Roberts, immediately making me realize it must have been in the movie Eat, Pray, Love. The realization made us laugh, and we awaited to see how good their restaurant choices were for the film. There was only two pizzas on the menu, marinara and Margherita, so we both went for Margherita with double cheese. After a decent amount of small talk with the Neapolitan couple at our conjoined table, our deliciousness arrived. We dug in, and it was fortunately everything we’d expected from the smells. Once we finished, and were quickly rushed out for new customers, we decided to head towards our hostel. Our reservation was for the Fabric Hostel, in the quaint town of Portici right outside of Naples. After getting settled, we managed to take a brief nap despite the lack of air conditioning. 

     Waking up refreshed, we made our way out for dinner before exploring the town. We were lusting for seafood, and thankfully found the perfect solution. A small, family restaurant served up tasty caprese, seafood pasta, fish platter and white wine. We ate like Italians, code for 2-3 hours before finishing off with some Limoncello. Proficiently fed, and a little sauced off the cello, we headed towards the water for some nightlife. Not much of a tourist attraction, the Portici marina was flooded with mostly Italian youth. The scene was lively but relaxing, with most bringing drinks down by the water and hanging out on the extensive pier. We walked around exploring, before sitting by the lighthouse to take in the scenery. An hour or so later we called it a night, and headed back to the hotel.