SOLO EURO II: DAY 16 & 17 [NAPLES & POMPEII]
(i am slowly getting this done, yes it has been a year) the next morning, i
left rome to naples via train. this was my last long train ride in italy, so i made sure to enjoy it. along the way i saw fields with fog hovering atop. naples was very different from the other cities in italy i visited.
it was also the only southern italian city (some would also maybe count rome) i visited. the city is a popular stay with day trips to sorrento or cinque de terre, but i had no interest. i know they are beautiful, but i
am more attracted to history than pretty views. even though i enjoy walking trials, i
am wary doing it alone in other countries (for safety reasons).
due to time constraints, my only day in the city was my arrival date. i thought
i would be rushed, but i felt like it was enough time to see what i
wanted to see. most of the day consisted of walking through naples rather than
going to museums or historic sites.
it is true what they say. everyone dries their laundry outside.
this may stupid, but hear this less travelled american out. naples felt much more traditional. sometimes when in a city, you can really feel not
only the influences of today, but from certain periods of the past. for example,
downtown LA can feel modern, but it also feels very 1990s & 1920s to me.
naples feels like that too. you can see the old influence from centuries
past, but also what feels like the 1980s. it is hard to explain, but naples
has a grittieness that was not like the rest of italy. the streets felt like a movie set.
after dropping my stuff off at the hostel (which did take me a while to find
because like prague & krakow, it was located in what looked like an office
building), i headed over to the shore. i thought this was the only italian
coastal city i visited, but turns out venice is also along the coast (guess i
was so distracted by all the canals i did not notice there was an ocean).
so pretty. the only time i saw an italian beach. it was also nice to see people swimming.
the first stop was castel dell'ovo, "egg castle." romans started buildings fortifications here in the first century BC, and later a castle in the 12th century. apparently underwater there are remnants of an old greek town that predated neapolis (which predates naples), paleopolis. today, there is not so much to see, but it is really cool to just walk around & see the views.
castel dell'ovo (15th century)
after, i went to palazzo reale. this day was the one day of the month that admission was free for state museums throughout italy, and this happened to be the one. it took a while to get in
& man was it busy. luckily, it was not something i was terribly excited to
see, so the crowds did not bother me much.
after this, there was not really a plan but to walk around the city & just
see what there was.
looks like something out of a dystopian movie.
galleria umberto I (c1891)
an example of fascist architecture
i also visited another pulcinella (see my post from venice). during my trip, i became quite fond of this guy. i think i like that he is a jokester & reminds me of a gnome or the hamburgular (a character i really gravitated to as a kid - i even dressed as him for halloween one year). naples is THE CITY of pulcinella.
my selfie with pulcinella
a cute little street where you can buy hand made items, including a ton of nativity sets (a speciality in naples) & pulcinellas!
another wild pulcinella!
i then went to mcdonalds as many places were closed because it was a sunday evening. i was then properly shamed by the hostel workers for doing such a thing ;)
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the next day was a day trip day to both pompeii & herculaneum to see ancient ruins from mt. vesuvius. the train situation was very confusing, and that was after i had it all explained to me by the hostel worker; confusing transportation is a trend of my stay in naples. it was a very rainy morning and i thought i jumped on the right train. i ended up befriending an older english couple who helped me figure out i was kind of going the right way - t was going the right direction, but the train would fork-off the wrong way eventually. i got off at the last stop & then hopped on the next train that went by hoping it was right (it was).
i did not realize i was as high as the clouds.
pompeii was founded in 600 bc & became a middle class town & port. in 79 ad, mt. vesuvius erupted & left the surrounding area in ruins & ashes. the first day left ash snowing on pompeii (allowing the town to be preserved), but the next day came lava which buried the town. pompeii did not become unburied until 1599. because of the ash, much of the details of the town were preserved.
there is a lot of things to see in pompeii, and because it is so large it can be difficult to figure out what to see. i recommend planning an itinerary in advance as the longer you are there the busier it gets & the harder it is to see some of the most popular areas. you can visit where some of the older houses were (including the ancient "beware of dog" sign), the meat market, food establishments (including fast food!), a brothel, the civic center, & the baths.
the forum
my feet next to the chariot wheel marks from the past. time is crazy!
the stepping stones allowed people to cross when the streets flooded (that is why city blocks are raised). all charriots were regulated so that wheels could fit in between the spaces of the stepping stones.
public toilets. wild.
pompeii is known for having castings reflecting the moment people perished. the casting was made by filling in the hollow areas of the preservation where the bodies decomposed. above is the plaster casting of a dog.
ancient street sign (i wish i remembered what it meant).
it was also really nice that there was a cafe on site. i got to enjoy a nice warm cappuccino in a dry place with a view of the ruins. the worker even added cocoa powder (it made the experience that more special). coffee enhances any moment.
the house of the fawn
pomeii was really nice. even though it rained, it never poured which made it more manageable as there is not much shelter. it did not get very busy until i was just about to leave. i went to see the brothel and it was packed! so i only got a quick view of the sexy art before leaving in hast.
after pompeii, i took the train to herculaneum, another ruined town from the eruption of mt. vesuvius. the main difference between herculaneum & pompeii is the former ancient town was smaller & wealthier. also due to circumstances, more was preserved (including food & papyrus). herculaneum was a sea town even though now it is no longer along the coast.
herculaneum had way fewer descriptors than pompeii (which also did not have much), so if you are a dummy like me & decide not to buy the audio tour, you will not know what anything is. also, there was very bad internet connection so i was also unable to get any info online. with a lack of info, i ended up not staying very long.
such pretty original tiles that were uncovered. so cool that you can still walk on them.
hall of augustals - used for the cult following emperor augustus
neptune & salacia mosaic at house 22
the town use to be next to the sea & unfortunately the skeletons above were waiting at the "boat houses" to escape the town, but obviously did not make it. apparently scientists were able to tell from their posture that they were killed instantly from heat.
i then made by way back to naples & found a place to eat. i knew i had to try a neapolitan pizza. unpopular opinion, but i prefer the thin crust in the north.
my pizza paired with a coca-cola in a glass bottle (the best way to drink a soda).
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now for the hostel. the workers were oh so nice and this was the one hostel
where it really did have that hostel culture environment. it felt more like
staying in a home than a business establishment. they even had a free meal
where they hired some guy to cook traditional neapolitan pasta. i can find it very
overwhelming to be in a social hostel, but it was nice to have this experience after having my own room the week before in rome.
if you are really into socializing, this is a great place for you. my social butterfly side made an appearance and i enjoyed it. i ended up talking to one of the workers who was really nice. claire was from spain, would call me bella, gave me candy, & made me numerous espressos for free; so she was perfection. i appreciated our conversations throughout the night. i also talked to my roommates, a man & woman from germany and a guy from the philipines. sounds random, but it is nice when you know a little about the people you are sleeping next to; it lets me sleep better at night. i would really recommend this hostel!
my room (i was on the top left bunk).
random fact: this is where i learned that in some buildings, you have to pay to use an
elevator during normal work hours. i never knew this was a thing (anywhere).
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now for a song. i have no idea what to choose & i wish i could remember more of what i listened to when i was there, but i don't. therefore i will just choose my current most listened song. i have been a fan of some of grimes music since high school, but never really listened to her recent songs. i really like the song "you'll miss me when i am not around." enjoy!