SEE NAPLES AND DIE
I have often been asked what place I liked the most in my travels.
This has never been difficult to decide. The world has many places that have left a favourable impression, but none so
much as the region around Naples Italy, and Napoli itself. Granted I was young and impressionable, and it was not the
Naples of today.
Earthquakes, oil refineries, steel mills, excess cars, pollution, and hooliganism have changed the Naples of the late
1950s into something different. My memories of the older city are still intact and the way I want them to remain.
Napoli --people used to say "see Naples and die." The implication was that if you have seen Naples, there was nothing
more that you need to see
in this life.
In days gone by, (as I was told by my Napolitano buddy Guido) you could promenade on the Santa Lucia like the rest of the
populace. The object was to see and to be seen. Boys watched girls -- girls watched boys, (although a little more
inconspicuously) while mothers watched it all. You could (and still can) buy a pack of lupine beans and a bag of unsalted
biscotti from the many vendors along the route. You could dip the unsalted biscuits into the Mediterranean as though it was
afternoon tea, and eat them while you popped the lupine beans into your opened and grateful mouth.
Those were the old days of course. To dip a biscuit now would guarantee a stay in the hospital, or worse.
I revisited Napoli with my daughter Hali when she was about 13 or so. I returned again later with my son a couple of years
later. The changes were there -- not as either I or the Napolitani would like -- but, as they say, you can't knock
progress. (Pity!)
Naples used to be the prime destination of the tourist, but it got a bad reputation and the quantity slowed. The sites
are still there and just as gratifying -- you just have to be a little more on guard. (Kind of like everywhere else you may
want to go on this rapidly degenerating planet.)
The island of Ischia was not well known back then. It lies in the Bay of Naples, and was undoubtedly my personal favourite
spot. (I have a couple of my own enlarged photos of the beach and town above my desk, as I write.) The island is volcanic
in origin, unlike its neighbour Capri to the south.
Capri needs no introduction. It is another jewel in the crown, and is almost solid limestone. Ischia's beaches are black
with volcanic sand. The harbour is small -- it is a volcano crater that is slightly below sea level. One hundred and fifty
years ago, one side of the crater was simply opened to allow the sea to enter. It made a snug little harbour for the
fishermen.
Ischia is not very big as islands go. You can rent a motor scooter, and circumnavigate the place in an afternoon if you
are in a hurry. It is not a place to hurry -- trust me. The wine is remarkable -- the atmosphere is great. Most of the place
is now owned by Germans, but the personality is cento per cento (100%) Italiano.
One story I like to tell of Ischia is about the day I caught an octopus. This was no great feat. I was snorkeling when I
spotted a discarded tinned can on the bottom. I dove to retrieve it; when I looked inside there was a big eye looking back
at me. I simply took it to shore and gave it to the caretaker at the beach. Unbeknownst to me, this fellow was related to
the woman who owned the Pensioni (rooming house) where we were staying.
When my Air Force buddy Gilles, and I arrived for our evening meal, there was the octopus, complete with suction cups and
minus the eye, lying in a plate on the table. We smiled our gratitude and tried to feed it to the dog when she left the room.
The ungrateful dog would not eat it. We could not eat it -- although we tried. It had the consistency of inner tubes with
much the same flavour.
Pompeii needs no introduction from me. Herculaneum however, is less well known -- Like Pompeii, it was covered with
Vesuvius'; volcanic ash back in 79 BCE but it remained undiscovered until much later. These sites should not be missed, but
to really see their recovered treasures you need to visit the Museums in Naples where they have been taken for safe keeping.
Solfatara is another less well known site that should be visited. It is simply another volcano crater that sits at sea
level, very much as Ischia's port. In ancient times people believed this unearthly place had a kinship with departed souls
and the underworld. It has been suggested that it is like a safety-valve for Mount Vesuvio. When the pressure builds up
under the earth, the gas is vented at Solfatara thereby preventing an eruption at Vesuvio.
You are allowed to walk out on the surface of the crater (for a price). You are advised to stay on the path; warnings
which seem to be sound advice. Steam belches up through the hollow sounding crust as you walk apprehensively after, and
affectionately close to, your tour guide.
Not far away is Pozzuoli. This is the town that was initially made famous for producing the delightful Italian treasure
known as Sophia Loren. The town was mostly deserted the last time I visited as it was possible to get sea sick living there
-- the land and buildings, occasionally roll under the subterranean geo-something motion.
Naples is the home of the most famous pizza in the world -- Pizza-Margarita. This was specially developed for the Queen
of Spain, as I recall. To get to the Pizzeria where it originated you take the street to the right in Piazza Pebliscito and
go two or three blocks. It's on the right with a plaque on the wall. (Tell them Matto sent you -- it won't help since matto
means crazy)
Before I go, I must mention Sorrento, Procida, Amalfi, Positano, Mount Vesuvius, Salerno, Castello d'Ischia, Castelo
Nuovo, Via Roma, spaghetti vogole, vino nero, bere, pane, gelatti, and mozzarella buffo --ah -- la dolce vita.
Have a Bon Giorno.
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