Rome to Napoli: High Speed Train Ride

On Thursday morning (Day 4 of our trip), we packed up, said goodbye to our hosts at Terrazzo Dei Sogni after one last phenomenal breakfast on the terrace, and then walked to Termini Station to catch the train to Naples. When I was researching plans for this trip, Steve and I had this email exchange:

Amy: "Have you ever ridden a high-speed train? $33/ticket gets us from Naples to Florence in just over three hours. The “Frecciarossa” (red arrow) train: in the neighborhood of 200MPH. I feel like that would be slightly terrifying, but I can see you enginerd-ing over it ;) "

Steve: "We HAVE to do that!"

These next two photos are actually from the train station in Naples, but since I won’t be doing two train posts, I’m putting them here—Italy had these little coffee vending machines *everywhere*. 

 

For less than one Euro, you could actually get a decent (albeit tiny) cup of cappuccino or espresso. I bought this cute little cappuccino before our ride from Naples to Firenze since we didn’t get good coffee at our B&B in Naples. 

The train took us from Rome to Naples nonstop in about an hour. We got to see some lovely countryside along the way...

and also do some planning for our time in Naples plus relax a bit. We were really curious about how fast we were actually going, so Steve downloaded an app that could tell us. 

The fastest we clocked was 192mph. 

Our first impression of Naples was, in a word, stressful. I had read many places that the further south you go in Italy, the more intensely Italian everything is…that was definitely our experience. Reid's Italy describes it this way:

Naples is a distillation of Italy's glorious chaos, a city where the sun seems brighter, the food tastier, the traffic crazier, the baroque churches more elaborate, and the people more boisterously friendly.

Naples is also a major port, which entails a certain degree of seediness (the central rail station and bus-clogged Piazza Garibaldi out front constitute Italy's epicenter of pickpocketing) and some dicey neighborhoods (the dingy, narrow alleys of the Quartiere degli Spagnoli overflow with colorful street life by day, but are best to avoid after dark).

...The intensity of Naples' noisy carnival of life means most visitors are happiest spending only a day or two here.

We didn’t notice any pickpockets, but the main station was indeed total chaos. We needed to find the Circumvesuviana train, a regional line that would take us to our B&B outside the city, but nowhere could we find any maps or signs telling us where to find it. Once we finally did locate it, there were four different platforms and no indication of which one we should be on, or even what the difference was between them. SO STRESSFUL. Plus it was about ninety degrees, and we were schlepping all our luggage--which was minimal, but still. By the time we finally got on a train, it was the most rundown train you’ve ever seen, with no air-conditioning, standing room only.

Once we arrived in Portici, where we were staying, we called our host, as she had said they would be happy to pick us up from the station if possible. But the person who answered the phone didn’t speak any English except to communicate that our host was not there, and of course my Italian was not sufficient. So we hauled our luggage the kilometer walk from the station to the B&B, on narrow roads with narrow or nonexistent sidewalks, in 90-degree sunshine. By the time we finally got there, we were soaked and exhausted; showers and naps replaced “hiking to the crater of Mount Vesuvius” as our number one agenda for the early afternoon. And oh, that was only the beginning of our transportation [mis]adventures in Campania (the region of which Naples is the capital)...

Rome Day 3, continued: Villa Borghese

After our "Heart of Rome" walk, we continued on from the Spanish Steps to the Villa Borghese Gardens, Rome's answer to Central Park.

The park is home to Galleria Borghese, an art museum in a 16th-century palace built by Cardinal Scipione Borghese. Reservations are essential, as they only admit 360 people at a time, with a strict two-hour time limit for your visit. We intended to call as soon as we arrived in country on Monday morning, but we kept forgetting--so we were thankful that we finally remembered just in time to grab one of the last available slots for Wednesday afternoon.

Once again we found Rick Steves' advice helpful: he suggested heading straight upstairs to the Pinacoteca (painting gallery) rather than following the crowd through the first floor, and that strategy proved exactly right.

The extravagance of the villa was unreal. We were so busy looking at the sculptures and paintings that we kept forgetting to look up--but every ceiling was covered in frescoes, like these that look unbelievably three-dimensional:

It's not all paintings upstairs, despite the name. One of the pieces that impressed me most was this sculpture by Bernini, The Rape of Proserpine. The subject is tragic and deeply disturbing (this picture doesn't show the three-headed dog at her feet). But the skill and artistry are undeniable. Look at the way his fingers are digging into her flesh. HOW did Bernini and his peers accomplish this kind of thing with marble?  

The Rick Steves pocket travel guide was especially helpful here, since we have very little understanding of art history and could not possibly see everything in just two hours. Steves drew our attention to the highlights, with interesting bits of trivia about the various pieces or particular features to look for. In general, I was most enamored with the sculptures--like this one, Pauline Bonaparte as Venus by Canova, with its contrasting textures.

I also liked Bernini's David--again, the details and the different textures he was able to produce from one slab of marble just astound me.

Bernini's Apollo and Daphne is also incredible for its "white space"--the sculptor removed more than half the block of marble:

After our time was up, we rented an electric rickshaw and pedaled around the park for a while. After two and a half days of city life, it was nice to get away and enjoy some peaceful time in green space. Extra nice since the rickshaw was electric and we didn't have to rely on our (exhausted) legs to pedal uphill :)

Once we left the Villa Borghese gardens, we wanted to check out the passeggiata--we had heard that the Via del Corso, Rome's main north-south street, closes down to car traffic every evening. It's a place to "see and be seen" during an evening stroll before dinner (which the Italians don't eat until about 9:00PM--have I mentioned that?). So, we eagerly made our way to the Via del Corso to take part in this classically Italian phenomenon...only to find that it wasn't a thing. We were there smack in the middle of when Rick Steves said things typically closed down, but it looked just the same as when we'd walked along it earlier in the day. Still cars everywhere. Bummer.

So we walked back to Piazza Venezia and past the Vittorio Emanuele monument--the modern (by Italian standards--late 1800s) monument the locals supposedly love to hate.

Around the back side of the monument was supposed to be a great place to watch the sunset.We were a bit dismayed to see yet another huge set of stairs to climb, but once we reached the top, it was a nice spot to sit and rest and enjoy the view.

You can see the dome of St. Peter's Basilica way off in the distance, on the right side:

After sunset, we looked for a place to grab dinner, as I still hadn't tried spaghetti alla carbonara and was determined to do so before we left Rome. The place we hoped to eat was inexplicably closed, so we settled for something else nearby. Il Pastarito was unfortunately underwhelming. Most restaurants didn't really pick up until 9, as I said, so we weren't fazed when we walked in and the place was almost empty--but it never did fill up. Steve's salad was delicious (vegetables were so lacking in the restaurants, it seemed) but my carbonara wasn't fantastic and the bruschetta was positively anemic. We did, however, get to try tartufo for dessert, which was yummy.

And then, alas, it was time to say goodbye to Rome. On to Napoli! 

Rome Day 3: Heart of Rome Walk

On our third and final day in Rome, we got to enjoy a more leisurely morning and spend some time chatting with our lovely hosts before heading out to explore. The first item on our agenda was to visit the Mamertine Prison: the place where the apostle Paul was imprisoned in the first century A.D. It blew my mind to think of seeing the actual place where he wrote some of his letters!

Sadly, we walked around the outside only to discover that the interior was closed for renovations. Oh well, I guess that means we have to go back, right?!

We at least got a nice view of the Forum from here:

From there we followed an itinerary from Rick Steves' Pocket Rome called the Heart of Rome walk. It began at Campo de' Fiori, a big open-air market. We had fun perusing the stalls and giggling over a particular shape of dried pasta we saw several times...

We grabbed some gelato and made our way to Piazza Navona, the site of a racetrack built by the emperor Domitian around 80 A.D. One of the things we were really struck by in Italy was the prevalence of public spaces. The cities were filled with piazzas where people could go and be together--it had such a different feel culturally than American life with its emphasis on private spaces.

Our next stop was the Pantheon, which was every bit as impressive and amazing as you expect. I absolutely could not get over marveling at how in the world the ancients built such structures without modern tools and technology.

Both Rick Steves and Smitten Kitchen recommended a pit stop at Tazza d'Oro for a specialty called granita di caffe con panna--an espresso slushie with whipped cream. It was fantastic. Cool and refreshing and just the right amount of sweet. We both loved it.

We continued walking past Italy's Parliament building to Piazza Colonna, which features a column from the second century with reliefs depicting Marcus Aurelius' victories over the barbarians.

Along the way we saw all kinds of beauty, from this colorful display of liquor...

...to this building with its unique facade:

We grabbed panini to go near the Trevi Fountain, then walked around the corner only to find that the fountain, too, was shut down for restorations. I got a photo of the top part of it that wasn't covered with scaffolding.

Then it was on to the Spanish Steps, which got their name because of the Spanish Embassy here. The 138 steps were incredibly crowded; Rick Steves points out that "the main sight here is not the steps but the people who gather around them."

Our view from the top of the steps:

We arrived at the end of this tour just in time for our reservation at Villa Borghese--coming up next!

Gelato for Days

I have this thing about ice cream on vacation. I'm not sure why, but it feels like an integral part of the vacation experience to me. I have a ridiculous sweet tooth and love ice cream all the time, but I guess vacation gives me a perfect excuse to indulge repeatedly.

All that to say, when multiple people told me that eating gelato every day in Italy was a requirement...well, I had zero trouble signing on. 

Just like with the regular food, I researched gelato to death before we left. First was the matter of how to spot a good gelateria. Several bloggers shared the same types of tips, including:

• Be wary of colors. Banana flavor should be grayish; pistachio should be a dull green-gray. When these flavors are neon-yellow or bright green instead, it's a good indication that the gelato is full of sketchy ingredients and additives.
• Be wary of showy displays. This rule didn't always hold true, but in general, the places with gravity-defying piles of gelato in the display case are probably inferior quality and appealing to tourists. The legit places often keep their gelato in metal tubs with lids. 

Photo credit: Flickr/michellerlee

Photo credit: Flickr/echadwick

 

The other unusual thing is that often the ordering process is the exact opposite of what you'd expect in the U.S. Here, it's common to order your ice cream, then take your cone to the cashier and pay. In Italy, sometimes that's the case, but just as often, you go to the cashier first. This especially seemed to hold true in bigger, busier places. Once you've paid, you take your receipt to the counter and order the flavors you want.

The portion sizes are also, unsurprisingly, the opposite of the American way. And while I typically go for multiple large scoops of ice cream (I've always wanted to know: what joker thinks 1/2 cup is an appropriate serving size for ice cream?!?), I enjoyed savoring small cups of gelato like the Italians. They give you these tiny spoons (like the kind used for samples) and itty-bitty cups. The downside of this is that if you want to try 2-3 flavors, as I almost always did, you end up with only a few bites of each. The upside is that you savor it more...and also, you can totally justify stopping for gelato more than once in a day :)

Sadly, I hardly got any photos of our gelato, in spite of the fact that we really did have it every day except one. I was so careful to take pictures of every restaurant and all the courses of all our meals, but I guess I was too excited about eating my gelato to stop and take a picture of it.

A couple of other quick notes: first, this website was really helpful for decoding common flavors. I was surprised to find that almost all the flavors seemed milder or more subtle than I expect from American ice cream. Also, interestingly, the fruit flavors are actually sorbetti, not gelati, because they are made without dairy. Part of me was disappointed with this--I'd never think of ordering sorbet instead of ice cream here at home--but the fruit flavors were SO rich and smooth and delicious that I didn't really miss the dairy.

The gelato we ate...

Rome:

• Hedera, Borgo Pio 179 - The first authentic-looking (metal tubs with lids) place we found, tucked in a corner of the most charming, Italian-looking side street near Castel Sant'Angelo. So of course it holds a special place in my heart. I can't remember the second flavor I ordered, but stracciatella (similar to chocolate chip) was the first. My first impression was that the flavors--I sampled four or five--didn't knock my socks off.
• Panna & Co, Via Marmorata 115 -  We stopped in this Testaccio gelateria for an after-dinner treat on our way across the river. The combination of cioccolato (chocolate) + fragola (strawberry) was spectacular.
• Flor, Piazza Campo de’ Fiori 51 - Some of my very favorite gelato of the trip. The caffe (coffee), fior di latte (literally "flower of milk"--a basic sweet cream), and frutti di bosco ("fruits of the forest"--mixed berry) were all amazing. 

 

Campania:

• Pompeii - Just so I could get my daily gelato in, we stopped at a little stand on our way out of the ruins, near the train station, for a cone of caramello + caffe.  
• Fantasia Gelati, Via Cilea 80, Napoli -  Here I discovered this flavor I'm pretty sure they called duplo; it was essentially Nutella in gelato form—the gelato itself wasn't chocolate, or was only a mild chocolate (like chocolate mixed into a cream base), but it had whole hazelnuts and pieces of chocolate. It might have been my very favorite flavor of all the gelato I tried in Italy. I also tried cocco (coconut) for the first time here and loved it. Plus some caffe for Steve--pretty much the only kind he ever wanted. My husband does *not* have a sweet tooth and is decidedly not a gelato fiend, but he sweetly humored me :)
• Covo Dei Saraceni, Via Regina Giovanni 5, Positano - This hotel on the waterfront had a yummy cocco plus a flavor called delizia al limone--lemon with, if I recall correctly, cookie/cake pieces or something in it.

Firenze:

• Vivoli, Via dell’Isola delle Stinche 7/r - After discovering in the Napoli train station that gianduia essentially meant "Nutella" (chocolate hazelnut), I had to try this flavor when I spotted it. Great choice. 
• Grom, Via del Campanile 2 - We had been told this was THE gelato to have in Firenze; it did not disappoint. The crema di Grom was not quite what I expected (the cookies were cornmeal-based!), but good. I especially liked the pesca (peach) and lampone (raspberry)--and they were great together. The caffe was very strong and not very sweet, which Steve loved (not my favorite).

Peach + raspberry. See how teensy the cup and the spoon are?

• Festival del Gelato, Via del Corso 75 - This one breaks all the rules: crazy displays, neon sign, dozens of flavors--it's definitely not an out-of-the-way place you're going to discover--but it's definitely worth a visit. It had lots more flavors than other places, beyond the Italian classics we'd come to expect. I tried Snickers and strawberry cheesecake, and both were fabulous; I also had a bit of what I thought was going to be like Fantasia's duplo, but it wasn't what I expected.

Ahh...I miss my daily gelato.

Rome Day 2, Continued: Castel Sant'Angelo, the Tiber and My First Gelato

Let's go back to Italy, shall we?

After our morning at the Vatican, we looked for a lunch spot that didn't seem too touristy and settled on a sidewalk cafe near Castel Sant'Angelo. Overwhelmed with the panini options, we asked the waitress what she would recommend and she suggested bresaola, a cured beef cold cut. It was fantastic.

My pizza was delicious, but not awesome. Smitten Kitchen had actually offered some advice about Roman pizza that I intended to take seriously:

During the day, Romans don’t eat round pizzas, but pizza al taglio [pizza by the slice], which are long, rectangular “pies” are made with various toppings. You indicate how much you’d like cut off and they heat up just that for you. This came to be because it’s illegal to fire up wood-burning pizza ovens before 7 p.m. (although we definitely saw a few places that did so at 6:30, but never earlier.) Places with round pizza before then are said to be making “tourist pizzas,” baked in (gasp!) regular ovens. I know you would never participate in such a thing.

Unfortunately, we never could find pizza al taglio at lunchtime! I only ever saw it a few times, and not when we were actually looking for a place to eat. So, sadly, we participated in "tourist pizza." 

I have to confess--this would probably get me permanently banned from Italy--but I don't think I ate any pizza in Italy that was really better than Mafiaoza's in Nashville. We had good pizza, for sure, but nothing that totally blew my mind. Maybe we just didn't hit the right places...or maybe Mafiaoza's just really is that good.

One little delightful thing about Rome was the free water fountains everywhere. It was so nice to be able to fill up our water bottle conveniently! And odd, too, that water was free all over the place on the street...but 2-3 euros for a large bottle in restaurants. No such thing as free water, anywhere we ate.

After lunch, we finally found an authentic-looking gelateria and I got to try gelato at long last! Of course I will be devoting an entire post to gelato, so stay tuned for that :)

 

We walked along the Tiber River to Castel Sant'Angelo, originally built as a mausoleum for the emperor Hadrian in the second century AD.  

More walking, more steps, and a nice view of St. Peter's Basilica, where we'd just been:

After that, we headed back to our B&B for a siesta before finding dinner in Testaccio. And that was Day 2!