The people of Naples

If I had to choose one word it would be passion.

In the area by our hotel we found some bars where the locals gather after work. Some providing happy hour from 7 to 10pm with free food to nibble on. What was unusual was having a selection of wines by the glass, most have just one house wine, and seats at the bar, most people stand or sit at outside tables.

As Tony and I are debating the best white wine of Campagna, I ask a women her favorite. Next thing you know she is buying me a glass of her favorite, not on the written menu. As the night ensues we meet all of her friends, at least the ones who can speak a bit of English, so she has a translator. One is a chef who works on cruise ships and has just returned from France, another quite a crazy guy had lived in Miami and the list goes on.

They hate their government, love their family, and all have an opinion on the best spot to vacation in Italy. Their passion was ever so apparent when they debated for close to 30 minutes on where to send us to dinner. We parted with pictures, hugs and well wishes.

It made me wonder how we would embrace travelers in our town. It surely made a nice experience that much more memorable.

Describing Naples

This is a tough one. It is a city of extremes and contrasts. This can be seen from shopping in a street market in one neighborhood to a street filled with high end labels (Gucci, Prada, Armani) in another. The old town can feel almost claustrophobic with its narrow streets but then by taking the funicular up the hill you have tree lined streets and sweeping views of the bay. One cliff side area has grand villas while another area has clothes drying from the balconies.

It is true what they say about the pizza of Naples; it was truly the best. Its all in the crust, well and maybe the tomatoes which are the sweetest you will ever taste. You'll also find it hard to beat the seafood; octopus, mussels, clams and calamari.

You don't need to shy away from Naples, every big city has its issues. It doesn't have the art of Florence, or the history of Rome, but somehow it slowly finds it way into your heart. It may be because, with fewer tourists, you feel like you've had more of a true Italian experience.

Le Sirenuse

I'm spending my final hour on the deck of our hotel taking in this beautiful view. I have to give a shout out to all the people who talked us into staying at this lovely hotel. It was the icing on the cake. We are so blessed to be able to enjoy this wonderful experience.

Here are a few shots of this place named for the Mermaid. It will forever be in my top travel memories.

A little slice of Heaven

Sitting high above the hills from Amalfi is the town of Ravello. As you make the climb up the hill you leave behind all the hustle and bustle, the craziness of the sea road and find yourself in a serene oasis. It has secluded villas and extraordinary gardens. And because of its position you have the most magnificent views.

It's no wonder so many famous artists found inspiration here.

Lemon, limoncello, limone, citro, sfusato

Lemons are every where. Having dinner on our first night on the coast, they gave us two lemons with our limoncello - what are these parting gifts? They are huge with pointed ends and thick skin.

The history goes that the Arabs brought the lemon to the Campanian coast in 1000 ad. The lemon became indispensable for preventing scurvy and was a highly prized commodity.

It will definitely be a reminder of our time here.

Amalfi the Conquered

We took the ferry up to the town of Amalfi. Between the 6th and the 13th centuries Amalfi was a striving port playing an important role in the Byzantine Empire. Today it seems that the tourists have conquered this town. Every tour bus and Mediterranean ship make a stop in this port. It made me wonder when the locals get a break.

Excerise on vacation?

Positano is one of the most picturesque cities I have every experienced. I'm sure I will take well over a hundred shots and they may not capture it's beauty.

For whatever reason I got this wild hare that we needed to climb over 800 stairs up to the top to get some exercise. Having eaten pasta for a week now I thought this was a grand idea. How hard can it be, I've done the stair climber.

Yes, we'll I don't think they make step machines that go at this vertical climb. Hopefully I have some great shots for all of my huffing and puffing.

The church dome from our hotel and the church dome from the top of our climb (lower right hand corner).

We layed at the pool all afternoon :)