This is a continuation of my travel experience in Southern Italy in April 2023. This was an amazing time of year to tour Italy because the weather was so comfortable (50-70 degrees F) and the crowds were bearable. I traveled with my father, mother, and younger sister for one week stopping at Tropea, Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, and Capri. It was a trip of a lifetime that I planned myself! Read below for travel ideas, reviews, and tips for the old city of Napoli!
Second Stop - Naples
To get to Naples, we took a train from Lamezia Terme in Calabria to Napoli Centrale. It was a short, three hour trip that cost about 45 euro per person. If I had booked further in advance, I would have saved me some money on tickets. The train ride was beautiful with seaside views and industrial settings. P.S. You can also easily get to Naples from Rome in about an hour via train.
When we arrived in Naples, we were incredibly overwhelmed with the traffic, noise, and tourism bustling around us. It was definitely a change of scenery from the quaint town of Tropea that we just arrived from. Our AirBNB was located very closed to Garibaldi Square, so we simply strolled our luggage from the train station to the apartment for check-in.
I read a lot about Naples before our arrival. Many said it was busy. Many said there was high crime. Many said it was noisy. I would say that the city of Naples is similar to New York City. My advice: Keep your valuables tight to your person. Wear your belt bag in the front. Be careful who you hand your phone to for a photo. Try to have a buddy. Avoid walking alone at night. We stuck to those rules and had no issues.
I had some ideas of what I wanted to do in Naples and how to get around. The train system and buses were pretty easy to navigate with a smart phone and good sense of direction. I used Trip Advisor to find restaurant recommendations and attractions. Travel blogs were helpful for mapping out the city and walking through the most famous squares, castles, and parks. Naples has so much history to indulge in - from underground aqueducts to World War history, from art to cathedrals, and from castles to markets. We did not have time to see it all, but I was happy with what we did!
Our first evening in Naples we dined at a locally recommended pizzeria Gino Sorbillo Lievito Madre al Mare. Napoli is known for having some of the best pizza in the world - cheap too! Sorbillo is a famous pizzeria name throughout Naples. The so-called "real" Sorbillo pizzeria is located in the historical centre of Napoli, in Via dei Tribunali 32. The logo reads “Gino e Toto Sorbillo” and there is always a line outside. We passed by this pizzeria another day and smelled the delightfulness.
However, we enjoyed our authentic Italian Sorbillo pizza experience by the sea. It was windy and chilly this first evening, so the outdoor seating was unavailable. Per our waiter's recommendations, we enjoyed a GIANT (and I mean GIANT) portion of fresh mozzarella cheese, one margarita pizza, and one marinara pizza. If I went back again I would have ordered differently - maybe skipped the cheese antipasta and ordered pizzas with more toppings. But the waiter ordered us some very traditional Neapolitan foods, which we devoured. Pizza in Italy is unlike any other.
After dinner we walked through CHIAIA which is an upscale retail and restaurant area in close proximity to the sea. Many of the streets are restricted to pedestrians only with opportunities to dine outdoors. There are twinkling lights above the streets, gelaterias galore, and a variety of wine bars. If you are into shopping, this is a great place to visit. We were exhausted from a day of travel, so we took the bus back to the apartment in Garibaldi Square.
The next day we spent in Naples was our day to walk the whole town. We started at our apartment in Garibaldi Square and headed towards Mercato dei Vergini on Via Vergini for breakfast. This HUGE farmers market reminded me of the Strip District in Pittsburgh. There were beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables for sale, fish and charcuterie to be sliced on request, the most amazing smells of fresh Italian bread, and cafes every few feet. It was really pretty incredible.
On our morning in Mercato dei Vergini, we were in search of the most perfect pastry to start off our day. We stumbled upon Pasticceria Poppella with its bright blue and white striped storefront. Inside we ordered the signature "Fiocco di Neve" filled with pistachio and chocolate cremes. OH MY GOSH. I think this might have been the best pastry I had ever eaten. No kidding. The name of the sweet treat translates to "snowflake" and consists of a delicate, small brioche filled with whipped ricotta cream. It was seriously so good, and I would 100% recommend a stop at one of the Poppella stores in Naples for a small snowflake delight.
We then headed to Centro Storico or "Old Town" for souvenir shopping and sightseeing. Via dei Tribunali is a famous street in Napoli known for colorful storefronts, cafes, pizzerias, and futbol memorabilia. It was crowded and loud! But we loved it. There were a ton of places to eat typical Neapolitan foods including fried calamari in a cone, arancini, fried pizza, folded pizza, and sfogliatella. After walking for a while and visiting the Cathedral of Napoli, we made our way to Lombardi 1892 for lunch.
Lombardi 1892 is a family owned and operated restaurant voted one of the best pizzas in Napoli! It was a little walk from Old Town - not too far, but just enough to escape the crowds. We dined outside with minimal wait and no reservation around 2PM. The menu was provided digitally in English and Italian, while most of the staff spoke Italian exclusively. The manager came outside to small talk with us for a while, which was an incredibly wholesome touch to the dining experience. For the table, I ordered house wine and a few Aperol spritz in addition to a large salad to share. As for our pizza, we ordered one Figone and one Capricciosa pizzas. Both has incredibly incredibly light and fluffy crust. The toppings were so fresh! We were so happy with the decision to dine here and indulge in the pizza we did!
Italy Dining Tips:
When dining in Italy, know that there is a fee for taking a seat at a restaurant known as "coperto". You will see this term on your receipt and it usually runs from 2-4 euros per person. This service charge cover covers your seat at the restaurant and could include other services such as a waiter, fresh bread, and water. You are not obliged to "tip" following a meal because of this charge, but tips are always welcome from tourists.
You must ask for the check! Italians are never in a rush. So at most restaurants, you have to ask for the check. "Il conto, per favore" is all you have to say. If you don't ask, you will just sit and wait!
Italians order one pizza per person! WHAT? Pizza is a beloved meal for so many Italians. When going to a pizzeria, Italians will each order a pizza for themselves and devour the whole thing with a fork and knife. The quality of Italian pizzas is just superior to any pizza I have had before, so it isn't a difficulty task to complete. I learned to pick out the tourists in the room who were sharing their pizzas or cutting them into triangles when they got them. There is no shame in sharing pizzas, like my family did many meals! They just might cut it into triangles for you because they know you are the American tourist! :)
After lunch we headed back to the Old Towne to the Underground Naples Tour. History is not something my family really enjoys exploring for large amounts of time, so the 1.5 hour tour was perfect for us. This tour took us underground in Naples through the old aqueducts that proceeded the World Wars and were later used as bomb shelters. My favorite part of the tour was the winding, narrow paths we took to appreciate the complexity of the system. To my pleasant surprise, my family said this was their favorite tour of the trip. It was also fairly inexpensive compared to the other tours in town.
Our final, stop in Naples was the Galleria Umberto I which is an iconic and historic shopping center in the city. This was my sister's last opportunity to order some Napoli street food. She went for an Arancini which is a traditional fried rice ball with cheese and vegetables. She ordered one from a small shop in the galleria. Outside of the Galleria there were plenty of more restaurants and clothing stores to spend some money at!
Overall, we liked Naples! There was still more to see that we didn't get to! I would not say that it was my favorite destination of our trip, but I loved how easy it was to navigate the city and access Pompeii, Sorrento, and Capri by train or boat. It was a good location for us to fly back to the USA as well.
I have more Italy posts to come! 🇮🇹
Be sure to check out my "travel" page for more Italy tips, recommendations, and personal experiences.
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