A weekend away with the family – for my dads retirement (congrats, old man – you’ve made it and it’s well deserved!), we decided to go on a little trip together, to celebrate the beginning of a new era. So, after doing some research where we could go, we finally decided on Naples, Italy. 

We stayed in hotel Magri’s, close to Naples train station. It’s a little hard for me to comment on the accommodation of this trip because the hotel itself was really nice, our room was spacious with a nice bathroom and comfy beds and the breakfast offered all we really needed. The location – however – was really not the best. It’s in a very shady neighborhood and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend walking around there at night. Good thing is that the hotel offers a shuttle from the hotel to the city and back, which we frequently used during night time. It’s a really nice gesture and a big plus, however it also shows in what kind of area the hotel is located.

After we checked into the hotel, we walked to the nearest train station and took the metro to the city center (it’s only two to three stops before you reach the city center, depending on where you want to go). We got off Montesanto and started walking around the old town from there. There are just so many churches and little chapels on the way that it’ll definitely never get boring. And I encourage you to go into a few of them – the variety of different styles are amazing. As you know by know, I am a fan of tiny streets – the kind that you can also find along the main streets throughout old town in Napoli. You can find tiny shops, little balconies, workshops, restaurants – it’s just great to explore and get a glimpse into the lives of these people.

 

After walking around the old town for the afternoon, we stopped for dinner at Antica Osteria Pisano, which is a small restaurant with especially good starters (ask for the home made platter – it’s delicious). The service is good, you should probably see that you get there a little earlier to still find seats. My favorite part was the dog, however who is “guarding” the door when people step in. His name is Tommy and he is quite the charmer.

For our evening strolls during these four days, we walked up to the harbor of Naples, where you can watch the sunset really nicely. If you walk past the castle Nuovo (you can also tour the museum) you will end up close to Via Toledo, which is the longest shopping street in Naples. It’s super crowded, especially on weekends, so be prepared. Walk a little further and you arrive at Piazza del Plebiscito and if you walk even further down towards the water, you will get to the promenade of Naples, which offers nice restaurants, cafès and a view over the volcano and the harbor (we had amazing ice cream at Green Garten – Artigiani del gelato and nice drinks at Caffe Rosati, which was a little closer to the Piazza than the water). And if you walk along the promenade, you will get to Castel dell’Ovo and the city beach. When you enter the “island” where Castel dell’Ovo is located on, you will get a beautiful view over the harbor as well and its a nice spot for pictures – just saying.

Pompeii

One of the main reasons why my dad wanted to go to Naples was to visit Pompeii and climb the volcano. So on our second day, we took the train down to Pompeii (it takes approximately 25-30 minutes from Hotel Magri’s). You can definitely do the volcano and the city in one day as well, as it doesn’t take too long to climb Vesuvius. We, however, took our time and did one thing per day, to not rush through the sights too quickly.

I was excited to see what was left of the city, even when people told us if wasn’t worth our money. I was extremely fascinated – me, being the Latin pro that I am (haha!), loved hearing all the stories about Pompeii when I was in High School, so I was impressed how much of the city (and especially how many details such as marble stones, Wall art, vases etc. within the houses) were still in such good condition after the tragedy.

Once you pay your ticket at the entrance (better buy it where the train station is), you will get a map of the entire sight and can skip the official ticket line. We tried to walk as much around as possible, even though it was super hot and there are little places to hide. It’s really interesting to get a feel of where all the buildings were and which functions they had back in the day. One of my highlights was the view from the theater – ruins of Pompeii, the volcano and beautiful poppy flowers – loved it. For me personally, it was definitely worth going there and strolling through the streets, learning about the history and taking some nice pictures.

Volcano Vesuvius

We went to the volcano the next day, the weather was beautiful and after a 20 minutes train ride, we arrived at the Ercolano Scavi station, where you can buy your ticket for a bus, that brings you up the volcano. After they drop you off, it’s only a 30-40 minute walk up the top. Our driver gave us ca. 1,5 hours to walk up there, look around and come back down. This doesn’t sound too much, but you really do not need more time there. I, for my part, was a little disappointed with the crater (but maybe that was just the naive me thinking there would be smoke and everything), but the view was worth going up there. Just see for yourself.

After 2 hours of climbing, taking pictures and looking at the crater, the driver brought us back to Ercolano Scavi, where we walked around in the sun and had an early dinner. I don’t recall the name of the restaurant, but the food was amazing (if you walk down the street from the station it’s on the right side, after the crossroad. They have amazing sea food – yum yum.

So to sum up, it’s been a good time with delicious food, mostly good weather, interesting sights and a charming old town. Even though I had my doubts regarding our hotel, safety of the city, the area and so forth, it all worked out well and I ended up having a fantastic weekend with my family. This just shows that you have to make your own experiences with the country, the city, the culture. Don’t let bad reviews influence you to the extend where you don’t feel like you want to go. Be smart, be aware and enjoy- that’s all you can do. Naples is so much more than the critics on the internet state and I left with a positive feeling and lots of great memories.