Burn Giromo

Today Gary named our group of about 35 in "Yellow18" (Princess Ships uses a colour and a number to distinguish between their tour groups) the "youth group". There was only one group for this tour and it was designated "strenuous, highly active". Really it was a walking tour of Naples' historic centre which has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Everything is relative in life!

 Naples is loud, noisy, graffiti filled and strewn with litter on some streets. But it also brims with life and energy. We have loved Naples since the first time we sailed in. The multicoloured apartment buildings spread up the hills and if you sail in at dawn you will fall under Naples' spell. 


It is a natural u-shaped harbour and is one of the oldest cities in Europe. I mean those Ancient Greeks who seemed to really get around named the spot Neopolis or "new city" two millennia ago. Other than taking the hop-on-hop hop-off bus around the city and spending time in the wonderful National Museum we hadn't really walked its streets. Today we did...and are even more enthusiastic about Naples.

That being the case I can't figure out is why I can't get into Elena Ferrante's novels set in Naples. I have downloaded "The Story of a New Name", the second in her Neapolitan novels series. I gave up half way on the first one...I think I better give her another chance. So I'll see if the sea days make a difference...will let you know.

So we walked from the ship, through the terminal, across several main streets to Piazza Municipio. I was amazed the traffic actually stopped for us to cross. I think it might have been because Alessandro held out his "Yellow18" flag and we all crowded around him like he was our mother. Not sure if I was on my own and held out my hand and started across I wouldn't be run down by 4 motorcycles.

The streets are not wide in Naples...some 2 lanes in each direction, most one lane and many narrow one way through fares. The sidewalks are narrow...one person wide in many cases. Generally the buildings are 5 or 6 stories high...a people friendly height. All with balconies...sometimes filled with plants and sometimes with laundry. People are out walking their dogs, talking to neighbours or shopping. Apartments seem to be on top of each other...I mean as in you could easily throw something across the street to your neighbours flat...it seems to be cheek to jowl living. You better get along.

I loved the cobblestoned narrow streets and the piazzas where folks were hanging out but there were three highlights in the walking tour for me...the Umberto Gallery, the Borbonico Tunnel and sitting down in a Trattorie for a real Napolitano pizza.

The Umberto Gallery is simply a 1800's shopping centre but with a magnificent glass domed ceiling, marble floor and carvings over the entrances. If you have been to Milan (I haven't) there is a similar splendid 19th century Gallery there. Not to be missed. Not sure about the shopping. I was there for the photographs.

Which reminds me I was quite amazed by one tiny little woman who was part of our group who returned after we had a 20 minute break with a bag filled with two leather purses and a pair of shoes. A decisive lady I guessed. Gary and I had managed a coffee-cito and gotten into reminiscing about Chile where Gary said that he would have three of these in a morning in the Embassy. I asked him if the caffeine had perked him up....he said he had been young and didn't need perking up then! A digression...I know!

I had never heard about the Borbonico Tunnel. Today we spent an hour walking from one end to the other emerging blinking back into the sun light.
 
It seems that 1848 was a tough year for monarchs in Europe what with riots and revolutions. King Ferdinand in Naples got jittery and decided he needed an escape route from his palace. So he commissioned a tunnel to be built from the palace to the barracks near the port.

Workers had to dig by hand through rock to create the passageway and cross the existing water system. Ferdinand died of a heart attack before the tunnel was completed and he could use it to escape. So the tunnel doesn't quite reach the barracks...but ends near the port.

The tunnel was used as an air raid shelter during WW II...the cisterns filled in; low voltage electricity supplies installed along with showers and toilets. In fact because of the destruction of Naples during the war about 500 homeless people were still living in the caverns in 1946.

So we climbed down the 90 steps down to the caverns and tunnels, the traffic noise faded and we walked the tunnel feeling a bit what it must have felt like for folks who had to rush to the tunnel when they heard the air raid siren. The area around the port was heavily bombed late in the war. Being down in the tomb-like tunnel it was hard to imagine shouts of kids playing hide and seek. It must have been extremely difficult to survive months of bombing under ground.

Names had been scratched on the walls and one message "We are alive" is still visible, along with remains of beds, cooking pots and toys. Towards the end of the passageway there are bays of ghostly chaises and frames of cars, vans and motorcycles...all vehicles confiscated from Neapolitans engaged in the contraband trade.

When we were there a film crew was setting up. I expect the tunnel has been used for movie sets in the past and will be in the future. Setting my ISO on my camera up to 6400 seemed to work. A few of my photos underground are not bad. Gill you can ask Charlie how he likes these cars...as compared to the shrink wrapped ones in Southampton. He'll probably say...nope...that's Reggie's photo!
 
A lunch stop for a Neapolitan pizza and a glass of Lambrusco wine (cold, light, fizzy Italian red wine...a first for me) was next. A basic dough, fresh crushed tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil make up the Neapolitan pizza (plus I think some garlic and oregano)... Delicious. Naples is after all the birthplace of pizza. Perhaps the photo of the pizza is Reggie's today Gill.
 
 
 
Naples is also known for its pastries..the most famous being the afogliatella...which we didn't try...although I took a photo of a plate of cannolo for Lois, the Sicilian pastry she introduced us to Taormina two years ago. I'll keep my eye open tomorrow in Messina for the unpronounceable Naples delight. On the other hand I have learned the Messina favourite is pignolata, a soft pastry with chocolate and lemon flavouring. What weighty decisions!

The walk back along the sea wall is well worth doing if you are in Naples...it is where you go to walk in Naples...or fish...or in some cases to swim. Getting out after swimming seemed a bit of a challenge as you can see from one of my photos.

I can recommend our guide Alessandro D'Alfonso...knowledgeable, patient. Easy to understand...I had trouble finding his sense of humour. He is a free lancer. His e-mail is alfy2@libero.it. His cell. +39 349.0590498.

Well...have had dinner and continued on my poll. My dinner mate from Texas said given she was the only Democrat living in Texas she didn't think her vote would have swayed the electoral college. But I think I have to stop my poll...she told me she couldn't vote since early voting wasn't until mid October and the election November 8. She and everyone else on the Emerald Princess will be on the high seas during all that time. So clearly my poll question is neutral, but unfair....I'm not going to find any American onboard who could vote before they left home! Did you get to mail in your votes yet Dan and Barb...after all you get to weigh in in the hanging chad state.

And that's my day...

Ciao
Doreen