When we were planning this trip, we waffled about going to Naples.  There was a point when we didn’t even think we would go for a day trip, but we ultimately added it to our agenda and stayed there for four days.

I had envisioned a dirty port city with decrepit buildings, a hot and dusty environment, pickpockets, and street vendors hawking fake Gucci bags.  While I did experience those things to some degree (except the pickpockets), the city is so much more than the stereotype.

We stayed in a nice little hotel on Piazza Victoria on the water. 

Our hotel room

The view of Piazza Victoria from our room

As it turns out, this is THE hip neighborhood for shopping during the day and for dinner/drinks at night.  Gucci, Ferragamo, and other high-end stores were right around the corner from our hotel, and it was fun to window-shop.  In the evening, the bars and restaurants would put tables and chairs out in the narrow streets, turning the whole neighborhood into one big social zone.

Anticipating a seafood lunch

An interesting planet window display at the Louis Vuitton store with old buildings in the reflection

A sculpture in our neighborhood

Ba-bar – we went here 3 times in 4 days, very cool restaurant/bar with mind-blowing cocktails

Our neighborhood was also an easy walk or cab ride to other interesting parts of the city.  We saw a couple of castles. 

The old castle, view from the boardwalk

Chad looking at the sea

An archway inside the old castle

The new castle up on a hill

A beautifully sculpted archway of the new castle

A detail of the main door on the new castle

We explored a huge park on top of a mountain in the middle of the city. 

One of the trails in the park at the top of the city

We visited the main shopping street, Via Toledo, where I popped into one of my favorite stores, Desigual, and hit the jackpot of shopping.  We also rode one of those red “hop on, hop off” tourist buses which was a great way to get an overview of the city. 

My fave store outside of the US

Tourist bus

Even as I wrote this blog post and was searching through my photos, I was trying to figure out how the capture the feel of the city.  Naples is a mix of stately old buildings, little alleys, views of the water, afternoon heat, evening breezes, and bustling action. 

A quaint little street

Stately steps

Scooters (also known as motorini)

This square off the beaten path had interesting graffiti

But it’s also a city of little details – a row of umbrella pine trees flanking a boardwalk, teenage boys practicing skateboard tricks, tiny octopuses scooting around in a pan of water at a seafood shop, the scent of lunch from a basement apartment.  If you can get beyond the city’s brash stereotype, you will find its quiet secrets.

Seafood displayed on the sidewalk outside a shop

A guy selling produce on the street

Little boats anchored in one of the harbors

We found a 3D map of the city made for blind visitors

In fact, we specifically didn’t go to Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii, because we didn’t want to short-change ourselves on Naples.  I’m glad we decided to focus on the city as I now have a greater appreciation for everything it has to offer.  Plus, Pompeii now gives us an excuse to come back for another visit.

While we spent most of our time visiting with family in Monteferrante, we also got in some local sightseeing in southern Abruzzo.  We stayed at a little B&B, Tenuta Villa Rosato, down in the valley below Monteferrante.  The place is run by a young guy, Rosario, who took his grandparents farmhouse and renovated it into a great place to stay for a few days.  In addition to being great accommodations, it is in a perfect location to do some exploring around the region.  One of the cool things about Abruzzo is that is is not heavily touristed.  This means that you will get more of a local experience whether seeing an old castle, eating in a small restaurant, or just driving through the countryside.

Tenuta Villa Rosato, our B&B

Our room

The view from our room

The breakfast terrace for the B&B

We went to visit the nearby town of Roccascalegna.  It’s one of those cute Italian mountain towns with little streets and breathtaking views.  Plus, it has a castle. 

View of the castle

The little church at the base of the castle

An ancient flamethrower on display in the castle – I had no idea there were flamethrowers back in the day!

Some artsy-fartsy on display in the old chapel of the castle

Leaving the castle – so many steps…

A cute street in Roccascalegna

An old house in Roccascalegna

Street address on a house – the current address is #29 but you can faintly see the old address as well #308

We also went to Tornareccio which is another cute mountain town.  What sets this one apart, however, is its annual mosaic art festival.  The town has around 70 mosaic pieces that have been donated by various organizations, and they are put on display for a month every summer.  The mosaic pieces are all the same size, approximately 1.5 meters x 1.5 meters.

Tornareccio is known for its honey.  In fact, it won a national competition for best honey.  Naturally, a lot of the mosaics include honey bees as part of the art.  When we first got to the town, I was trying to take photos of every single mosaic.  Then I got tired, so I decided to only take photos of mosaics with bees.  And then I was still tired.  So many bees.  The mosaics are all mounted high on building walls, so it was hard to get good photos, but here are some of my favorite mosaics:

I liked the gold detail of the earring on this mosaic

This mosaic was mounted on the facade of a church, fitting…

A mosaic piece by a Japanese artist

An abstract of the typical fishing piers down on the coast

Bees!

We ate lunch in an amazing lunch in the basement of a little (locals-only) restaurant in the town.  The waiter asked each of us if we wanted the meat lunch or the seafood lunch and then brought out each course according to our order.

Chad, Michele, Fran, Jim, Connie, and Simon

My appetizer – local meats and cheeses

Chad’s appetizer – seafood crudite

Pasta with clams

We had more food than this, but the photos weren’t very good so I’m not going to share them.  There’s nothing worse than a food photo where the food looks gross.

On our last afternoon in Abruzzo, Chad’s cousin Marco took me, Chad’s dad Jim, and our friend Simon to see an ancient wall that was built 2,500 years ago.  I know, it sounds lame, “Look at this old stone wall!” and maybe it’s just the archidork in me, but it was pretty cool.  Just knowing that the wall had been there for so long and had been built by a different civilization was a little mind-blowing.  Plus, it was way up on a hill and far away from other tourists which made it feel very special. 

Part of the wall

An old passageway through the wall

A close-up of rocks and lichen

The wall stretches on…

We’re currently in the Sicilian resort town of Taormina which is jam-packed with tourists, so I’m having a bit of nostalgia for the isolated setting of that old wall.  But more on Taormina later.  Next stop, Naples!

I won’t lie.  We’ve been eating a LOT while in Italy.  I can tell that I’ve been gaining weight, and you know what?  I don’t care one iota.  Zero.  Zilch.  Goose egg.  The food here has been delicious.  And while we’ve had some memorable meals in some great restaurants, nothing beats a home-cooked meal in someone’s home.

Our week in Monteferrante centered around food – eating a meal, recovering from having eaten too much at that meal, and then preparing for the next meal.  We had prosciutto.  We had cheese.  We had pasta.  We had salad.  We had soup.  We had bread.  We had veggies.  We had fruit.  We had pastries.  We had wine.  We had grappa.  And that was just on the first day.

Family lunch – Achile, Alice, Fran, Gabriela, Adolfo, Jim, me

We had meals with family every day, and lunch and dinner each lasted a couple of hours.  In addition to filling our bellies, this was a social gathering as well.  We shared stories and got to know each other.  This was the first time Chad and I had met the Italian relatives, so it was really nice to be able to spend time with them over several meals and over several days.  Everyone was so nice and welcoming that we felt right at home from the time we arrived.  And never mind that it was non-stop Italian language.  We made it all work.

A family lunch at Adolfo’s house – Jim, Gabriela, Fran, Michele, Marco, Adolfo, Simon, Connie

Another family lunch at Maria’s house – Connie, Gabriela, Chad, Angela, Silvana, Vincenzo, Simone, me, Fran

Same lunch, different view – Vincenzo, Simone, me, Fran, Marco, Simon, Jim, Chad, Maria

When not eating, we would sit on the benches in the square and watch people go by, or we would stroll through the small streets of the village.  We also went to the little bar a couple of times to have a Campari spritz and watch the old men play cards.  And I am also guilty of taking a nap or two in the afternoon, sleeping off lunch and getting ready for dinner.  What a relaxing week!

Socializing in front of Adolfo’s house

The village bar

Visiting Vincenzo’s wine cellar – he’s an accomplished chef and sommelier

A typical meal would start with a simple appetizer – cured meat, cheese, local salami, maybe some olives.  Then the first course which was usually pasta.  The second course might be cooked veggies or a hearty salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and cooked potatoes.  Red table wine accompanied all of this.  Then came the fruit – watermelon, peaches, and figs are all in season right now.  Then dessert with a mix of pastries and cookies.  Then a ‘digestivo’ (a liqueur to help with digestion) such as grappa.  And then an espresso.  Now does the afternoon nap make sense?

The table set for lunch

Homemade pasta made by Chad and Maria

A typical second course – cheese bread fritters, pickled vegetables, cucumber

Another typical second course – egglant, tomato/potato salad, local prosciutto

Fruit course

Dessert

Homemade noccino – liqueur made from walnuts – accompanied by cookies

Throughout the week, everyone contributed to the meal prep.  84-year-old Maria made pizzas for us one evening, and she taught Chad her way of making pasta on another occasion.  84-year-old Adolfo made his special ‘sugo’ (tomato sauce) for one of our pasta lunches, and it was so good.  Adolfo’s daughter, Gabriela, prepared several meals for us in Adolfo’s house, and her cousin Vincenzo, who is a chef and sommelier, was the maestro for Jim’s birthday luncheon. 

Maria in her kitchen

Vincenzo preparing Jim’s birthday lunch for 25 people

Jim’s birthday lunch

Jim’s birthday lunch – Jim, Adolfo, Marco, Mario, Carlo

Birthday cake – Jim and Vincenzo

Birthday party music – Marco, Mario, Francesco, Adolfo, Cinzia, Gabriela

Birthday party dancing

On our last evening we went down into the valley to Cinzia’s pizza restaurant, and I ate the best pizza of my entire life.  (My fave was the bacalao and zucchini.)  After that dinner, Chad and I would head back to our B&B and then would leave the following morning for Naples.  As we said good-bye to our Italian relatives, we gave hugs and kisses and made promises to see each other again. 

Pizza dinner at Cinzia’s restaurant – Connie, Jim, Simon, Antonino, Cristiano, Cinzia, Vincenzo, Chad, Gabriela, me, Fran

The best pizza in the universe

I was doing just fine until I hugged Gabriela, and then I lost it.  And I mean I totally lost it and started crying big crocodile tears.  I was sobbing so much that I couldn’t even talk.  My emotions surprised me at the time, but, as I think back on it, over just a few short days, I had developed new friendships and broadened my familial ties.  It wasn’t just that I had met new people.  It was that I had discovered a new part of my family tree.

Simon, Adolfo, Gabriela, Chad, Marco

We spent our second week in Italy in and around the small mountain village of Monteferrante in Abruzzo, a couple of hours east of Rome. 

Monteferrante city limits

View of the town

Two of Chad’s great-grandparents emigrated from Monteferrante to Cranford, New Jersey back in the day.  Apparently, a lot of other people emigrated from Monteferrante to Cranford as well, because, when we were there, it was a veritable New Jersey reunion.  The local priest joked that, in addition to Monteferrante, he has parishes in Cranford, Westfield, and Scotch Plains, NJ.

Today, Monteferrante has a year-round population of 70 people.  In August, the population swells as children and grandchildren come to visit older relatives in the town.  Plus, there is the US contingent that comes as well.

Walking through the town

Another small street in the town

Anyway, Monteferrante had special meaning to me as I visited it with Chad and his family.  Some older relatives still live there – Adolfo and Maria, Chad’s mom’s mom’s cousins (you do the math) and extended relatives.  

I want to fix up this cute little house and live here

As we walked the small streets on the first day with Chad’s mom, Fran, and her Italian cousin, Gabriella, we saw the house that the ancestors lived in as children.  Great-grandpa lived in the front with his family and great-grandma lived in the back with her family, and then they got married.  How cute is that!

Walking through the town with Chad, Jim, Gabriella, and Fran

Great-grandparents’ childhood home

The front door of great-grandfather’s home

We also saw the fountain where they got their water every day.  

Public fountain where Chad’s great-grandparents got their water

This probably doesn’t sound like a big deal as you read this post, but I stood there imagining the previous generations going about their daily business on these small streets with the church at the top of the hill.  Monteferrante is a magical place.  You can still get a feel for the old way of life as you walk through the town.

Tomatoes being cooked in someone’s side yard so they can be canned for the winter

On our last day, the village celebrated a festival of St. John the Baptist.  Catholic Mass in the morning included a procession through the streets with a statue of Jesus.  I followed the procession up the hill and back into the church and watched the end of Mass.  

Procession on St John the Baptist day

Procession on St John the Baptist day – notice the statue of Jesus being carried through the streets

Residents of Cranford, New Jersey paid to have the church restored several years ago and it is an unexpected beauty for such a small town.  It leaves me wondering what will happen to this church and the rest of the town when the older generation is gone.

The church

Another view of the church interior

The beautifully restored church ceiling