How would you like to Pompeii for your pizza tonight?

Would you like to Pompeii for your pizza with cash or credit?

So while in Rome, I had this moment of panic. I thought that I had planned poorly and was lacking a place to put my person for the night before my ferry journey. I had also not heard from the individual that was supposed to host me for couch surfing. Being the eternal sorter-outer, I decided to throw in a night in Naples instead of Bari as originally intended. This way I got to see Pompeii, and it was sort of on the way to Bari anyway. I left Rome early in the morning so I would get into Naples early enough to check into the hostel, drop off my luggage, and spend the afternoon touring the Pompeii site (which is a 1/2 hour train ride outside of the city). This ended up being an excellent plan. I loved Pompeii. It is significantly larger than I imagined, and spread out enough that even with all the tour groups there were times when I was the only person on a section of street. The details that remain of the city are astonishing, especially the intricate mosaics that still decorate the nicer homes. The only thing that bothered me was the sheer amount of garbage that people had left on the sites. Cigarette butts, camera batteries, empty water bottles. I imagine that archaeologists must HATE opening sites like this to the public, but have no choice because the admission fees help fund further research and excavations. The turmoils life in art and humanities. *le sigh*

 After Getting rained out of pompeii (emergency poncho FTW!) I did what one does when one is in Naples: I got pizza. The places the hostel recommended were kind of in a sketchy area of town, but all of Naples is sketchy area of town, so I figured I would take my chances. And the verdict is: I can safely say that when you go to Famoso, you are getting TRUE Napoli-style pizza. The crust and quality are exactly the same. The only thing that differs is the tomatoes, and that's just a case of freshness and type. You really can't beat a true italian pink san marzano. There's just something about that delicate sweet nuttiness...

 

Things I have learned:

- it is impossible to ignore the economic crisis plaguing Italy when you're in Naples. The city is covered in political graffiti and there a general disatisfaction that looms over all the inhabitants. It's sad because the city is gorgeous and has so much potential.

- Pompeii was essentially the Vegas of Ancient Rome. Or at least the buildings that survived made it seem that way. Penis and sexy frescos on ALL the things.

- I really need to lay off the dairy. And the pizza for that matter. *squish squish*

- you can buy Nutella in 4 litre pails. This is dangerous information.

- always get the unlimited day pass for the train system. I kept asking for it and they kept selling me one-time fairs. When it came time to come home from pizza, both of the ticket kiosks were broken and it ended up taking me an hour to figure out get change and figure out where to buy one. Not fun at 10:00 at night... Especially in Naples.