Hi, my dearest readers,
If you already saw my other post, you would’ve known that I travelled to Italy just before summer.
The third main city we stopped at was Naples as we were here to take a few day trips in the surrounding areas.
Here, you can read my full Italy trip, Milan, Florence, Venice, Amalfi Coast, and Rome. Day trips out to Siena, Venice, Pisa, Amalfi, and Pompeii.
The objective of the trip was to visit as many places as possible and admire its architecture. It’s less of a trip whereby we visited each individual cathedral and museum (there are way too many of them!). So you’ll need to cater more time than we have if you’re planning on visiting the inside of these landmarks.
GETTING AROUND NAPLES
Car: We had the car towards the end of our Milan trip. We then drove to Florence on the second day and took day trips out to the Firenze Mall, Siena, Venice, and Pisa.
Regional trains: Both the regional and local trains are very convenient for us to navigate. On the regional trains, there were two types that we came across. The first is the kind where you either fit your luggage in the overhead railings (my big luggage fit) as the train came with built-in tables. I felt safer but it took so much to get it up. You can fit your luggage at the back of your seats if it’s small enough as well. My friends placed theirs in a luggage compartment instead. On the second train we boarded, I managed to fit our luggage in front of the seats as there isn’t a table. There also isn’t a luggage compartment (not that we know of, after asking a local). However, this was a tight squeeze as we didn’t have much space to place our feet and opted to curl up in the seat. But I felt safer knowing that our luggage was in our sight.
Local trains and trams: On the local trains, I’ll suggest being more vigilant of your surroundings. There are lots of petty pickpockets around and you can read about my experience with one here.
Walk (a lot): Predominately, be it after a train journey or a car ride, we walked around the cities. Their cities are very walkable and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you’ll see in each corner. There’s no better way to explore the city!
Tours: I know this doesn’t really count as transportation but some of the tours do come with a pickup point and they’ll drive you around the area.
Taxi: This was a lifesaver for us when we were moving in between the cities and had to lug our hefty luggage to the main train stations. We got an app called Freenow (which works like Uber or Grab). Within minutes, I was able to get a taxi. But a trip from my hotel/ Airbnb (less than 5 minutes away), costs at least €15 so this is a pricy option. For taxis to the airports, there is a flat rate of €40 to €50, depending on the location of each airport.
Airport Transfers: Airports in Italy were pretty far away from their main cities. While there was the option of taking the trains, the comfort of the Airport Transfer buses outweighed the pros on cons. I got mine off Klook under Terravision which cost me €6 instead of the €10 that I saw people paying on the spot. So, if you don’t want to miss the bus to the airport and you want a cheaper yet affordable alternative, this will be it!
Day 1: Naples | Castel dell’Ovo | Antonio & Antonio | New Friends
Most of today was spent travelling and lots of itineraries got delayed as the train was delayed almost 1 hour. We planned for a 12 pm train but left the station 10 mins shy of 1 pm from Florence.
We reached about 3.5 hours later. And settled into our Airbnb by 6 pm.
Tip: Instead of dragging your luggage through the cobbled streets, you can opt for a taxi to bring you as close to your accommodation. It’ll make the trip much more pleasant.
We set out to see what Naples has to offer. We walked from our Airbnb, past Castel Nuovo and down Lungomare Via Partenope where Castel dell’Ovo sits.
Address: Castel dell’Ovo Via Eldorado, 3, 80132 Napoli NA, Italy
Naples was honestly one of the most chaotic cities in Italy that we’ve been through but walking down Lungomare Via Partenope was beautiful.
And headed down past Castel dell’Ovo.
Our dinner was at Antonio and Antonio where their service staff was so attentive and helpful during our meals. We even got a free dessert! The food accompanied by the view was just the perfect thing to end off the night.
Address: Antonio and Antonio Via Partenope, 26, 80121 Napoli NA, Italy
Don’t forget to stop by the entire stretch of Lungomare Via Partenope for its stunning scenery.
We stopped by Gran Caffè Gambrinus on the way home and got some fluffy pastry
Address: Gran Caffè Gambrinus Via Chiaia, 1, 80132 Napoli NA, Italy
Day 2: day trip to Sorrento, Positano, Almalfi Coast, Revello and Opera at San Carlo Theatre
We met our guide, Giovanni, at the Napoli main station, just outside. He was holding our names on it which made for easy identification.
At 9 am sharp, after everyone had arrived, we went for a lil road trip to our first stop Sorrento. There were a total of 9 of us, including Giovanni, and 3 groups of us. We had people from Mexico, the USA, and us, from Singapore. Along the way, Giovanni explained a bit about the active volcano that is near Naples. Most of the trip was spent talking amongst ourselves.
At each stop, we were given about 1 hour to explore and meet back at our drop-off point.
Sorrento
A very beautiful town filled with vibrant yellow. The area is famous for its lemons so you’ll see a lot of its stores selling lemons and other lemon-flavoured products. There was this huge lemons slushy that we saw, contained in lemons of sizes I’d never seen before. One of the cutest things I saw on the trip for sure!
After a drive through the windy roads alongside the mountain, we reached the town of Positano.
Positano
This town is one of the postcard-worthy ones that we saw. For a better view, we suggest heading up the hills so you can see the buildings in their colours much better. We decided to spend some time walking down the stairs to the beach with black sand. Gorgeous but too hot for us to bask in.
RISTORANTE COSTA DIVA
Then next destination was a stop for lunch at Costa Diva. What was interesting is the way that they park their car. There’s only one way in and out and the cars are often in the way of another. Skilled drivers would reverse back down the steep slope and arrange the car in order.
I loved the pasta at this place which was handmade. It was a bit hard and chewy, just the way I liked it but my friend didn’t like it that much. The cotoletta di pollo was a bit too dry for my liking though. We loved this beautiful restaurant where we had a great view and were surrounded by lemons. Never before have we seen so many lemons, ripe on their trees.
Address: Ristorante Costa Diva – Praiano Via Roma, 12, 84010 Praiano SA, Italy
After lunch, we head to the highlight of the trip, the Amalfi Coast.
Amalfi Coast
Amalfi Coast was breathtaking but we did wish that there weren’t that many people around. The sunny weather made me want to have a dip at the beach though.
Walking through the streets, there were more shops that sold lemons and we had to get ourselves a postcard of course.
We headed up the hill to get a better view of the place.
REVELLO
The last stop on this journey is to the City of Music – Revello. This city was at a high altitude with incredible views of the surrounding mountains and is known to have many notable musicians who perform here annually. I did note that this place reminds me of Bali’s rice terrace.
OPERA
By the time we reached back Naples, it was already 7 pm. We were supposed to reach around 5 pm. As we had an opera to catch, our guide kindly drove us to the opera (which we were late for). We ended up going in only at 7:30 pm (when the opera started at 7 pm).
The soprano, Maria Agresta, and Vincenzo Caruso on the pianoforte – , were both amazing! Her voice hit such high ranges and did not waver throughout her entire performance while Vincenzo’s skills on the piano did not falter and accompanied her voice so nicely together.
Fun fact: This theatre is the oldest opera theatre. It’s worth a visit if you just want to experience it once in your lifetime.
What was amazing were the ladies in our booth, they were singing along with the singer with their beautiful voices.
Tip: Many people dressed up nicely for the opera. As we were late, we didn’t have time to change into nicer clothing.
Address: Teatro di San Carlo Via San Carlo, 98, 80132 Napoli NA, Italy
The night ended with Italian Macdonald’s as Macdonald’s from around the world are pretty different.
Day 3: Pompeii + Travelling to Rome – Spanish Steps | Trevis Fountain | Doppio Malto | Il Maesro Del Gelato
Pompeii was a last-minute decision that we made the day before. We decided to book a 2 hours guided tour that started at 10:30.
Taking the train from the main station, we missed it because we were trying to find the train. This one was called the ‘Campania Express’ train. The frequency of the train was every 20 mins.
Interesting experience on board the train as we were met with some street buskers. They were singing beautifully but of course, asked for some donations after the end of the songs. They were pretty swift as well when they notice that the ticket master was going around to check to make sure that we got our tickets. It’s useful to have one physical card that you use to tap in or a physical ticket – he will check on them much faster. He just checked for one of us, and left the rest to be – there’s way too many passengers.
After arriving at the station, we walked downhill toward the meet-up point for the tour. There are two entrances to the site, so if you do not need to meet at a specific spot, you can opt for the entrance closer to the train station. The tour leaves pretty promptly, so since we miss it (as we missed the train), we opted for the next available tour and paid the difference for it.
Our tour guide took us all around the archaeological site and she was so helpful in bringing us to the right places.
Note: I’d suggest getting a tour because they know the way around the site and will bring you around while explaining things you probably won’t know if you walked around yourself. It was especially helpful to be able to see the important bits while we were a bit pressed for time.
You can read more about my experience in Pompeii here.
I must say, if you can, cater a bit more time in Pompeii, 2 hours was good to walk around but I believe that there is a lot more that can be seen. Also, pack lots of water and wear a cap. It was so hot when we went and there wasn’t much shade around. Although, do remember to ration your water to avoid going to the toilet too frequently (there isn’t one inside!)
There are also places that live past that volcanic eruption that swallowed Pompeii and now is being preserved.
And at HOUSE OF SIRICO, I leave you with the auspicious “SALVE LUCRU” which means to “Welcome richness into the house”.
Address: Pompeii 80045 Pompei, Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy
After the tour, we left and headed back to our Airbnb.
Tip: A tip for you guys while on the trip, you can ask your hosts if it is okay for you to leave your belongings after you check out. Most are pretty accommodating and would let you leave them there till about 3 pm. Ours let us leave the luggage till 2 pm. Most hotels also do accommodate such requests.
We got a taxi and headed for the train station to head towards Rome. This time, there weren’t any delays and we were able to board once we arrived.
TIPS WHEN NAVIGATING ITALY
- No COVID regulations as of 17 May 2023. Although you should constantly check on travel advisories as the governments are changing as and when the situation develops.
- If it’s a takeaway, pay for your food first before you collect them.
- Italians bring their dogs everywhere. This was so different everywhere else because in Singapore, you can’t do that unless they are guide dogs.
- They smoke everywhere, although most don’t smoke while they are indoors.
- If there’s no traffic light, just walk across the road confidently. Don’t hesitate, the cars will stop naturally. If you’re afraid, then walk with the locals there.
- Italians eat one pizza each. We were quite shocked to see this, seeing that all of us can barely finish one, let alone one each. To save some cost, we often ordered two mains as we also didn’t have a big appetite.
- Toilets are hard to find and if you do need one, pop by the hotel or ask the restaurants. They are typically okay with it. If you’re near a hotel, just walk in confidently, they never stopped us
There you have it, the third part of the itinerary for my wonderful Italian trip. Do keep a look out for the next as I navigate Milan, Florence, Rome and the day trips out of these cities to Siena, Venice, Pisa, Amalfi, and Pompeii.
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