Although we were sad to leave Spain, we were all looking forward to the next leg of the the trip. Italy–it’s full of so much allure for every palate. History? Gobs of it. Scenery? Gorgeous. Food? Incredible. Architecture? All sorts. Shopping? Go for it.
We flew to Naples as our last strawberry trial stop, a city I’ve never been to. I had heard it was gritty, and the parts I saw definitely were. I was quite surprised at the disrepair and trash around so many parts of town. It was hard to see in a city so full of life and legend. We were actually staying in a small town north of Naples, however, and Caserta turned out to be a great location for us. I really enjoyed being in a smaller town that was still close to the hub of everything we wanted to see.
I had spent 6ish weeks of improving my Spanish, and it was very disorienting to be back at ground zero linguistically. Going back to “yes,” “no,” “hello,” “please,” “thank you” and hand motions was surprisingly frustrating. It feels somehow disrespectful to be in someone else’s country and demand they converse in your language. But you have to start somewhere, and of course everyone has been very kind and understanding with our fumbling communication.
It was 11pm by the time we got the rental car, drove to Caserta, dropped off our bags, and walked to a restaurant. We were tired, but bound and determined to eat some good Italian food before we hit the sack. We all ordered pizza, shared a plate of local tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella (the local specialty), and suddenly there was a convivial silence of enjoyment around the table. I think the kids fell in love with Italy at that moment.
After a day of strawberry visits, we had the opportunity to climb Vesuvius. It really does dominate the local landscape, and it’s more than just a historical monument. Vesuvius is considered the most dangerous volcano in the word, both because of the densely populated area it is surrounded by and also because of its volatility. It was a steep and winding drive, and then a step and winding hike, but we made it to the caldera. There was plenty of smoke seeping from cracks in the rock face. The clouds eventually pulled back enough for us to see Naples sprawling below us around the bay.
Pompeii was probably the first-ever location on my travel wish-list. I read about the eruption of the volcano and the unique preservation of Roman life in Pompeii in middle school, and it totally captured my imagination. I’ve seen plenty of ancient history since that time, but it felt really special to walk those particular Roman roads.
Pompeii was crowded with tourists, and the signage was poor, but the sheer size and scope of the city was really impressive. It truly is a preserved city, not just a couple of streets or a handful of houses. Wandering through the intersections, villas, baths, fast-food joints (yes, the Romans were big into those!), and the ampitheater helped me visualize Roman culture in a new way. It’s humbling how big the world is, how long time has gone on, and how small our place is in it.
On our last day in Caserta, we visited the palace of the Kings of Naples–one of the largest royal residences in the world. It was fun to switch it up and jump ahead to the 18th century for a bit. The Italians really have a lot of marble to work with, and it shows. We were glad that Vance was able to make it with us that day, as fatigue had kept him pretty limited. The palace was ornate, but the gardens were also vast and built to impress. Eve had a moment of adventure there in those green, deceiving distances. Vance and I mistakenly let her walk alone along down the long, long path to meet up with me–she got discouraged by the distance and worried. Two Italian policemen picked her up and scooted her up to me, which gave us all the adrenaline rush of the day. The policemen couldn’t really speak English, but they were very kind. When I scooped Evie up, they just kept looking at her and saying, “Don’t cry, it’s okay, don’t cry.” They waved and honked at us later when we ran across them on our way back home. That makes Eve the only one of us who has ridden in the back of an Italian police car. For now.
We finished off our visit to the Naples area the way we began–with pizza. We had read that some people consider the second-best pizza restaurant in the world to be in Caserta. I have no idea how people make that kind of assessment, but we figured we had better weigh in on this important issue. I Masanielli was a hopping local place with an open kitchen and the founding chef prominently at work. It really was the best pizza we had ever had. Probably the best we will ever have. We are raising our kids to be those insufferable foodies on accident, folks–I apologize in advance.
Wonder and Wander 