Day 2: Authentic Italian Pizza

We landed in Naples around noon and started our day with about 2 hours of sleep and tons of adrenaline. We decided to take a walking tour of the city that passed 2 very authentic pizzerias and the oldest gelateria in the city. (Naples is the hometown
of Italian pizza.) Unfortunately, on a Sunday afternoon during siesta hours, not much was open and the city was dead. We went to one of the famous pizzerias where Kim ordered a pizza with tomato, mozzarella, ham, olives, artichoke hearts and mushrooms. I got the classic margarita pizza. Both our pizzas were delicious, scantly covered with cheese and baked with a crust so thin the pizza could hardly stay together. Our pizzas were also HUGE although the restaurant claimed they were personal sized. Since we couldn't finish even half our pizzas, we took two boxes to go and carried then around the city for the rest of the afternoon.

By the time we had finished eating our pizza the famous Italian gelateria was closed, but we strolled through the city toward the Duomo, or cathedral. Mostly everything was closed and the streets were dead apart from crazy Vespas and the occasional tourist, but we enjoyed nonetheless. We learned quickly that most streets do not have street signs, crosswalks, or sidewalks, and relayed on our skill acquired from 3 years of dodging bikes at Davis to avoid being hit by the wild Vespa drivers.

We found ourselves by the dock in the late afternoon and grabbed a gelato. I had 2 of my favorite flavors, hazelnut and chocolate, while Kim tried the cookies and cream. I didn't find the gelato as good as other gelatos I had tried in Italy, but Kim enjoyed trying it for the first time.

Finally, exhausted from the walk and the lack of sleep, we made our way back to our hostel, just as the rest of Naples was emerging from their siestas. I guess we will have to see what the place is like with people in it tomorrow.