Italian Driving

For the past month and a half I have become an expert at back seat driving. I haven't been able to drive since the day we moved to Italy, because all of the cars here are manuals and I just simply haven't learned yet. I do plan on learning and marito says he will teach me, I'm just not comfortable yet to learn on these roads at the moment. Now that my vehicle is here, it has been so nice to hop in the car and take off, not having to wait for a ride or burden someone else. My car is my independence.

I want to share a few things that I have noticed that is different here than back home in the states, and in no means am I bashing the Italians and their lifestyle, just pointing out differences.

First off, drive in the right hand lane, unless you are passing someone. If you are in the left lane and someone approaches you quickly and you are slowing them down, expect to see them flashing their lights at you telling you to move over. They may even honk at you to let you know that they are behind you.

Tailgating is very common here, mostly because I feel there is a lack of patience for the driver in front to move over. The locals will get up on your bumper and zig zag in between cars with the bare minimum amount of space. Take a breath, they know what they are doing- this is their lifestyle. Don't brake check the person behind you to send a message. There is no road rage here, so don't get mad when they speed up onto your back bumper and flash their lights or honk a horn at ya!

One of the first things to annoy me is that they wait until the last second to pull off onto an exit ramp. Why wait? Do as I do and get over into the exit lane right away, thus allowing others to know you are exiting, right? Nah, they don't do that. Don't get frustrated, just start getting used to it! You can't change their ways.

I have seen a couple of times in the two months I have been here, that if an Italian misses their exit they won't go to the next exit and turn around. NOPE! They will back up on the Autostrade (Interstate/Highway) and make their exit! So please be mindful of cars on the shoulder- they may be in reverse!

The policia don't care if you speed. End of story. Cars fly by doing 50 kilometers per hour faster than the policia and no one gets a ticket. In fact, I haven't seen any cars pulled over by police on the Autostrade, BUT! I have seen cars pulled over and men peeing on the side of the road. Honey Badgers don't give a sh*t (To understand this reference please watch this hilarious YouTube Video).

Speaking of speeding. Certain roads have a TUTOR system, which takes pictures of your car and calculates your average speed over a length of highway. If you speed, you will get a ticket a couple months later. There are also camera boxes that capture your speed at a certain moment and not the average over a distance. So sorta like a Red Light camera. Be careful. There are signs to warn you so you can slow down, and I just don't want you to waste your money.

Honking. In Europe everyone honks their horn. Doesn't mean they are mad at you like it does in the States. There are varieties as to when and where to understand honking.

• If you slow down to make a turn and you hear a honk- hurry up
• You allow someone in the opposite direction to come by in a tight area and they honk- Thank you
• Lanes are merging and you don't let them in and you hear a horn- LET ME IN!
• There are honks for being too close to my car
• Big vehicle coming around the corner, it will blow their horn to let the person on the other side of the corner know to prevent collision in a blind turn.
• Red light just turns green, they will honk if you aren't on the pedal within the first second.

It has taken me some time to determine which honk means what. I thought we were just bad at driving- but it is kinda like having a baby and learning which cries mean food, sleep, etc.

I also want to inform you that when lanes merge into one, the Italians will be four wide in two lanes, trying to squeeze into line. Drives me nuts, but it is what it is. Reminds me of NASCAR races, when everyone is leaving the race and it is a mad rush to get out of the parking lot.

You definitely have to be a defensive driver here. Beware of scooters. They come out of nowhere and zip in between cars to get to where they are going. They will pass you on the left, even while you are making a left hand turn. You really have to be looking behind you more so than in front of you.

Get good insurance, because they will hit you and keep going. Insurance is already very steep here in Italy, but for good reason. The majority of the cars here have Naples kisses and I can already tell you that my car doesn't stand a chance. It is a risk I was willing to take.

Don't leave ANY valuables in your car. Take the face plate off of your after market CD player, unplug your GPS and CLOSE YOUR CIGARETTE LIGHTER! If it is open, it tells onlookers that it is probably used for a GPS which might be in your glove box. The economy is poor and people are looking for a quick buck. So protect yourself.

Don't be afraid to drive while you are here. I can't imagine three years without a vehicle of my own. I do plan on investing in a bicycle so I can go to the market around the corner and pick up a few things without parking my big ole car.

Invest in a GPS. The roads are confusing, and most of them do not have signs. If there are street signs they are on a building, not over the street. They sell GPS' at the NEX for around $200. Some more, some less. They come with Europe maps already loaded as well as US maps. So you can take the GPS back to the States and use it without buying an extra download for maps. I have a Garmin, but I hear the Tom Tom is the way to go (I guess it is better in certain areas- I can't compare).

I do look forward to driving back in the states. I miss the 4-way stops. Round Abouts are intimidating to me, and they are everywhere. I'm sure I will get used to them, and will love them when our time here is up. I will have to learn how to stop again because Napolians don't stop at stop signs. They slow down and that is it. But only in Naples from what I hear. Napolians are a breed of their own when it comes to driving, so don't be alarmed if you go North and it is much more calm.

I hope these tips help you to understand the driving lifestyle here. If you want to add to the list, post a comment below to help others.

POV Pick Up, Amalfi Coast, & Shoe Alley

So I feel like I want to start every blog update with "Another exciting day today," but I can't help but to feel that everyday is exciting here in Italy.

Friday, I checked WhereIsMyPOV.com and saw that my SUV was delivered, marito got off work, picked me up grabbed our documents, and ran to go get my baby.

To pick up your POV you need to go register your vehicle at the Navy Lodge (2nd floor) at CMRVO, and to have a smooth and quick registration you must have certain documents.

• Military ID
• Power of Attorney (if needed)
• Insurance Information
• Money (sometimes- I'll return to this)
• Inspection Form/ DD788

After signing a few documents, and calling the insurance company to email the registration office your new insurance card you will recieve your lisence plates. We had already bought a car while waiting for my car to arrive, therefore we had to go through an extra step and switch the other car from a primary to secondary. IF/WHEN you register a second vehicle you will have to pay Naples Road Tax on it. For our Alfa Romeo it costs us I want to say 23 euros a month, less than 300 euros a year. Now you can pay this tax monthly or 4 months at a time, your full term whatever. But keep in mind, that if you pay for let's say a year, and 3 month from now you total your car.. you don't get your money back. It's not refundable. We didn't want to fork out 300 euros just yet, so we'll do a few months at a time.

After leaving registration we went to pick up my vehicle which is in the lot back behind the Autoport. Did the walk around my car, signed some papers saying I know how to file a claim, put the lisence plates on and drove off. A very easy, 2 hour experience. My fuel was below E which I found odd, considereing it had 1/4 tank when I dropped it off, and it had 4 additional miles on it. Not sure if that is normal. Anyone else have that issue? Anyways there is a gas station across the highway from SS.


SATURDAY! Marito and I got up bright and early and went to the Amalfi Coast. It was a gorgeous end of summer trip. In August, the Amalfi Coast is packed full of tourist and buses. The locals have to alternate days of driving it is so packed. And let me tell you, it is a VERY narrow road. There were times a bus was rounding a corner and traffic jammed up because people would try to squeeze by and the bus couldn't go anywhere without hitting them.

Coming from Naples, we drove down towards Sorento, cut through town and started in Positano. Marito and I stopped at a small cafe on the cliffs, had the most delicious capochinos and bruchetta, with a spectacular view. It was nice, just marito and I at the restraunt, no other toursits- it was OUR seculded spot.



Digging in on some scrumptious bruchetta

After lunch, we got back on the winding road, pulled over a few times to take pictures, and talked about how this is something from the movies. It warmed my heart, holding my loves' hand and being somewhere straight from the pages of National Geographics.



Fabulous Ceramic Wall Along The Coast

We got to the town of Vietri and stopped to walk around. There are a TON of ceramic stores there. One building was a few stories tall stuffed with a large variety of plates, decor, etc. all made from ceramic.

Fortunately we had finished our day there and the Autostrade begins there, so the ride home was quick. It is 30 miles from Naples but took us almost 2 hours to get there cutting through town, and I rather cut through town at the begining of the trip and not the end!

Dined on my favorite Four Cheese Pizza (Quattro Fromaggi) from Il Chamade, across the street from the Chicken Shack on Via Stuffetta in Lago Patria. It was the the perfect end to the perfect day.

Sunday, Marito and I went to Shoe Alley. That's right, an area full of shoe vendors, selling amazing European shoes for a great price. It is located down the street from Cappo Base, not Downtown Naples like I had previously thought. I did think that Shoe Alley was an alley/street, but it really isn't. You walk down a street and it opens up behind a fence and there are a bunch of vendors set up like a market. And there were a LOT of vendors. It was very enjoyable to browse among the shoes, clothes, kitchen goods, and even fabric vendors.

 

Marito bought a pair of Europeanesque shoes to wear to prom night- oh yeah, the Hotel Agora is having their last BBQ this Friday and it's themed Prom Night, even including a Queen cover band! I am in seraching of some Hot Pink Glitter Heels to wear to Prom, which I found the perfect pair at Shoe Alley, but they weren't my size. Sad Face. I did end up buying a great pair of heels from the NEX that was on it's third round of clearence (saved $60), so I was a happy girl.

Here is a video of what Shoe Alley is like on a September day.

 

 

If you go to Shoe Alley, this purple building marks the right street. There are "White Caps" that help you find parking- they want 1.50 Euros, or you can park around the corner in a parking garage for 1.5 an hour. You will see a bunch of people on the street selling iPhone covers, fake purses and all sorts. The market is just beyond them.

 Shoe Alley is open from Friday- Monday from 8 am to 2 pm I believe.



Tomorrow the girls in the hotel and I are going to hit up Scarpe Scarpe (Shoes Shoes), so it should be a fantastic day tomorrow =]

Drink the Wine, Not the Water

Before the move to Naples, after delivering the news to friends and family, I can't tell you how many people told me to drink the wine while I am here. Well Duh! Italy is know for the UH MAZ ZING food and SUPERB wine.

After griping in a previous blog, a fellow military wife (N) invited me to get out of the hotel and go stomp some grapes on a Fleet and Family (FFSC) vineyard tour. Having never met her, I took a chance and went with my gut. All of the wives who have reached out to me and that I have met have been nothing shy of wonderful. We are a small community out of our element and we help each other because we know what it is like to not know anyone, where we are, or who we can rely on. 

N picked myself and Secret Squierls' wife up from the hotel and we took a road trip north to the Porto di Mola Vineyard. With our handy GPS loaded with the coordinates we were on our way. Well, so we thought. Our GPS and the other drivers' GPS ended up having different coordinates. After making a couple wrong turns, almost going down a goat trail, we got back on track and made our way. The coordinates took us through a vineyard, on a tractor trail. How the GPS picked up this road, is beyond me, but it was interesting to say the least.

We made it, and shortly after arriving it was time. YEP! Time to stomp some grapes! I was the first person to hop int he barrel and get my feet a squishin! First I thought stepping on the stems would be rough, but there were so many juicy grapes all you feel is little pops under your feet and then juice in between your toes. I could have stomped grapes all day, but I had to share with the other people there.

Following the fun we toured the factory, learning many things:

1. All wine is white wine, until dyed by the grape skin.
2. The long the juice is in contact with the skin, the darker and richer the color.
3. Red wine ages better than white.
4. White wine is good for about 2 years (I believe that was what was translated)
5. Wine that can be kept for years have a real cork, not a silicone cork
6. Real Corks must have holes in the foil on top, and should be shelved on it's side to prevent dry rot
7. Italian Law prohibits adding sugar to wine (to increase alcohol) the grapes must be picked at the right time of year to get the sugar quality needed
8. The sun enhances sugar growth, the longer the grapes grow and are exposed to the sun, the stickier they get, the more sugar they have.

After the tour, we walked to a home where 40 of us sat down for lunch. Three older ladies cooked us an amazing Italian lunch. I don't know over half of what I ate, but I was enjoying the experience. Each table had four different bottles of wine to split. I know our table had at least two bottles of the first kind, and maybe two of the last kind which makes six bottles amongst one table of ten people. We chatted and dined over fresh mozzarella, proscuito, olives, friedn sardines, penne pasta, ravioli, some sort of steak and sausage. I was in Italian Vineyard Heaven!

We finished lunch and made our way back to the main building to purchase a bottle or twelve of wine.

I am a wine novice, and don't get caught up in the "Wino" phase, but I must say, I was intuigued to buy a couple bottles of wine! I tend to stick with Moscato di Asti, but since that wasn't available I adventured out and bought a couple different white wines, and a bottle of Champagne.

Over all I bought 4 bottles of wine and paid for lunch all for 33 Euros. Not a bad day at the Vineyard I must say.

I left caring a bit more about the process of making wine, and as well as feeling closer to my mother. Next time I go, I'll make sure to bring her along!

Also, Happy Birthday to Shannon. Her and one of our closest Girl Friend's, Kim, went to  Williamsburg Winery to celebrate, and so I was with them in spirit at another Vineyard, which made me feel close to home.

If you ever get the chance to go to a Vineyard I highly recommend it. At Porto di Mola we paid 10 euros for lunch and whatever wine we bought. The wine tasting wasn't limited to X amount of ounces, and they were happy to let us try something if they didn't have it out, like the Grappa!

I found the Italian Laws very interesting, how strict they are about making wine, but without those laws Italian Wine wouldn't be what it is today. They do what they can to maintain the integrity of TRUE italian wine. I also learned that it is bad luck to pour your own wine, so never let a friend pour their own glass.

And to that, I say "Cheers!"

Welcome Coffee and Market Playce

What an exciting week! I was asked to be a vendor at the Naples Overseas Spouse Club (NOSC) Welcome Coffee on Wednesday, since they found out I sell Pampered Chef. I was very honored that I was asked but I didn't have any of my supplies to sell or show case. I immediately put in an order to purchase all of the 40 new products Pampered Chef has released this month, and started planning in my head how I wanted to go about my table (I've never done a vendor show before).

Fortunately for me, all of my supplies arrived in time, as well as our express shipment which had my catalogs and business card etc. Marito and I went through every piece of PC inventory and organized it into boxes, and bags. I cataloged them, so I knew what I did have, how many I had and what box it can be found in. I was very proud of myself for being so organized while living in a hotel!



Click on the picture to get a FREE Recipe!

I get to the Support Site with products in hand, help the ladies set up the vendor tables, and other small projects. I donated a couple of prizes, and held a drawing for a Large Pizza Stone giveaway. I had about 50 people enter the drawing and lucky lady Emily won! In fact I just dropped off her stone today. It was a fantastic way to meet people and I hope I got my name out there.


Friday there was the Market Playce at the Community Center on Support Site, I stopped by to meet a few people, say hi to some of the vendors I had just previously met, and I also got to meet another Pampered Chef Consultant. there are 4 of us in the community, one is about to deliver a baby, so she might be putting the business on the back burner. It was good to know that these ladies rotate events, so no one has a monopoly here! Later in the evening the Support Site had a Pizza Fest, I didn't go to it, but it's good to know that there are activites to do when you get here!

I also met up with our future landlord, signed a pre-contract and got an inspection date for our home. We hope to move into our house by Oct. 7th- That is when our TLA is up, and if not we have to go into a short term lease with the Hotel Agora. I have a couple of girl friends flying out the following week, so I am desperately trying to get into our house on time!

Looking forward to upcoming week, going to make some wine, my car comes in, and my girlfriend's husband is flying home from deployment, making a pit stop in Naples. The time is being good to us, and things are going smooth. I try not to cry over spilt milk, and make the best of things, even in rough situations.

Pompeii and Shopping

I cannot believe a month has already flown by since we left the states. So far, so good. I haven't been taken aback with culture shock, nor have I been very homesick, or lonely but that doesn't mean other people in my shoes aren't! This morning, marito wanted to have a nice relaxing day because "we have been going 500% since we got here." Which we have been, I don't like being bored.

Last weekend, for Labor Day we chilled out and did laundry. Originally we have been doing laundry in the hotel for 2 euros to do one small wash and 2 euros for a dryer. Little did we know about the laundry mat on base! On the Ground floor of Navy Lodge, beside the Mini Nex there is a very nice size laundry mat. We were able to do three loads of laundry at the same time for $3.75. That's 75 cents for each washing machine, and 50 cents for 20 minutes on 3 dryers. Beats paying the hotel 12 euro for three loads of laundry! There are tables provided to fold your clothes, which is awesome. Yep, I'm that girl that will throw her fresh launder clothes in a bag to wrinkle up,

Next on our list was to hit the Commissary. Looking for a change of pace we bought Ribeye steaks, baked beans, and potatoes (the Italian Idaho kind!). That night we feasted like kings.

The Kids went back to school, and marito took his E-6 Exam the day after. The new exam is 175 questions and majority of them focus on job specifics. Which I think is a good thing, instead of broad Navy knowledge. Marito feels different. He says if he doesn't know his job by E-6 he shouldn't be an E-5, buuuuut he wasn't complaining about feeling good after the test.

Friday our friend, the Secret Squirrel, picked up his wife from the airport. We are all happy she is here. Secret Squirrel has been the 5th wheel for almost a month now! We celebrated with a free Hotel BBQ and of course a shot of Limoncello.

Now Limoncello is a dessert drink, but you definitely DO NOT SHOOT IT! I mean you can, but I prefer to sip it. It's ingredients pretty much include: Lemon, sugar and Everclear. I make a face every sip I take! To further welcome Secret Squirrel's wife we made a trip out to Pompeii on Saturday!

From where we live, and all of the military bases, Pompeii is on the opposite side of the volcano. The drive isn't too bad and the town of Pompeii is nice. I read that you can expect to pay 5 Euros an hour for parking, but we found street parking and paid 4 Euros for 4 hours!

It's 11 Euros for adults to enter Pompeii. Everyone says to enter on the opposite side of the Amphitheater, but we didn't know which side was which! Of course, we entered on the Amphitheater side, but oh well (apparently there is more interesting stuff on this side). As soon as we walked in, a gentleman offered to give us a guided tour- everything I've read said that guided tours cost 100-120 Euros regardless of how many people you have in your group. Audio tours are 6.50 but we skipped all of it and just walked around on our own. By the way, use the bathroom at the entrance, there are not a lot of Water Closets through out the ruins.

Prior to the devastating eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that engulfed Pompeii, there was an earthquake that hit the town on then 20,000 people. When the Volcano blew its top, there were roughly 2,000 people still there, all of which were taken off guard that day.

Pompeii is definitely interesting. Probably more so with an audio guide. I had some fun with my camera, taking artsy fartsy pictures, only for it to die halfway through! The guys on the other hand, had their own fun playing Gladiators and Planking in difficult areas.

If you do go to Pompeii (which I recommend!) there is a cafeteria by the City Center that serves pizza slices (large slices at that) and soda, for a tourist price, but it is really good pizza. I enjoyed every bite!

We headed back home and took the toll road (The Tange) and it was my first time on it. It is a quick way to cut by Downtown Naples and Pozzuoli. You can see the skyline on Napoli, and enjoy the city lifestyle of Pozzuoli along the bay.

Since today was our day of rest, we hung out at the hotel, slept in, and finally after marito got enough rest we went to Campania Mall!

Every girl loves shopping! This mall is the largest mall in the area (I believe), with 180 stores, it's enough to keep you busy. It's about 15 minutes away from the Support Site, so not too far. I have been determined to buy some new shoes here in Italy because every woman I see is wearing some sort of heel! Whether it is a wedge, boot, or stiletto there is a heel. I am an Old Navy Flip Flop kind of gal, but I do love a nice heal. So I go straight to Bata which is similar to a DSW in the states. I browse through the wedges and find myself among the boots. Fall is almost here. I find a pair of brown ankle cut boots that I adore, and for 40 Euros it's not a bad deal. From what I'm told, once the season gets here the prices will go up! So YAY! I am Fall ready!

There is a restaurant called Old Wild West, that serves good ole Hamburgers, Steaks, and Chicken, upstairs in the mall. The decor is actually very themey but probably better put together than some Theme Restaurants in The States. The prices aren't bad either.

After lunch, marito and I go to Zara Home which is a higher end home decor store, on the same lines as Crate and Barrow and Pottery Barn. I bought a couple of pieces to help decorate our new home (which we don't have yet). Can you tell I'm excited? Then we went looking for shoes for marito.

Looked at some Pumas, which he sorta liked but found ourselves checking out some Ferrari shoes. Don't worry, he put them down after seeing the 115 Euro price tag! Marito is still warming up to the European fashion. He refuses to wear skinny jeans, and that, I am ok with. We called it a day, no shoes for marito this time.

Tomorrow our Express Shipment is being delivered and I get the luxury of doing inventory on my Pampered Chef products for an upcoming vendor event at the NOSC Welcome Coffee. I'll let y'all know how that goes!

Volcanos, Tunnels, Ikea!

Quite a few interesting days here in Napoli. Marito and I are one step closer to getting our house out in town, to celebrate we dined at a Chinese Restaurant! Wasn’t the best Chinese food by far, but it wasn’t pasta! It was good to get some vegetables that weren’t drenched in olive oil too. After dinner we walked out to our car and a guy tells us that he watched our car, so we need to pay him! Uhhhh?? Excuse me? Did you just create a job? Sorry, but we only have 10 Euros on us and you aint getting that. The guy proceeded to direct traffic for us to let us out even though we didn’t pay him. After a little bit of research we learned that they are called “White Caps” and they really do watch your cars, just don’t pay them before you go in, only after and 50 cents to 1 Euro is enough. It’s a lot cheaper than buying a new windshield or car!

The sand is so silky, and it sticks everywhere!

After dinner marito and I went to the beach to watch the sunset. It was really nice to dip my feet into the Mediterranean Sea, as the sun was going down. It was really windy on the water and there were a lot of waves. Definitely not as calm as I had expected it to be;  I can get used to watching sunsets, since I  never wake up in time for sunrises.

The next day, was spent exploring Decathlon with our friends. We were in search of new swim goggles, shin guards and soccer cleats for the kids. Maritos’ quest was to find the golf section, and boy was he disappointed! Just some practice balls, tees, and a couple of shirts. Out of this gigantic store the golf section had to have been the smallest! But other than golf, if you need sporting goods, this is the place to go!

We then caught a movie at Reel Times 2, the movie theater on Support Site. Adult movies are only $4, kids 6-12 are $2 and under six is free! You don’t get that in the states! Popcorn, soda and candy are very reasonably priced, which was tempting but dinner was just a couple hours away. The movies have a couple AFN commercials and one movie trailer. But before it starts to pass time waiting they show TV shows from the AFN  channels. We watched Power Rangers before Madagascar 3 started =]

With hungry kids with us we checked out the restaurant on base, Bambusa. The restaurant is only open for dinner service, and watch out! Some nights they have karaoke! The menu has a good variety, including steaks and pastas. After our large meal, a workout was due.

Since the gym was calling our names in the morning, we went to Support Site and worked out for an hour. Forum Fitness is just like Fit Zone. The dance room is much larger and when we went, it was full of people doing Zumba. The classes are free, which is awesome, and there are a lot of people who attend. I would shy away from a class that only has five people because I like to blend into the crowd. Fit Forum has an outdoor pool, which Capo gym does not have, but for the most part the gyms are very similar. After an hour of cardio and weights we head out and get ready to tackle the next fun thing on our agenda. IKEA!

The kids hop in the car, and the group of us made way to IKEA. Our friends were looking for kitchen islands because they asked for it in their negotiations. They can have custom ones made or buy one already put together. Marito and I were looking for new living room furniture, rugs, bedroom and maybe an office set. It’s always fun to walk around and get inspired by the designs put together by this massive store.

Heading back to the hotel, we all enjoyed a hamburger and hot dog compliments of the Hotel Agora Cookout. It ended up pouring down rain, which was so nice because it hasn’t rained since we got here and long before then. After dinner the guys wanted to go out, so the wives stayed back and the guys had fun- 5 am fun! Actually mine was back at 2:30 but the other husband stumbled in at 5. I know I gave my marito the stink eye, I can only imagine the eye he received!

Morning calls and I meet up with the other wife and the kids, we make friendship bracelets and enjoy the cool, crisp air. After wasting the morning away I sent the kids to go jump on my marito and then their daddy to wake their butts up! We don’t care you’re hung over, we had plans for today!

Now with it starting to sprinkle we contemplate changing our plans. Do we go to Pompeii like we originally planned, do we go to the mall and shop, or do we hike Mt. Vesuvius in the rain?

Mt. Vesuvius it is!! Marito and I lead the way, with our GPS coordinates plugged in we will be there in no time! We drive and drive, get off the Autostrade and make our way onto cobble stone. After a good ten minutes or so we pull over. Someone (not saying me!) fat fingered directions to Downtown Napoli! Fortunate for us, our friends had the right directions so we followed them.

Mt. Vesuvius is 27 miles from Lago Patria, but an hour drive! Our poor manual transmission was climbing up such steep and slippery slopes, with traffic. I am so thankful that my marito knows how to drive it because I sure would have stalled out 12 times or more! We finally get to the parking lot, and bought our tickets. Mind you, it is still drizzling out, and it’s much chillier up top plus extra wind! The climb to the summit is 840 meters, but this steep incline that winds back and forth I swear it feels like a 5k, and it didn’t help that the rain turned into sleet! The kids were troopers, and the guys raced the last 50 meters. Once you make it to the top however, the hike is over and the burn in your calves is well worth the trip.

You can walk around ¾ of the volcanic rim, staring into the crater on one side, or over the city on the other side. The top of the volcano is closed, so you can’t see lava flowing around inside, but you do see steam escaping and sometimes you can see ash swirling out. With the rain stopped, we got an awesome view of the massive city below. You can make out where the city of Pompeii stood, and clearly see paths where lava flowed from the eruptions. After 100+ pictures, and the guys doing their part to pulg in the volcano, it was time to go down. We spent around 3 hours hiking up, observing and hiking back down. Already making plans to do it again when the weather is nicer.

Yesterday started bright and early. Meeting again with our friends and a few more, we made our way back into the city to explore Naples Underground.

 

 

 

Naples Underground is a tour under the city where they had dug out limestone to create a water way under the houses. This allowed every house to have well water access, and it was an extremely advance system back in the day. The tunnels were later used as refuge during World War II, fitting thousands of people under the city during attacks. They created bathrooms close to the steps because when people ran for cover they would almost crap their pants! After the war people threw their trash down the wells into the underground, so for years the city would have tourist help clean up during the tour. I asked if I could dig for some tiles, but left empty handed.

After the tour we ate at Brandi’s the original Pizzaria! We were serenaded but a man and his guitar, and all of us sang with him when he sang “That’s Amore!”

All in all it has been a VERY exciting week. Time for some down time!