Campania ( Napoli )
NAPOLI
Napoli is the capital of Campania, a region in Southern Italy where there had undergone various cultural influences. Since ancient time, Napoli has been controlled by the Roman Empire, Aligerin (French), Byzantine, Normans and Aragonese (Spainish) hence resulting this city to a have a diversified characteristic. The port of Napoli is the gateway to other ports like Palermo (Sicily), Tunisia & even Corsica in France.
Napoli is always portrayed to be a notorious city by most tourists and pickpocket activities are rampant. I heard of this phrase (See Napoli and die) from one of my classmates during a casual chat. On the positive interpretation, the beauty of Napoli is alluring enough for one to die without any regrets. On the negative interpretation, the security in Napoli is weak and you might be ramped down by some motorist because of their notorious traffic. I believe nothing beats experiencing both the positive and negative aspects for myself.
Hence, the chance came when I joined the university excursion in November. In this trip to Napoli, they have included Pompeii and Sorrento. They have replaced Capri Island with Sorrento as summer has ended and the water will be too cold for swimming.
In Naples, we wanted to try the famous pizzas. In Italy, both Roma and Napoli laid their claim to the origin of this famous creation of one of Italy' cuisine. In Napoli, both the Napoletana and Margherita pizzas are the favourites amongst locals and tourists. Also, in Napoli, it would be a pity if you do not try the pizza with Mozarella cheese made from buffalo milk (Mozarrella di Bufala). We wanted to try the pizzas at the famous pizzeria called Da Michele but it was closed that day. Hence, we went to search for another pizzeria called Trianon, one of the oldest pizzeria in Napoli.
We were led to the third level and given a table near the window. While waiting for our pizzas, we sip the local beer (Peroni) and observe the locals chatting in the streets. The kitchen was an open concept and we could see our pizza being prepared by the chef and placed into the hot oven. Each pizza is prepared with generous servings of tomato pasta, basil leaves, mozzarella and sprinkled with golden drops of extra virgin olive oil.
After a hearty meal, there are lots of attractions waiting to be discovered.
However, if you crave for some desserts, Napoli has a wide array of sweet pastry to satisfy those with sweet tooth.
My favourites sights are the Galleria Umberto No.1, Castel Nuovo, Palazzo Reale and the spacious squares in Piazza del Plebiscito and Piazza Dante. There are simply too many monuments in Napoli to be able to be visited in one day.
I like to walk inside the Galleria Umberto No.1 as the daylight penetrates through the glass roof. It gives a transparent feeling and the shops looks extremely captivating.
In Napoli, there are many tall columns with statues of saints on top. Sant Gennaro is the parton saint of Napoli. I was told by my Italian friend that most boys from Napoli are named Gennaro after their patron saint.
The coach took us to Bay of Mergellina and we were awed by the grandeur of Napoli and the solemn Mount Vesuvius. It offers a stunning and panoramic view of the coast of Napoli.
The island of Ischia is visible and accessible by daily ferry. In summer, the island of Ischia, Capri and Procida are all swamped with locals and tourists enjoying their swim and tan under the blazing sun. Although I am not too found of the blazing sun, I like this famous Neapolitan song O Sole Mio sung by Luciano Pavarotti.
Napoli is the capital of Campania, a region in Southern Italy where there had undergone various cultural influences. Since ancient time, Napoli has been controlled by the Roman Empire, Aligerin (French), Byzantine, Normans and Aragonese (Spainish) hence resulting this city to a have a diversified characteristic. The port of Napoli is the gateway to other ports like Palermo (Sicily), Tunisia & even Corsica in France.
Napoli is always portrayed to be a notorious city by most tourists and pickpocket activities are rampant. I heard of this phrase (See Napoli and die) from one of my classmates during a casual chat. On the positive interpretation, the beauty of Napoli is alluring enough for one to die without any regrets. On the negative interpretation, the security in Napoli is weak and you might be ramped down by some motorist because of their notorious traffic. I believe nothing beats experiencing both the positive and negative aspects for myself.
Hence, the chance came when I joined the university excursion in November. In this trip to Napoli, they have included Pompeii and Sorrento. They have replaced Capri Island with Sorrento as summer has ended and the water will be too cold for swimming.In Naples, we wanted to try the famous pizzas. In Italy, both Roma and Napoli laid their claim to the origin of this famous creation of one of Italy' cuisine. In Napoli, both the Napoletana and Margherita pizzas are the favourites amongst locals and tourists. Also, in Napoli, it would be a pity if you do not try the pizza with Mozarella cheese made from buffalo milk (Mozarrella di Bufala). We wanted to try the pizzas at the famous pizzeria called Da Michele but it was closed that day. Hence, we went to search for another pizzeria called Trianon, one of the oldest pizzeria in Napoli.
We were led to the third level and given a table near the window. While waiting for our pizzas, we sip the local beer (Peroni) and observe the locals chatting in the streets. The kitchen was an open concept and we could see our pizza being prepared by the chef and placed into the hot oven. Each pizza is prepared with generous servings of tomato pasta, basil leaves, mozzarella and sprinkled with golden drops of extra virgin olive oil.
After a hearty meal, there are lots of attractions waiting to be discovered.
However, if you crave for some desserts, Napoli has a wide array of sweet pastry to satisfy those with sweet tooth.
My favourites sights are the Galleria Umberto No.1, Castel Nuovo, Palazzo Reale and the spacious squares in Piazza del Plebiscito and Piazza Dante. There are simply too many monuments in Napoli to be able to be visited in one day.
I like to walk inside the Galleria Umberto No.1 as the daylight penetrates through the glass roof. It gives a transparent feeling and the shops looks extremely captivating.
In Napoli, there are many tall columns with statues of saints on top. Sant Gennaro is the parton saint of Napoli. I was told by my Italian friend that most boys from Napoli are named Gennaro after their patron saint.
The coach took us to Bay of Mergellina and we were awed by the grandeur of Napoli and the solemn Mount Vesuvius. It offers a stunning and panoramic view of the coast of Napoli.
The island of Ischia is visible and accessible by daily ferry. In summer, the island of Ischia, Capri and Procida are all swamped with locals and tourists enjoying their swim and tan under the blazing sun. Although I am not too found of the blazing sun, I like this famous Neapolitan song O Sole Mio sung by Luciano Pavarotti.
posted by Benny at
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