Napoli - May 19th

People always have warned us of Naples – it is unsafe! – "watch the pick pockets" they say – "use a local guide" they say - we decide it is Sunday and the pick pockets will be at church seeking forgiveness for last week's ill-gotten gains - we rationalise that it  cannot be that bad – another fine high speed ferry from Sorrento to it's Bay of Naples neighbour.

We are finding it difficult to adapt to the standard Italian day – we forget that nothing happens until10 am and that on Sundays  towns are not really open for serious business  until 11:00am. We take the 8:15 fast ferry – 45 minutes later we are wandering out of the terminal at Molo Beverello towards the city centre of Naples – the ferry terminal and the cruise terminals are co-located on the very edge of the city – the terminals clean – their appearance? – neat – tidy – modern.

Coffee and pastry to break the overnight fast – little coffee bar advertising itself as a "Family Cafe" – it is true to it’s name – young mother – young father – stylish 12 year old boy waiter complete with crystal ear ring – pretty, chubby, dark haired, 8 year girl in full length  apron chaperoning the pastry display case.

The father? - a superb barista – the son? – a stylish and enthusiastic server – the little girl? - so anxious to be a reliable keeper of the tables that she attempts to clear the table before the coffee is consumed – the mother stands back – smiles – proud!

Take a bus around the bay –  the scenes around the Bay of Naples? – impressive as expected! 

Another bus -  the old City and city centre? –  the city centre? - under occupation by hordes of foreign invaders! - the locals in church or in bed! - the buidlings and environs? - looking tired – a lot of disruption from extensive metro construction – lots of graffiti – lots of history – traces of Greek – traces of Roman – traces of Spanish – traces of French – churches – museums – catacombs – cobblestones – the difficult suburbs kept out of sight of tourists?

Lunch in a down town pizza establishment – typical Italian fare – fellow customers? - lots of locals – pleasant in appearance and demeanour – a  few tourists quiet and reserved.

So do we know Naples? – of course not! – are we pleased we visited? – absolutely – we suspect that for those inclined towards an interest in history it would be a delight and worthy of a considerable investment of a traveller’s time.

We head back to the ferry terminal - we approach a pedestrian crossing - it is blocked by a stationary car - what the hell is it doing? - the driver is fast asleep!

Onwards to the terminal - we are reminded of dislike of the political class.

The bad taste created by Berlusconi  somewhat ameliorated by the opportunity to see another of the fat tyred electric bikes!

Back to Sorrento for the remains of the day!