Naples 03/20/12

 

Since our bus dropped us off so early, I was worried that we would have to lug our bags around for a few hours until we could check in. But we decided to head straight to the hostel, Hostel Pizza Naples. It turned out really well, because the guy working the desk was really nice and let us check in early. We arrived at the hostel at 7 a.m. and had to buzz to get in, so we woke the poor guy up. But he was really nice about everything and helpful once he got out of his delirious state. He also let us partake in the free breakfast for that morning! The hostel was really cute and tucked away on a small side street in a little neighborhood. I really loved the feeling of being in the city, rather than in a super touristy area.
Naples was a huge city and very dirty. It had a general dankness to it and wasn't very attractive. But it had a real sense of daily life, which I loved. I felt like I was getting a glimpse into real Italy as opposed to a polished tourist attraction. Drying laundry hung from windows, people scurried about, and little shops and restaurants filled the streets. We saw all the major spots within the day, but sadly the castle was closed because it was a Tuesday. That night we got pizza margherita and pizza marinara from De Michele, the only two kinds of pizza the place makes. It's a pretty well known spot, so it was fun to get some of the famous pizza. The food was pretty good, but not the best thing I've ever eaten. But man oh man, Naples pizzas are huge!