We trekked out to a gritty industrial part of Naples that was beyond our tourist map to visit the neighborhood that was depicted as the 1940s childhood home of lenu and Lila, the protagonists of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet or as we call them My Brilliant Friend novels and the evocative tv series).
Rione Luzzatti is a rough and tough place, think American public housing projects of the 1980s, worn concrete high rises with laundry hanging down, an unfriendly dog barking at us, but kids playing soccer and old men talking in a park. From there, for the full contrast, we took line 2 to near Piazza Dei Martiri where Lila and family sold their fancy handmade shoes. Felt like a Neapolitan version of Madison Avenue.
Onto the gorgeous waterfront promenade (lungomare) where much of Naples seemed to be strolling on a perfect Sunday afternoon. We ended up on a little fisherman’s wharf, Borgo marinero, at a pricey but lovely seafood restaurant transatlantico where we had outstanding spaghetti vongole (clams, white wine sauce), listened to a traveling singer-guitarist duo serenading tables (inspiring at least one couple to get up and dance), watching boys catch fish and boats drive in from the shimmering sea along a little channel lined with large fancy hotels and apartment buildings.
Dinner was at a hipster pizza place in Sanita called concettina ai tre santi but I didn’t eat. Had a sudden bout of nausea and dizziness (fatigue-induced I‘m guessing.) but fortunately a night’s sleep seemed the cure!
A few travel tips:
- Use your credit card or debit card to use Metro Lines, tapping in at the turnstile and out at a machine on threw all (sometimes). The machines rarely worked with a credit card or cash. Or buy the tix from a news stand, if advertised.
- Line 1 is the real deal subway. Line 2 is more of a train and doesn’t operate as smoothly.
- We tried two of the three funiculars up to San Marino but they were very hard to find and mostly no views offered except a tunnel in the mountain. Montesano funicular did offer a few views but we spent about 45 minutes looking for the entrance, getting several bum steers from various people.
- We never felt at risk in Naples, despite its reputation. (We did make sure our wallets were secured.) The streets were full of life and people.
TakeBetsywithyou 