Taxi in Naples

Since we were thinking about what we did during our visit to the Amalfi Coast in 2007, today we are putting together the logistics for the afternoon we’ll have in Naples after our Half-Day Pompeii excursion.

 

We’ve mentioned previously that we want to try some pizza from an authentic pizzeria and have identified the Pizzeria da Gaetano based on reviews from TripAdvisor.  A few other DISers are planning to head there for pizza as well.  We used the “contact us” feature on TripAdvisor to ask for directions from the port to the Pizzeria; the response: Take a taxi and let them lead to VIA CASANOVA n.109 near PORTA CAPUANA. With the taxi arrived in less than 15 minutes (3.3 km away).

 

So the next order of business is to figure out the taxi service in Naples. We have been cautioned when traveling by taxi in some of the areas to be sure to negotiate a price before entering the vehicle, and to use due care.  We also know that in some of the ports, such as Barcelona, the four of us will not fit into a single taxi.  However, it seems that in Naples, there is a pretty standard fare established by the city by which taxi drivers must heed.  The City of Naples makes their “Ordinary urban tariff and map (in English)” available for visitors to have for reference.  This document is useful to have because we can gauge the expected cost to get to the pizzeria and back, and as there is a line for a “per passenger” for when there are more than 4 passengers, this leads me to believe that we will be able to go in just one.  A base fare of 3.00 Euro and another 3+ Euro for the distance looks like we can get to the pizzeria and back for less than 15 Euro.

Capri and Sorrento (2007)

A fellow traveler was asking today about excursions from Naples to Capri, Sorrento, and Pompeii.  We did one in 2007, so in my response, I dug through our photobucket account to find a few pictures from our day.

 

We took the hydrofoil from the port of Naples over to the Isle of Capri in the morning, had a boat tour around the island and then had a little free time for souvenir shopping before reboarding the hydrofoil to go over to Sorrento for lunch.  After lunch we visited a shop where they make inlay wooden items like boxes and tables – beautiful work.  We then took a bus ride to Pompeii, spent about 2 hours in Pompeii, and then rode the bus ride back to Naples.  We got back in time for all aboard but not by much – it was definitely a full day. The heat in the afternoon was difficult for the kids; I wish we’d had the excursion in the reverse order.  The lunch in Sorrento was our favorite lunch that cruise, and we loved seeing so much of the countryside. The olive groves were fascinating to see with the netting underneath the branches to catch the olives and keep them from bruising on the ground.

 

Some pictures from Capri and Sorrento:

 

The port area in Capri

 

 

Rock formation in Capri

 

 

My favorite shop in all of Italy (Cindy - LOL)

 

Lunch in Sorrento

 

Sorrento, with our Mickey shaped tour guide paddle

 

Hydrofoil

 

Olive Trees

 

Recommended sites in Italy, or where Rick Steves' guides say you should go

Yesterday, Rick Steves offered a free webcast of his European Travel seminar which I was able to watch and listen to part of online.  One part of the seminar addressed touring in Italy and came with a handout available to download that lists various points of interest throughout Italy.  I was excited to see it because it included several of the ports we'll be visiting.  I'm sharing parts of it here in this blogpost.  The red sites are ones we have plans to visit and the italicized ones are places we've been before; if you're planning a visit to Italy, be sure to check out the recommendations.

Venice/Venezia

•  Europe’s best preserved big city
•  St Mark’s Square, Europe’s living room
•  Rialto bridge and market
•  Vaporetto, slow boat down Grand Canal fine intro tour
•  Doges Palace, Bell tower, St Marks
•  Glass blowing demo just off main square
•  Great art – Accademia, Scuola San Rocco
•  Gondola – expensive but worthwhile
•  Traghetti – ferry gondolas, very cheap
•  Wander, get lost, you’re on an island, it’s ok navigate not by streets but by landmarks and signs
•  Flood in winter “acqua alta”
•  Magical evenings, staying in town makes a difference
•  Carnival, 40 days before Easter, masks
•  Stand-up-progressive-Venetian-pub-crawl-dinner

 Nearby islands including:

•  Burano (famous for lace and colorful houses)
•  Murano (glass works)
•  Torcello (oldest island settlement, mosiacs)
•  Lido (residential core and sand beaches)

Florence/Firenze

•  Birthplace of Renaissance
•  Duomo = cathedral, center, dome by Brunelleschi
•  Arno River, Ponte Vecchio
•  Bargello – best sculpture
•  San Lorenzo and Leather Market
•  Central Market, good for specialty foods
•  Food in Florence is some of best in Italy
•  Possibly best gelato is found here
•  Uffizi Gallery – Botticelli, best Italian paintings
•  Baptistry - Ghiberti’s “Gates of Paradise”
•  David and “Prisoners” at Accademia, Michelangelo
•  Duomo Museum – original doors, Donatello
•  Santa Croce, burial place of famous Italians
•  Pitti Palace, modern Italian art, park is nice for picnic

Cinque Terre

•  5 tiny towns on Riviera between La Spezia and Genoa
•  Vernazza is best town
•  Wine, hiking, swimming
•  Consider sleepy Levanto as a base
•  Carrara, best marble quarries

Rome/Roma

•  Colosseum, 50,000 numbered seats
•  Forum, center of ancient city
•  Palatine Hill
•  Circus Maximus
•  Capitoline Hill – city hall and great museum
•  Victor Emmanuel Monument
•  Pantheon – best preserved Roman building
•  Villa Borghese, fine Baroque art museum and park
•  Many, many churches to visit with great art - Moses by Michelangelo in St Peter in Chains church, St.Theresa in Ecstasy by Bernini at Santa Maria della Vittoria
•  Vatican – center of Catholicism, become a temporary Catholic, climb St. Peter’s dome
• Vatican museum, Sistine Chapel
• Cappucchin Monastery, bones galore, off Piazza Barberini
•  Passeggiata, or the evening stroll, Piazza del Popolo down via del Corso
•  Trastevere – the seedy, colorful side of river
•  Night spots, Trevi fountain, Spanish Steps=over-rated
• Piazza Navona for tartufo gelati, dinner at Campo di Fiori, atmospheric square

Naples, Sicily and South

•  Hairy urban jungle, 2 hours south of Rome, birthplace of pizza
•  Best to see Naples fast and sleep in Sorrento
•  Pompeii, stopped by Volcano Vesuvius in 79 AD
•  Herculaneum, better preserved than Pompeii
•  Pompeii art in Nat’l museum, Naples
•  Sorrento – Romantic tourist town, easy base for Amalfi Coast, Paestum, islands, Vesuvius, one hour from Naples,
•  Amalfi Coast – exciting bus ride, beautiful villages of Positano, Amalfi and Ravello
•  Scenic tourist trap – Isle of Capri

Pizza in Naples

The one thing I want to do in Naples is have some authentic pizza. This place is rated the #3 restaurant in Naples on TripAdvisor. I think I need to go in search of it.

Pizzeria da Gaetano