Last Day in Naples

Hello Family and Friends!
Today is a sunny, bright morning. I said I'd be up looking at Vesuvius first thing in the mornings, only today I look at it as the mountain that blew its top in 79 AD, destroying the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and killing around 16,000 people . That was its most famous eruption. You just can't take Vesuvius for granted, and it still represents a threat to the city of Naples. Five years ago, Ron and I had the opportunity to walk to the top of Vesuvius, around part of the rim, and look down into the steamy, cavernous crater.
We went for breakfast with Rosa at 8:00 am. We were a bit disappointed the couple from Turin decided to sleep in and miss breakfast. 8:00 am may be just too early for some people, who are on vacation.
Rosa, we discovered, makes her own limoncello, by adding large amounts of lemon peel, zucchero (sugar), water and alcohol together in a jar. The mixture sits on the counter for 3-4 days, and then it's ready. She is an amazing woman, who seems to do everything herself around here. She asked us to be the "first Canadians" to write a review about Casa Chiara on Trip Advisor, and we assured her we would when we returned home.
So we left Rosa's and walked down to Regine Pizzeria to meet with Vincenzo for the fish (peche) lesson he had offered me yesterday. No Vincenzo around. Hmmm. I ask Luigi about this. Luigi reminds me that today is Saturday and Vincenzo doesn't come in until around 11:30. Naushad tells me I'm welcome to stay anyway if I'd like. Luigi, who wears a red vest, and carries himself in a dignified fashion around this bright, green pizzeria, serves us espresso with a gracious nod. Luigi speaks no English, but waves his arms around and speaks Italian like any moment now, you'll understand. We tried to explain to Vincenzo (second chef), that maybe we'll return later. They nodded and smiled. They were busy cleaning up tables and emptying trash from the night before. On the way out, I tell Ron that I think my fish (peche) lesson just got flushed down the toilet...
Since Ron wanted to do some videotapeing on our last day, we walked down Spagonapoli into the buzzing activity on the streets again. So many tiny shops filled with meats, cheeses, sauces and pastries. Fresh fish was everywhere on tables, permeating the air around us. We noticed lots shops that sell Romana Arte Sacra (religious artifacts) such as Mary figurines and Baby Jesus in a manger.
This brings to mind a joke that I heard from Two Greedy Italians.."It's for sure Jesus was Italian - because Momma thought her son was a God, and he thought she was a Virgin!"
As we walked along, Ron comments, "At least there's no aggressive vendors here, poking their heads out of cracks and doorways and beckoning for you to come in, come in ....with comments such as, "For you, only half price" - like you see in other places. We cross Piazza Dante and I see a guy standing with his finger in his nose unabashedly studying us as we walk by. Another one holds out his cap to me for change, and when I turn and look back at him, the cap is on his the head and he's on his mobile.
I passed a shop called "Gypsy Girl", and pop in. You can't walk by a store with a name like that and not stop in. Inside are beautifully colored tops, and skirts and handmade jewellery. Ron's happy here, because there are lots of stores selling musical instruments. He spots a Fender Telecaster guitar in a window and discovers it cost only 2,000 euro. He says he'll buy it the next time we come! People walk by dragging luggage down the street, and of course the ubiquitous scooters dart around dodging bits of trash and people.
An elderly lady strolls by wearing a black hat, many turquoise rings, bright red lips, leopard skin pants, turquoise suede boots with sparkles, and a white T shirt that reads "Fashion is Not Expensive."
We stopped at a Caffe called Fiorillo, for another delightful pastry and strong coffee, because this is one of the best parts of a vacation ... stopping whenever you feel like it, for really no good reason. It's difficult to lose weight here, unless you're prepared to spend your vacation on a diet. Barely one minute into our coffee, two men (one in a bright pink shirt), walked up to our table. One had an accordian and the other bashed a tambourine around, and together they played old romantic Italian music. At the end of their performance, the tambourine suddenly had a new function - it turned into a collection plate, and when Ron dropped two euro in, off they went, smiling and laughing, down to the next caffe.
When we left the caffe, we walked down an dark street, where an elderly lady leaned out a window earnestly trying to engage us in conversation. I kept saying, "No Capito", but she carried on anyway. We crossed Vicodin Del Fico Al Purgatorio in the Quartiere San Lorenzo. I just love these names! Onward we went into Piazza San Domenico Maggiore in the Quartiere Giuseppe, where there was someone playing a saxophone, while his partner beat on the most interesting makeshift drum set ever. The snare was a five gallon tomato sauce can...along with assorted bicycle parts for banging on! Two nuns walked hurriedly by.
We stopped at a cute, little corner caffe called Settebello via B. Croce for espresso. Little tables were crowded with the locals who called out to each other across the small caffe. A tiny lady dressed in black, with black knee socks and sandals walked towards the door, but stopped at our table. She spoke to me, putting her hand on my shoulder and said, "Bella Señora!" I considered it a great compliment, and smiled at her.
There was unbelievable racket outside the caffe, and two black men pounded on drums across the street. It was as if the streets were waking up! Just outside the door was a woman begging. This caught me off guard, because when I looked at her, I saw that she did not have a nose - only a black cavity where there should have been a nose.
We decided that you can't really visit Naples, and miss the Caffe Gambrinus (Storico Gran Caffe Gambrinus, Napoli) in Palazzo Salerno E Gambrinus. It's the oldest caffe in Naples - very elegant, and ornate with chandeliers, and lots of history, some of which includes famous people like Mussolini, Ernest Hemingway, and Oscar Wilde. Apparently, during Fascism, Mussolini had some of the rooms shut down to keep out left-wing intellectuals. The staff wore white shirts, white vests and dark pants. They conversed frequently with each other, but were inattentive, impersonal and unsmiling. Nevertheless, it was fun to experience it, and we enjoyed our glass of Prosecco, along with olives, peanuts, cheese and some toasts. And just think...this Caffe looks out onto Piazza Del Plebiscito in the Quartiere San Ferdinando, where Bruce Springsteen roared away in the wind, rain and cold a few nights ago, performing for a massive crowd on the Piazza. Who ever knew that Bruce Springsteen has Italian heritage? Apparently his grandfather owned a restaurant in Vico Equense, which is a small town 30 miles south of Naples.
We continued on to Palazzo Reale Napoli - the Royal Palace of Naples which has housed various kings over the centuries and poked our heads through the massive doors. We could see the famous marble flooring and the grand staircase, and opted out of wandering around another ancient structure. We just didn't feel like looking at a variety of statues of kings who were important in the 1700's.
The highlight of our day was the walk along the Bay of Naples. It's called Via Partenope in Quartiere San Fernando (similar to a promenade). It was very windy, and beautiful - I would call it breathtaking. Off in the distance we could see the Isle of Capri, Mt. Vesuvius, and close up, an ancient fortress called Castel Dell'Ovo, which sits right on the water.
We left the promenade and found a bench in Piazza Vittoria which was filled with a carpet of purple flowers and six palm trees. Of course there's a statue of somebody (Giovanni Nicotera) in the middle, because there is always a statue.
Tired from a very long walk, we made our way along Via Chiaia towards the the Funiculare to get back to Casa Chiara. We rested our aching feet and then headed back to Regine Pizzeria. Vincenzo greeted me..."Why you not stay this morning? I come at 11:30 for the fish?" I tried to explain that today was our last day, and he had mentioned for me to come at 9:00 am. He took me into the kitchen which was bustling with family activity, and introduced me to his wife, Patrecia. She smiled as she worked busily rolling pieces of fish in bread crumbs. There were sauces in various stages...shrimp, squid, mussels, prawns, also lettuces, peas, breads, and lemons in bowls. A large bowl of small, dark red tomatoes, perced precariously on the edge of the counter. Pasquale sat cutting up a mass of strawberries at one table. The tables were all neatly set for the evening.
We asked if we could get supper, "yes, yes," Vincenzo nodded and waved to Luigi. We ordered pizza (because this is Naples), pasta, shrimp, squid and a few other unrecognizable sea creatures in the mix. While we waited, Luigi turned up the soccer game full blast, and a variety of languages started talking above the game. We could only laugh at this. What a marvellous place, with lovely people who just insist on being themselves!
We finished up, Vincenzo charged us a minimal price, kissed both of us Italian style, and we left. Walking back to Rosa's for our last evening, we talked about what a fascinating, rich time we've had here in Naples...we'll just never forget!
Suddenly, a scooter roared by and beeped at us. It's Amedeo (waiter), and Luigi on back, holding two boxes of pizza and on their way to make a speedy delivery...