Buon Giorno,
I gave myself an even easier day today. I needed some relief from the crowded, noisy city center, so I walked to the metro and took it to a neighborhood called Vomero. It's hilly and affluent. A few fancy houses are left.
I thought I would have to take the funicular, so I wasted one of my metro tickets, but then I saw the sign for my target. It was an easy walk.
The park of Villa Floridiana is free and fairly large. I imagine it would be a popular place to stroll on nice weekend afternoons. The Villa itself is a ceramics museum. I skipped it in favor of a stroll in a quiet green world following the winding paths up and down.
Near the entrance of the park, I saw a pretty calico cat and stopped to pet it. As I strolled I saw more cats--just here and there--maybe eight in all. They look well fed and cared for, and I saw a couple of people handing out food to them. The cats are quite tame and apparently welcome human attention even from foreigners like their Aunt Pil who have no food.
Anyway this was a very pleasant and relaxing way to spend some time. But then some tour groups began to show up, so I realized it was time to go. Yet when I came out of the park, I found the neighborhood so nice and quiet I decided to stroll around some more. Then I took the metro home and stopped at the grocery store on the way back for more Falernian. Cicero would approve.
I am becoming quite Neapolitan in my street crossing habits. Timid tourists now follow me!
Aperol spritz seems to be the pan-European aperitif of choice, and the visitor can even get it to take away for two euros. Now if some one offered me some Aperol, I'd drink it gladly, but I don't go out of my way to have it. Also from the offerings in the many bars I pass, the popular snack to have with one's spritz is some kind of potato chip. Interesting.
Given the number of East Indians who live in Naples, I would expect curry houses, but I have not seen a single one. Instead you can get sushi in the grocery story to take away, and there's a sushi shop in the tourist zone. I've passed McDonald's and Burger King.
But as far as I can tell Italians don't go in for foreign food on a regular basis. Why should they? What they have at home is so very tasty and fairly healthful. Their native cuisine has conquered the globe, and is the closest thing to a universal food we have--even if it's American versions of Italian food. Take spaghetti and meatballs. Both separately are Italian but are never served together in Italy unless a kindly restauranteur wants to indulge a hungry American child. Spaghetti and meatballs is definitely an American dish albeit developed by newly prosperous Italian immigrants to the United States. And don't bother ordering Fettuccini Alfredo either. Alfredo was an American chef.
And I saw something shocking today, speaking of food. An actual Italian person was eating on the street as she walked. Eating a sandwich! As she walked! This is the sort of crass thing only American tourists do.
Dinner tonight is spaghetti with tomato sauce and parmesan--no meatballs in sight. It's simple but so good!
Maybe it's not. All that walking you do works up an appetite.
No. It's Really Really Good. But no matter how much spaghetti I eat, I'll never look like Sophia Loren.
Ciao
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