Christmas to New Years in Naples, Italy

“You geta outa right here.” Our taxi driver from the airport stops. “Canna drive no more too many people.” He points to the general direction of our hotel. We trudge and twist through jubilant crowds that cram the streets and alleys of Naples on Christmas evening.

Di Palma Hotel hides out there in the dark, beyond a distant monument. Having no cell phone signal reminds us of how spoiled we have become as travelers. Now, it is back to relying on instincts.

Friendly streetside shop owners give us directions in the musical Italian language. Scents of pizza, sizzling seafood, and baked sweets mingle in the air. Although exhausted, we cannot wait to unload and join the party.

We travel with one-way tickets and carry-on bags for the next three months. Not sure where all we are going, but for now, let us love Naples for one week. Start with local wine and the chef’s special Christmas pizza!

Mt Vesuvius, overdue for an eruption, looms across the bay. It would bury the three-million inhabitants surrounding Naples in three minutes, like Pompeii. Scientists from around the world study it closely.

Live for today and climb! Even if clouds cover the crater during our hike.

An eruption in 79AD buried the city of Pompeii in twenty feet (6m) of ash and pumice. Excavation began in 1748 and continues today.

Gyms, saunas, and steam rooms sit near dispersed restaurants where terra cotta pots filled with food fed the inhabitants of this walled city. (They had no kitchens)

Gladiators, which contrary to widespread belief were short people, lived as slaves until few of them earned freedom by winning matches to the death in the community theatre.

Sexual menus line the walls in the legal “red-light” district and display different pleasure preferences. The penis, a good luck charm, pops up all over this city in carvings and statues of the happy organ.

Gruesome plaster casts show the position of people, one still with teeth, suffocating to death from fumes prior to the ash burial.

Bring on the food! Naples claims to be the origin of pizza and we can vouch for its magnificent taste. No overwhelming tomato sauce, cheese, or piled on toppings, just tasty moderate amounts of their subtle presence on a soft dough.

Of course, the traditional pasta dishes could not get any better especially when paired with fresh seafood.

Nor could the street foods, such as “Cuoppa de Mare” and the “must try” fried pizza.

We snake through crowded alleys to the church of “Purgatorio ad Arco” which dedicates prayers to souls stuck in Purgatory. The art alone could grant them entrance into heaven.

San Gregorio Street, filled with nativity scenes by local artists, overflows with Christmas cheer. However, constantly dodging crowds grows tiring.

Strolling along the “Lungomare Via Carraciola” (Seafront Promenade) provides entertainment, views, and relief from crowds.

At first, we wondered if anything would be open on Christmas night.

Thank you, Abundant Universe!