Our introduction to Naples – entrance from the harbour
Rundown buildings near the harbour
Naples makes me think of the Mafia, crime, corruption and poverty. Although we landed at the port, naturally, we didn’t in fact, see anything of the crime element and just a few areas of lower standard
Electrical connection in the pavement; safety is not a priority
living conditions.
Haphazard parking and tiny vehicles
We also noticed that parking didn’t seem to follow any rules, (similar to our photos from Rome) and that tiny cars are all the rage.
Once we joined the orgnised city tour, our guide showed us where the bus was parked, then took us on a fast walking tour to a couple of major sites. Unlike most group tours, we had no earpieces and his English was pour and fast, so all we could do was take photos, not knowing what we were actually photographing. I hope my descriptions, taken later from various google sites, are correct.
Castel dell’Ovo
The castle, a few metres from our bus, was the most interesting site for me. I remembered from Medieval History lessons that the Normans ruled Southern Italy around the same time as their leader, William the Conqueror, landed in England and made himself king there. The round turrets here reminded me of similar structures around England. Looking it up later, I found that yes, a Norman king built the first castle here in the 12th century, on a site that had previously been home to a magnificent Roman villa in the 1st cent BC. This place later became a Royal Chamber, State Treasury and twice it was used as a prison – first an empress then a queen. It’s the sort of place that I wished we could visit, but our guide was in a hurry.
Piazza del Plebiscito
The other interesting looking place (again unable to visit) was the Piazza del Plebiscito, which our guide said was something to do with the government. Vast expanse of paving in front of the building had me wondering what the space was used for.
Back on the bus, we were taken on a quick
Leisure craft fill plenty of bays around Naples
tour through the more elegant parts of the city and past several bays where the wealthy residents more their boats. As our bus wound up the hills (not Mt Etna, we didn’t go that far) we looked down on the city and out to sea.
Naples from the surrounding hills
Looking out to sea from Naples hillside
Returning to the ship I was able to capture an image of our vessel including our cabin, from the shore.
2nd from right, above the life buoys
