#NInjaVerdict: Naples, Italy

Located in Southern Italy, Naples is a vibrant city with a rich history, stunning architecture and delicious cuisine. With bustling streets, colourful buildings and lively atmosphere, we knew we had to get out and see for ourselves what the 3^rd biggest city in Italy (after Rome and Milan) could offer for a #NInja short break – so we sent Cool FM presenter Curtis McCosh out on a quick trip to give us a run down …..

Day One

It was an early start as we made our way from Belfast to Dublin Airport to catch the 6:15am Aer Lingus flight to Naples. With a flight time of roughly 2 hours 45 minutes, it was just long enough to get a little bit of sleep ahead of a busy day of exploring the city. From Naples Airport, we grabbed a taxi to the hotel which took around 20 minutes and cost 28 Euros. One thing to note, our driver didn’t take card, so it’s definitely worth checking before you get in if you’re not carrying cash.

We stayed in the Best Western Plaza Hotel, just a short walk from Napoli Centrale train station. We arrived at the hotel at around 11am local time hoping we could drop the bags in as we assumed it would be too early to check in, but the friendly receptionist asked us to wait for 20 minutes and he would have a room ready, which he did. So we checked in, had a look at the room, and hit the streets of Naples.

With no real plan of where we were heading, we soon found ourselves in Centro Storico, the historic centre of the city, a UNESCO world heritage site. The streets are narrow and laid out in a grid, and you quickly learn to stay alert while you’re enjoying the architecture, mopeds come flying around corners with zero warning! After a quick stop for an Aperol Spritz, we stopped into a local restaurant (Gina Sorbillo Antica Pizzeria) for some proper Italian pizza. Word of warning, there’s no such thing as a “small pizza” in Naples. The two pizzas that arrived at the table were huge! Although we were pleasantly surprised when two pizzas and two drinks cost just 23 Euros – very good value.

From here, we made our way to the Centrale Funicolare to make our way up the Vermero district to visit Castel Sant’Elmo. We got here a little later in the evening so unfortunately the Castle was closed, but we found a local bar around the corner called Cinema America. (It’s actually a real cinema!) It has an outdoor terrace with unreal views over the city, definitely worth a stop if you’re in the area.

We managed to get back to the station in time for the last funicular back down to Toledo (city centre) and made the 4 and a half kilometer walk back towards our hotel, stopping for some Italian gelato along the way – I mean we were in Italy, we HAD to!

Day 2

On day two, we had scheduled a visit to Pompeii. We booked the tickets online about a week before we travelled, as the visitor numbers were capped and we didn’t want to miss out. There were two entry times to choose from, 9am or 1pm, and we opted for the latter as we knew we would be a bit tired from travelling the previous day, and we wanted to avoid the crowds. Still, I am a bit of an early riser, so after a quick hotel breakfast and espresso, I took a walk to the train station (Naples Centrale) to suss out the train to Pompeii and buy the tickets (I’ll give you a full run down on this in the NInja Tips below!). With the tickets bought (12 Euro return), we made our way to the station and boarded the 12:15 Circumvesuviana train, which got us to Pompeii just in time for our entry slot.

When we arrived, we immediately noticed that Pompeii is HUGE. We opted to self guide our way around the exhibits (and we forgot to lift a map, however, Apple Maps works surprisingly well in Pompeii …thankfully!), but it lacked a lot of context. If I were to go back, I’d opt for a guided tour or an audio guide. We spent a few hours walking around and exploring the various exhibits, including the impressive Amphitheater, the Basilica and of course, the casts of the unfortunate victims. The city has an eerie feel about it, especially with Mount Vesuvius towering in the background. After exploring, we made it back to the station in time to make the 17:20 train back to Naples. As far as tourist trains go, this was packed. In lots of online reviews, you’ll hear this called the “Train From Hell”, but to be honest it was no different than being on a rush hour tube in London.

When we got back to Naples we made a quick stop into McDonald’s to see what they had on the menu that we can’t get at home. To my delight, they had Tiramisu, my favourite dessert ever. Unfortunately, this would be the only Tiramisu I would have in Italy, but it was actually quite nice!

Now that we were back in the city we made our way back to Centro Storico to visit a restaurant we had seen on TikTok (Pizzeria e Trattoria del Purgatorio). This restaurant is set out on the street in the city centre, giving it a great atmosphere. The menu was packed with pizza and pasta and the staff were very friendly. It was a little more expensive than the previous night (£40 for dinner & drinks) but it was definitely worth it. We finished up dinner and in true Italian style had a shot of Lemoncello (to aid digestion apparently?) and headed back to the hotel. The visit to Pompeii involved a lot of walking (I clocked 22,000 steps for the day!) so we were naturally exhausted and wanted to plan day 3.

Day 3

For day 3, we had some options to choose from. Over breakfast, we considered getting a ferry from Naples to Capri or Positano, but in the end opted to stay in the city to do a bit more exploring.

After breakfast, we made our way through Centro Storico towards Toledo (the modern city centre) to catch the funicular back up to Vermero. Along the way, we stopped for a Neapolitan espresso. Supposedly, the tradition is that you drink your espresso standing at the bar, if you opt for a seat, they’ll charge you more. I stood at the bar and drank the espresso in one go, and nobody gave me a strange look, so I think I passed. While we were here, we also had sfogliatella, a crispy pastry with a creamy filling that is local to the region. It was as good as people said it would be, and I would highly recommend you try one!

On our journey, we stopped into Chiostro di Santa Chiara, a stunning courtyard garden located at the back of the Basilica di Santa Chiara. Naples is a very loud, energetic and full on city, but visiting this courtyard was like a peaceful oasis in the madness. Entry was 7 Euros per person and is worth spending an hour in to chill out and explore.

When we arrived in Vermero, we headed straight back to Castel Sant’Elmo. Entry was 5 Euros each, and the top of the castle gives you stunning panoramic views of the city, Golfo di Napoli (The bay of Naples) and Mount Vesuvius in the distance. We headed back towards the funicular stopping into a local supermarket on the way (it’s always fun to see what local supermarkets stock that we don’t right?) and turned just off Toledo to the Quartieri Spagnoli (Spanish Quarter).

The Spanish Quarter is very lively, and packed with lots of little bars and pizzerias, and as we were exploring we occasionally stopped into some of the spots for a refreshment. We eventually found ourselves at the famous Maradona Mural.  Diego Maradona is practically a god in Naples, and there are hundreds of murals and pictures of him all over the city, but the most popular one is found in the Spanish Quarter (Via Emanuele di Deo). You’ll know you’re there because all around there are shops stocking Maradona t-shirts, action figures, energy drinks and whatever other Maradona merchandise you can think of. I grabbed myself a “replica” Maradona shirt for 10 Euro and we were on our way.

Since we were in the Spanish Quarter, we stopped into another bar we had seen on TikTok called Cammarota Spritz which was absolutely buzzing. That was no surprise as it is the home of the 1 Euro Aperol Spritz. We spent a bit longer here than we had planned (I mean, where else would you get 1 Euro drinks!) and headed back towards the hotel.

After a long day of exploring, we realised we hadn’t had any dinner, so stopped into a local pizza spot to try one of the famous Pizza a Portafoglio (folded pizza). These are basically pizzas that are folded in half and deep fried, and they’re a staple when it comes to Neapolitan street food. We eventually got back to the hotel after taking the scenic route through Centro Storico to pack the bags and head back to the airport for our 11am flight back to Dublin.

Verdict

To be honest, I was somewhat apprehensive about Naples. A lot of online reviews tell you that it’s a rough, unpleasant city. Our experience was completely the opposite. It is a loud, vibrant and proud city with friendly locals and amazing hospitality. You’ll eat some of the best pizza in your life here, and we didn’t feel unsafe at any point. I would 100 percent recommend that you add Naples to your travel list!

Ninja Tips

• Book tickets for Pompeii before you go. Visitor numbers are capped at 20,000 per day and in the peak summer months there’s a genuine chance you could miss out. There are two entry times to choose from, 9am & 1pm. We opted for the later time slot to avoid the morning crowds that make their way from the several cruise ships that could dock in the city that day.
• Have a plan of what you want to see in Pompeii if you don’t plan on taking a guided tour. It is genuinely massive and you could spend a long time walking around aimlessly. If you want to see the highlights, I recommend the Basilica, The Amphitheatre, The Theatre, The Forum, Garden Of The Fugitives (This is where the casts of the victims are located) and The Temple Of Apollo.
• To get to Pompeii by train, you need to take the Circumvesuviana train, run by EAV. Online guides say that you can find their ticket office in the main train station, but it’s actually located on the lower level Naples Centrale Garibaldi station. An express train that stops at Pompeii is available if you want to avoid the crowds, but it is significantly more expensive. The same train runs right through to Sorrento.
• Naples is a loud city, even in the middle of the night. If you’re a light sleeper, a hotel in a quieter part of the city would be a good choice. We stayed very close to the main train station and went to sleep with a soundtrack of mopeds and car horns.
• When crossing roads or walking streets try and pay attention to the roads. At any second, a moped is likely to come flying out of nowhere and they’re usually in a hurry. Also, pedestrian crossings seem to be more of a suggestion than a rule!
• When heading home, it’s worth getting to the airport a bit earlier if you can. Naples doesn’t have a huge airport, but it seems to have a lot of flights and security was a bit chaotic. Also, don’t leave going to your gate until the last minute, we were almost caught out by an added passport control as we headed to the gate which had a bit of a queue.

Why not visit your LOCAL NInja travel agency and ask them to plan your next NInja adventure to Malta!! You can contact them via Holiday NInja CLICK HERE and we can easily make that connection for you!!