Naples - February 2011

We had one specific mission in Naples - to locate the best pizza! Although we spent most of our time in Rome on this trip, we had a full 24 hours to explore Naples. NYC has some outstanding pizzerias, but this is where pizza was invented - so expectations were high! We needed to get to our first pizza stop ASAP. 

After a lot of research, we decided to try L'antica Pizzeria Da Michele. These guys have been in business since 1870, so we were sure they would be able to deliver the goods.  We arrived just after opening and there was already a crowd outside.  When you go inside they give you a ticket with a number and you spend what seems like an eternity waiting with great anticipation.

The menu is very simple.  Pizza Margherita (tomato, cheese and basil) or Pizza Marinara (tomato and oregano).  There are no toppings, period!

Fortunately the pizzas bake very fast in the wood burning oven so we didn't have to wait too long. 

10 minutes later our pizzas arrived.  Pizza perfection.  There is no better pizza, period.  The crust is perfect, the cheese is perfect, and the sauce is perfect.   




We decided to do some sightseeing between eating, so we looked for a fun activity  Naples has been around for so long that the modern city was actually built on top of ancient Roman ruins, some of which still remain underneath the city.  Napoli Sotterranea gives tours of these ruins, some of which extend under modern houses and apartments.

The tunnels are dark so we were given candles to help light the way.


Along one of the paths were the original cisterns which supplied drinking water to the ancient city.

After a few more stops (including this lovely Church) it was time for dinner where we enjoyed our last meal in Italy.


Even if you don't have a lot of time in Italy, Naples is worth a detour. Don't forget to come hungry because the pizza lives up to the hype.

Ciao.
Corinne, Keith & Elliot