in October, Rebecca flew across the pond again to join us in more Italian adventures (as well as branching off on several solo trips)! somehow she was not too traumatized by the experiences of her previous visit in October 2018, which included but were not limited to missing connections due to lack of cell service, torrential rainstorms, too many bus snafus to count, and the most infamous calamity of all when we missed our special guided tour of the Colosseum. doesn't Italy sound like fun?!
this second trip was a bit of vindication, however. we knew our way around the city better and we also had fewer moving parts to our planned itinerary for her visit! as it happened, we didn't spend much time in Rome at all. on her first night with us, we strolled down to Piazza Navona to get gelato and then just relaxed at the apartment.
 |
| patiently waiting at the porter's office for Aunt Becca's taxi to arrive from the airport |
 |
| reunited at last! |
 |
| first order of business: scratching that Frigidarium itch |
 |
| thank you, Aunt Becca!! |
the next day, we took the fast train to Naples to explore one of our favourite, most intense Italian cities. Nick had some obligations at the seminary, so he wasn't able to join us until later that evening. the girls were happily entertained during the train journey with their new coloring books and crayons. I'm telling you, train travel with young kids is the best!
after arriving at the main train station, we first met up with Rebecca's AirBnB host, who led us through the busy streets to her gorgeous apartment. then I took the girls to our own AirBnB, several streets away, so we could drop off our luggage. by the time we were settled, everybody was hungry, and there just happened to be a McDonald's near Rebecca's apartment. eating at an Italian McDonald's has been on my bucket list since we first arrived, and the girls were of course thrilled to eat some familiar food and to score some My Little Pony figurines. it wasn't much different from the American McDonald's experience. sometimes a Big and Tasty just hits the spot!
 |
| entrance to Rebecca's AirBnB |
 |
| ...and the interior, fit for a princess! (photo credit: Rebecca) |
 |
| they're lovin' it |
we had tickets for an afternoon tour of the Galleria Borbonica, also known as the Bourbon Tunnel. on our way there, we stopped by the Galleria Umberto I, a beautiful shopping complex built in the 19th century. we had just enough time for a quick photo shoot before we needed to check in for our tour of the intricate underground tunnel complex.
 |
| amalgamation of old and new |
 |
| Cecilia wasted no time in exploring |
 |
| much to Cece's chagrin, I had to corral her into the Ergo before she ran too far |
 |
| the Royal Palace (Palazzo Reale), where the royal family lived from 1734-1861 |
 |
| waiting for our tour to begin in one of the most quintessential Neapolitan streets |
the tour through the Bourbon Tunnels was absolutely fascinating. this is an incredible underground section of Naples that was originally commissioned as an escape route for King Ferdinand II in 1853. during World War II, the tunnel was used as a bomb shelter by between 5,000 and 10,000 Neapolitans, who sometimes stayed down here for days (as evidenced by the kitchen area, as well as the children’s sleeping area where dozens of little wooden bed frames still line the floor). in the 1970s, the tunnel was used to store cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles impounded by Naples police. then it was abandoned and forgotten about until geologists discovered it in 2007. Greta in particular was fascinated by the tour, and mostly stayed up front with the guide the whole time. Cece did pretty well, but during the last 15 minutes of the hour-long tour, I had to keep feeding her fruit snacks periodically to keep her from testing out the echo in the tunnel. who can blame the child?
after touring the Bourbon Tunnel, we headed to the Archaeological Museum (Rebecca’s first time, our second!). the most precious artifacts from Pompeii are here, including the 4th-century BC (!) bronze statue that stood in the courtyard of the House of the Faun, countless mosaics, and the ancient Roman sculpture collection of the Farnese family. since we had visited the museum before, I didn't feel obligated to take quite so many pictures as I had the first time, so I let the girls take their own pictures on my phone, resulting in many hilarious additions to my camera roll.
after about an hour, the girls were pretty much done with the museum... cue Cecilia sprinting across the huge hall on the second floor. I caught her just before she started to climb on an ancient bronze horse. kudos to Rebecca for capturing this glamourous mom moment!
that was our cue to head out and indulge in the famous Neapolitan pizza, known for its thin, chewy crust and fresh toppings. the first time we came to Naples, we opted not to stand in the ridiculously long line for L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele, popularized by the book and movie Eat, Pray, Love, and instead went to Pizzeria Trianon just across the street. I guess we'll never know how it stacks up to the tourist hot spot, because we loved it so much the first time that we went back! Greta ordered her namesake margherita pizza and we convinced Cece that her half of the pizza was cecilia pizza (if you pronounce it the Italian way, "chih-chee-lia", it sounds authentic!).
 |
pizza capricciosa for me: ham, olives, mushrooms, basil,
and both pecorino and fior de latte cheese! Rebecca opted for the pizza
margherita con prosciutto crudo, with ham and basil. delizioso! |
later that night, after the girls were in bed, Nick arrived on the train from Rome. he and I split a bottle of wine while sitting on our balcony, immersed in the sounds and smells of Naples at midnight -- the constant buzz of motorini sending up plumes of exhaust from the street below, shouts of laughter punctuating a constant undulating stream of Italian conversation, and the saltwater scent drifting on the October breeze. a beautiful chaos, indeed.
Comments
Post a Comment