A while ago, my long-time travel companion Danni and his family invited me to go to southern Italy with them during easter to fix up their new house (his parents are going to move there once they retire - the most brilliant idea ever!). In exchange for a few hours of labor painting walls, I got a free ride down to Agropoli, a seaside town a couple hours south of Naples.
The harbor of Agropoli
Agropoli at sunset
The work served as break-offs from lazy hours spent on the sun-bathed deck, walks around the old town center, and so many delicous dinners. After a few days, his family had to go home but Danni and I still had a week left in Italy before catching a flight back to Denmark from Milan. Working our way back up north by train, we made our first stop in Naples.
The view from of Danni's parents' house
Our time in Naples is best summed up by a list of what we ate as our Neapolitan itinerary consisted almost entirely of places to eat and drink:
- A graffa (large donut dipped in sugar) next to the train station
- Arrancini (fried rice balls) and croquette (fried potato and cheese balls) on Via Toledo
- Caffé del Nonno (creamy coffee softice) at Fontana del Carciofo
- Gelato (of course)
- Pizza margherita behind Il Duomo
- The best bruschetta I've ever had followed by the best pasta dish I've ever had at Antica Trattoria Da Carmine
- Another (and final Neapolitan) pizza margherita
Arrancini and croquette
Caffé del nonno
A proper Neapolitan margherita
The best bruschetta ever. Period. We both agree.
We did have one point on our itinerary that wasn't food-related: Le Vele di Scampia. These broken-down, deteriorating, sail-looking (hence the name "le vele" which means "the sails") buildings serve as headquarters for The Camorra, the Neapolitan mafia. Located on the outskirts of Naples, Danni's father grew up in an appartment building right next to this infamous residential complex and though we only had the courage to walk around the block for a few minutes, it was definitely worth the visit.
Our next stop was Florence about 500 kilometers further north. The rumors are true: Florence is exceptionally beautiful. Coming from (charmingly) tattered Naples with its cramped and narrow streets, frayed walls, and perpetual air of chaos, the old city center of Florence looks as if someone had asked for a model of an old Italian town to be made for a movie set.
Florence
Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore also might be the most beautiful church I've ever seen. We didn't go in though due to the bustling easter crowd but we did enter a different (and much smaller) church. Upon entrance, a woman offered us coffee and led us to the left side of the alter where several women were gathered around a table decorated with biscuits, fruit and other treats. Having studied Italian for three years in high school, we managed to learn that they weren't only doing this because of Easter Sunday - they gathered like this and welcomed everyone (even two bland, shy turists like ourselves) tutte le domeniche, every single Sunday.
Enjoying a picnic at Piazzale Michelangelo
Sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo
From Florence, we continued further north and then a little east to reach Toblach or Dobbiaco (depending on whether you prefer German or Italian) in the heart of the Dolomites. We had rented a small apartment for three nights with the idea of having a soft bed to return to after some tough trail days in the heights. We quickly realised however that we had made quite an embarrassing blunder. The hiking season doesn't start until most of the snow has melted away in early June meaning most of our planned trails around the UNESCO World Heritage site would be closed.
Lake Leandro
Lake Leandro
The dark, jagged peaks were still damn impressive from the ground walking around frozen, blue alpine lakes. We did manage to do one proper hike up the other, softer side of the valley right next to the Austrian border. Only equipped with smooth running shoes (another shameful blunder of mine), I had to follow Danni's footsteps as we traversed steep mountainsides covered in frozen snow. I could just picture the headline: "Young woman slips on snowy path while wearing sneakers - what a Karen". But we made it and the panoramic view from the Bonner Hut (2340 m) was incredible.
Going up
Careful steps on the frozen snow
Not a bad view from the top at Bonner Hut
Coffee and mountains
Leaving the mountains, we made one final stop in Verona to visit an old friend of ours. We hadn't seen Beatrice (who we got to know through an exchange arrangement in high school) in more than four years since a New Year's celebration in the Veronese countryside. Everything and nothing had changed. Being the kindest soul, Bea cooked us a lush and delicious lunch and provided us with pie and wine for our upcoming night-long wait at the airport in Milan. Good coffee, delicious food, mountains, and old friends. Italy, I think I love you.
Reunited at la casa di Beatrice
Walking around Verona