My Far-Too-Brief Weekend Stopover in Naples, Italy
When I first learned about a physics conference in my field that would be held in a small town near Naples, Italy on March 2024, I knew immediately that I wanted to be there. Besides the fact that I would have the opportunity to learn the latest news about my line of research plus reconnect with Italian research colleagues I personally know from Naples and Salerno, the obvious side benefits of enjoying the warm weather and eating fantastic Italian food were simply too good to pass up.
Located in the southern half of Italy on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea and just west of the notorious Mount Vesuvius whose volcanic eruption in 79 AD destroyed the nearby Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and several nearby settlements of that time, Naples has a depth of historical significance that’s impossible to ignore. In fact, Naples happens to be one of the oldest continuously populated urban centres in the world since its founding by the Greeks under the name Parthenope around 800 BC, largely owing to it being a major port city throughout its history. For centuries following the fall of the Roman Empire, Naples was its own separate kingdom with a unique history until it eventually joined with similar kingdoms in the Italian peninsula to form the modern-day country of Italy in 1861. Currently, Naples is the third largest city in Italy after Rome and Milan, with a population of over 900,000 people and has a modern city skyline in its administrative centre while surrounded by Roman, medieval, and Renaissance-era architecture.
Although I had been to Naples one time several years ago to give an academic talk at the University of Naples, I never had an opportunity to experience the city for its own sake until this conference announcement was made. Therefore, I made the decision in planning this trip to give myself a couple of days to spend in Naples before leaving to attend the conference and eventually return home. Unfortunately, because of time constraints and other commitments, I could only commit to staying there for two nights on the weekend, of which my Saturday was dedicated to a day trip to visit Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius that I will write about separately. Nonetheless, I was determined to make the most of my limited time in a city that I know will become a return destination for me in the near future.
Following a two-day stopover in London, I flew to Naples via Milan on Friday morning and arrived at around noon time at Naples International Airport (https://www.aeroportodinapoli.it/en/), which services the air travel needs of Naples and the southern Italian region of Campania. While there are numerous taxis available to take me to my hotels located just across from Naples’ main train station, I chose to take the shuttle bus service under the name Alibus (https://www.aeroportodinapoli.it/en/by-bus), which only costs 10 Euros for a 15-minute one-way trip to the train station and other stops thereafter. Despite having a memorable experience for all the wrong reasons with the notoriously chaotic Napolitano vehicle traffic from several years ago, I was pleasantly surprised with the reliability of Alibus to keep to its schedule and transport us to our intended destinations without any adverse incidents to worry about.
Arrival at Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Search for My First Hotel
My shuttle bus first arrived at Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi, just across the street from Naples Central Train Station, where I got off to locate the two hotels where I would stay overnight before taking the train to my conference destination on Sunday afternoon. This is a large open square named after a famous Italian general of the 19th century, with immediate access to the metro station and an underground shopping centre, along with several hotels and local restaurants dotted along its perimeter.
While I immediately saw my second hotel located directly across the street from the train station, my first hotel proved to be an exercise in misadventure when it took me at least a half-hour of wandering through back alleys and struggling to recognize any signage to eventually point me to where I was to stay for my first night. I found out to my annoyance that my first hotel called New Gallery Naples was actually in the building immediately beside my second hotel, located at 101 Piazza Giueseppe Garibaldi, Naples 80142 (https://newgallery.hotelsnaples.net/en/) and I could have saved myself several minutes’ worth of confusion on where to go.
To be perfectly frank, New Gallery Naples is really more of a bed and breakfast place than a proper hotel located in a visibly old large building that’s shared with several other businesses and local residents of Naples. When I went to a medical clinic inside the building to ask for directions on where to find New Gallery, a doctor who spoke English was able to help me find out in part where I needed to go. Eventually, I managed to navigate myself to the right location and check in. I learned after the fact that the young woman who greeted me inside had sent in advance on my smart phone some detailed instructions with photos on how to reach New Gallery, which I wasn’t able to access because I was mid-air at the time and had no expectation of receiving this information. Check-in time is 1:30 pm, while check-out is 11:00 am.
An Afternoon Walking Tour of Naples and My First Night of Italian Cuisine
Despite my concerns about the exterior of this hotel, the interior is thoroughly modern and quite comfortable, so I was able to enjoy a good night’s sleep after taking the time to explore Naples on my own on Friday afternoon. My host was very gracious to give me a printed map of the city and all of the main sites that I could visit while walking about to take photos and investigate what’s out there on my own. It was unfortunate for me that I couldn’t commit to any formal visits of historical sites that afternoon, but I was determined to make the most of what I could do with limited time available.
I decided to make my way along a main traffic road skirting the shore known as Via Marina and head towards a major medieval landmark off in the distance known as Castel Nuovo (https://www.introducingnaples.com/castel-nuovo/) or “New Castle.” First built in 1282 AD, Castel Nuovo originally served as the home for the king of Naples for centuries prior to Italian unification. It now operates as a museum and art gallery, and is also home for the Library of the Neapolitan Society of Homeland History. Adjacent to Castel Nuovo is the Piazza del Municipio, which is one of the largest public squares in all of Europe and faces one of Naples’ main ports. After taking a break from walking, I walked by a large contemporary outdoor art display nearby on the square created by artist Michelangelo Pistoletto and then made my way towards the train station, eventually taking the metro back to Piazza Garibaldi and return to my hotel room to relax and head out for supper that night.
After scouting some of the restaurant options in the immediate vicinity of my hotel in search of some authentic Napolitano pizza to eat, I eventually decided to go to the restaurant with outdoor seating immediately next door called Parthenope (https://www.isaporidiparthenope.it/menu/), named after the original Greek name for Naples. When I was in the city several years earlier, I had eaten simply the best pizza ever in my whole life and was very curious to find out how this one would compare. After carefully looking at all the options available, I finally ordered the spicy Alla Diavola, consisting of tomato, mozzarella, salami, and red chili. Of course, it was delicious! Not only that, I think that what makes pizza in Naples something that even Italians from elsewhere acknowledge as something special is due to the texture of the dough and crust, which has a particularly spongy and chewy quality. As well, having fresh ingredients in the pizza makes a big difference when considering the overall taste experience, so I was definitely very satisfied with what I had to eat that night!
My Evening and Morning of Luxurious Peaceful Calm
The next morning, I decided to check out of my room at the earliest opportunity to report to my second hotel for the night, that being Starhotels Terminus located next door at 91 Piazza Giueseppe Garibaldi, Naples 80142 (https://www.starhotels.com/en/our-hotels/terminus-naples/) and directly across from the train station. Compared to my disordered and confused arrival at my first hotel on Friday, my arrival at Starhotels Terminus couldn’t have been more smooth and tranquil. As part of a luxury hotel chain with properties throughout Italy along with notable hotels in London, Paris, and New York City, I was warmly greeted by the friendly and very professional desk clerk staff in an immaculate and elegantly furnished reception area. After placing my luggage in temporary storage prior to official check-in, I waited outside the hotel to first have a canolo and cappuccino for breakfast from the café next door before waiting to meet my bus for an all-day tour of Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius.
Once I returned back to Naples very satisfied but somewhat tired from the all-day excursion, I arrived at the hotel a few hours after its official check-in time of 2:00 pm and proceeded to make good use of my spacious luxury suite with a view facing the train station. Despite being relatively close to ground level traffic outside, the stylish quality of the suite reminiscent of a bygone age gave an aura of sanctuary from the noisome exterior as I took some time to unwind for a few hours before having a late evening supper at the hotel’s fine-dining Odeon Restaurant. While I was biding my time, I was pleasantly surprised to see a member of housekeeping spontaneously appear at my door, who then proceeded to spruce up my suite with some extra special care and prepare my bed for the evening, even though I already found the suite very satisfactory when I first arrived.
When I finally went down to the restaurant, it was uncertain whether I would be able to sample the cuisine because the hotel was hosting a conference and its participants had priority access at the time. While initially concerned that I wouldn’t be allowed to enter, I took some time to wait in the adjacent bar lounge to have a non-alcoholic beverage before the restaurant manager eventually came to personally invite me inside once there was room available. Once seated at my table, I proceeded to follow the Chef’s Special menu for that night. I ordered the carpaccio with goat cheese for my first course, followed by some sea bass as the catch of the day for my second course, after which I concluded with a slice of cheesecake for dessert. Each plate was immaculately prepared and elegantly presented to me, and of course all the dishes were luscious and mouth-watering to taste. Once again, I was very satisfied with the whole dining experience and left the restaurant fulfilled and ready to get a good night’s sleep before I needed to check out and take my late morning train away from Naples and prepare myself for the conference.
A Chaotic End to My Weekend in Naples?
I woke up early the next morning refreshed and ready to head down to the restaurant for its buffet breakfast prior to checking out about a couple of hours before its official check-out time of 12:00 pm. The fact that Starhotels Terminus is literally across the street from the train station is incredibly satisfying from a logistical standpoint, and so once I did finally check out from the hotel and head over to take my train, I naturally assumed that the rest of my time in Naples would continue accordingly—or so I thought!
Having been to Italy several times over the years, I’ve become accustomed to the possibility of unforeseen disruptions taking place where it concerns ground transportation. Prior to leaving home for Europe, I bought my train tickets on-line and validated them on the morning of my departure. Everything seemed ready and in place for me to leave on time and arrive at my conference destination with at least an hour to spare before it was to officially start. Instead, I ended up not leaving Naples for over two hours past my original departure time and eventually arrived at my destination over an hour late. This was all due to an unannounced strike on Sunday by some members of the train staff, which disrupted all rail service throughout Italy.
Of course, like everyone else who was waiting to take our intended train out of Naples, I was upset and frustrated by the total chaos that ensued thereafter. Unfortunately, the customer service agents at the station were less than helpful and everyone was left bewildered and confused by what was happening. I vividly recalled an elderly Italian woman arguing very loudly with a member of the train staff, and all he could do was sheepishly smile and give a helpless shrug in response to the animated tirade I witnessed at the time. I only wish that I could understand Italian to know exactly what she was saying, but it was self-evident from watching her and the growing crowd nearby that she was quite angry with the whole mess that resulted from this strike. At least I got some entertainment value from this outburst!
For myself, this rail disruption was a disappointing—but not entirely surprising—end to an otherwise very enjoyable weekend in Naples. Nonetheless, once I had a better sense of what I should do, I decided to buy myself a new ticket and wait out the delay instead of doing something more drastic. Eventually, we finally received word hours later that a train to my destination would finally leave, upon which a mad rush of people flooded the train platform as fast as possible to immediately get on board before the intended train was finally due to depart.
I learned from past experience in Italy that certain things just have to be seen to be believed. While it may be said that chaos is somehow part of the charm of getting around in this country, getting sidelined with unforeseen disruptions like this one can easily ruin the whole travel experience if you’re not mentally prepared to handle the stress that comes from any interference in your preplanned itinerary. Aside from arriving late for my conference, no major harm occurred for me. Therefore, my intention is to focus my thoughts on the tremendous positivity and enjoyment I got from being in Naples for a much-too-brief weekend visit, and despite the chaos that invariably comes with the travel experience, I look forward to my return.
Author’s Note: This article was first written in May 2024 and submitted to Luxe Beat magazine for future publication.
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