Naples (Italy)

Our three months in Italy have officially come to an end.  We managed to time this stint perfectly, catching the crisp, fresh days of early spring and before the heat of the Mediterranean summer.

To close out this extended stay in Italy, we set aside our final week to tackle the southern city of Naples.  The best way to describe this place?  A gritty urban jungle.  Walking the streets instantly triggered my backpacker nostalgia—it has that distinct, raw traveler vibe that reminded me so much of Bangkok.  People often give Palermo a similar reputation, but in my opinion, Naples takes the grittiness to a whole other level.  The locals here are fiercely passionate, and you can hear it vibrating through the air when they’re screaming at each other across the streets.

Barbie and I both absolutely loved it, despite its sketchy reputation.  Because we’re seasoned travelers, we knew better than to stick only to the tourist-heavy Centro Storico.  We spent our week diving deep into the local neighborhoods like Rione Sanità, Posillipo, Quartieri Spagnoli, and Santa Lucia.

Watching the frenetic pace of local life outside the city center brought us right back to the “organized chaos” of Southeast Asia that we’ve grown to appreciate over the decades.  Speeding motorbikes crept up our backs, honking their horns in impossibly narrow alleyways, while tasty street food and outdoor markets waited around every single corner.  The sheer energy, combined with the baking summer heat, made us feel right at home.

The Pizza Deal

The food options in Naples easily rank as our favorites from the entire three months in Italy.  Now, I might be biased as a self-proclaimed, die-hard pizza fanatic, but Naples (in southwestern Italy’s Campania region) is the undisputed birthplace of pizza.

According to the pizza gods, the classic Pizza Margherita was invented right here in a narrow alley in 1889 by Chef Raffaele Esposito of Pizzeria Brandi.  Months before we even boarded our flight to Italy, I gave Barbie a fair warning: I plan on eating pizza every single day.  And that is precisely what I did.

Between the two of us, I stick to the classic Margherita (BFD’s absolute fav), while Barbie falls hard for Pizza Fritta (fried pizza).  They have truly mastered the art of frying in this city.  Fritto Misto, fried pasta, fried panelle, fried croquettes, fried arancini, fried zucchini flowers, fried mozzarella… honestly, I think they would fry a kid if they could get away with it.  There’s a prevailing philosophy in Naples that eating healthy actually makes you sick, and we were more than happy to adopt that mindset for a week.

If you’re planning your own culinary pilgrimage, skip the pizza & pizza Fritta tourist traps and head straight to these heavy hitters:

The Best Spots for Classic Neapolitan Pizza:

• Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba (The world’s oldest pizzeria)
• L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele (The iconic Eat Pray Love spot—worth the wait)
• Pizzeria Brandi (Where the Margherita legend began)
• Concettina ai Tre Santi
• Pizzeria Trianon Da Ciro
• Pizzeria Da Attilio
• 50 Kalò di Ciro Salvo
• Il Pizzaiolo del Presidente (aka Dal Presidente)
• Pizza 3.0 Ciro Cascella
• Pizzeria La Notizia

The Best Spots for Fried Pizza (Pizza Fritta):

• Antica Pizza Fritta Da Zia Esterina Sorbillo
• D’e Figliole (A legendary spot dedicated entirely to fried pizza)
• La Masardona (An absolute masterclass in fried dough)
• Sorbillo Piccolina Gino e Toto
• Michele Tutino
• Antica Pizzeria Di Matteo
• Passione di Sofì
• La Figlia del Presidente

Arrivederci, Italy…….

We are genuinely sad to leave Italy behind, but the blueprints for our return are already in place. We’re are considering coming back during this exact same window in 2024.  Next time, we will rent a car and roadtrip the Puglia region (the heel of the boot of Italy) to scout out the unique regional cuisine in this area.  And, of course, visit all the best beaches along the Puglian coast.

But for now? Our bags are packed, and we are off to Turkey (officially Türkiye) to spend the rest of the summer road-tripping around the world-renowned beach towns lining the stunning Mediterranean Turquoise Coast.