Our last days in Naples

As part of the annual festival of Neapolitan song “Piedigotta” Elton John, was dong a free concert in the Piazza del Plebiscito: a huge piazza that in the early 1990’s the newly elected, progressive mayor Antonio Bassolino took back from the Camorra who had been using it as a parking lot by one day towing every single car away making it a traffic free zone and restoring it to its former elegance. It was filled with Italians, perhaps 100,000 or more. Elton John played solo and put on a fantastic performance. He prefaced his show by saying it had been the saddest week in his life since Guy Babylon, his keyboard player, had just died very suddenly. The sound was amazing and the scene of the Palazzo Reale, giant statues of kings on horseback, the church of San Francesco de Paola made a stunning surroundings for the performance. Elton John sang some of my favorites; “Benny and the Jets, Rocketman, Holy Moses and did a beautiful medley of Neapolitan song which the Italians sang along to. It was very fun and we wandered home up Via Toledo with many others.

We returned to the hurry up and eat trattoria near our, place where we could get antipasti primo, secundo, contorno, and dulce along with wine, water and espresso for 10 Euro each. They were definitely NOT with the slow food movement but the food was delicious. When you gave a tip the maitre d would yell out congratulations to the embarrassed waiters. We also returned to Gino Sorbillo for what really seemed to be the best pizza ever, double the price of the 3-euro pizza near our house but well worth it. The crusts are so good. The food in Naples is well plain, uncomplicated flavors and simple sauces but it is all very fresh. We finally ate the very tasty lemon cake at the famous Gambrinus Café, accompanied for me by lemoncillo liquor.

We had been watching Italian news on TV and reading quite a lot into it. After a number of newscasts we were convinced that the H1N1 virus was now centred in Naples. The schools may not open? 40% of the population was to be vaccinated. So on Sunday, when I was feeling poorly we were certain that I had contracted the virus. All I wanted was hot and sour soup. Here must be a Chinese restaurant in Naples. Though nearly everything is closed on Sunday, our South Asian local internet point was open and we located “China Town” our restaurant a short walk away, just down from the post office, also open. We were really happy to be eating some delicious Asian food…so much so we returned the next evening to try some of the other dishes.

Our last Monday in Naples we had planned to take the train and visit Sapri the town where the Rocco’s are said to hail from. I wanted to visit the graves of my ancestors. I was feeling so poorly though that we decided to cancel that trip and spend the day relaxing at home. By 10 am the sky had turned black, thunder and lightening and ran pouring down. That was the first of many thunder and lightening storms that lasted over the next few days. The thunder and rain seem to silence the noises of the city. After the storm, lying in bed with all the window open if I could only speak Italian I could eavesdrop on a hundred conversations and hear the household clink and clatter of the whole neighbourhood, punctuated by those scooters roaring by. Naples is very noisy!

On the appointed day, we wheeled or luggage out of the Quartieri Spanoli, on a previously scouted route free of stairs to the Piazza Carita where our driver was waiting to delver us to Nocelle, our home in the clouds, way, way up on the side of a cliff looking over the Amalfi Coast. It is so quiet in Nocelle, the rooster, the wind and maybe a dog now and then. We slept so very well.

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