Twenty years ago I came to Naples for the first time. While studying abroad in England I came to Italy for ten days to visit my stepfather and escape the dreary weather. He lived in Sorrento at the time, but always a Neapolitan at heart he saw me and said, “We need to fatten you up.” This he was unable to do in ten days, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. With all of the sweating, walking, and swimming you do here, it seems impossible to gain a pound no matter what you eat.
It was at Gran Caffé Neapolis that I made my first memory in Naples. Pasquale, my stepfather, had some errands to run and we stopped there along the way to have a snack. Here, I learned how to drink espresso. “You don’t sip — you shoot,” he said. We walked up to the bar and ordered our “drinks” and the process took all of two minutes, then we walked out. I’ll never forget this moment because at 18, I was wearing these hideously tall, black platform shoes and nearly twisted my ankle every five seconds walking on the beautiful, lava cobblestone streets.
In the late afternoon it started pouring rain, unusual for here, and we briskly walked to the port in Naples and, laughing our heads off and soaked from head to toe, quickly took the first boat back to Sorrento. As a Neapolitan, Pasquale was also very superstitious, and so I was forced to take a hot bath when I got home as I had gotten my feet wet. I seem to accept these old wives’ tales better here, because why not?
Truth be told, for as long as I’ve loved Italy it is Naples that has my heart. I still shed a few tears every time I walk down Spaccanapoli, the oldest street in Naples; its centerpiece, its soul. Full of artists and musicians, delicious street food, and a lot of warmth, love and beauty, you escape all that ails you and find the best part of yourself in her winding streets. If one day you are lucky enough to find yourself in Naples, it is a requirement to head to Mazzaro on Via Tribunali and indulge in a Babà, the typical Neapolitan pastry. Full of panna (fresh cream), Nutella (if you’re lucky), and always soaked in rum, it’s one of the many reasons you just can’t help but love this place.
