Planes, trains and automobiles..

Translates to Mopeds, busses, trains and funiculars in Napoli! I had my first experience with Napoli public transportation yesterday when my friends Jordan and Jen met Evan and I and showed us how to use the funicular. With all the hills in the area, funicular railways are considered a charming necessity. The most accessible and important ones in Naples are the ones that take you from the historic centre of the city up to the Vomero neighborhood--a bustling neighborhood with incredible views, lots of shopping, and of course, a ton of traffic. I learned that there used to be a funicular that went up to Vesuvius. It is now defunct, but that one inspired the song "Funicoli, Funicula"...I haven't heard of it, but in case you have, now you know where the inspiration came from.

So, yesterday, we took the funicular. You can buy tickets at the station, but like the bus tickets here, you can also buy tickets at the Tabaccaio shops. Tickets are1.10 Euro, and are good for 90 minutes on any bus/funicular or train. We got our tickets and ,thankfully, Jordan and Jen were there to help me navigate some of the stairs in the station. Naples is hardly wheelchair friendly, and the lack of ramps and elevators not only poses a hardship for people in wheelchairs, but also for moms with stollers. I have bruises on my shins from having to constantly use my shins as levers or props to maneuver Evan in his stroller up and down steps. (Thankfully tall boots are in fashion here, or those ugly black and blues would be fully exposed!).

Once on the funicular, we had 3 stops until we exited at the top of the hill in Vomero. We decided to take a stroll through Villa la Floridiana park, and then go for lunch. Villa la Floridiana has been a public park since the 1920s, but originally, it was a gift and love token to Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Floridia, from her husband, Ferdinand I. So, what started as a romantic gift to a duchess, is now a park that offers some of the best views of Naples and the bay (and considered one of the top 10 romantic spots in Napoli). There are lots of trails, gardens, a turtle pond, and the main building on the grounds is now a museum filled with some remarkable treasures I have yet to check out. That will have to be what I do on my next funicular ride to the top.