I found my oasis!

Evan and I took a "field trip" to the Botanical Gardens, thanks to my friend Stephanie making the plan for us. The Botanical Gardens date back to the 1600s, and this huge park offers an amazing respite from the chaotic streets of Naples. The gardens are owned by the University of Naples and are the most important Botanical Gardens in Italy, with plant and tree varieties from all over the world.

To start our field trip, Evan and I walked to Piazza Amadeo, about 15 minutes from the hotel, to catch the metro/subway to Piazza Cavour, a quick two stops away. Stephanie thought that there was an elevator in the metro station, but unfortunately she was mistaken. Thankfully I'm not afraid to ask for help, and I found some nice folks willing to offer me a hand carrying the stroller up and down numerous flights of stairs to get up and over one set of tracks to the next set that would take us to Piazza Cavour. We also had to maneuver up 3 stairs to get onto the train itself, so again, I was thankful for some helping hands. The metro is old, definitely not sleek, but for a mere 1.10 euro, it's an efficient way to get from point A to B.

We arrived at Piazza Cavour where Stephanie was waiting for us. It was fun to see another one of Napoli's neighborhoods. Stephanie lives in this area, which she refers to as 'the hood', but I actually liked the buzz and energy of this area, and felt quite safe. Her husband runs a liquor and wine business so we stopped by his shop first, since her mother-in-law wanted to see Evan. We popped in the store, accepted an offer for some espresso, enjoyed our cafe, let Evan be loved on for a bit, and then we headed out towards the Botanical Gardens. Antonio, Stephanie's husband, had recommended that we stop in at a local Salumeria to get sandwiches for our picnic in the gardens, and he loaded us up w/ cokes and gatorade before we left his shop.

We found what we thought was the recommended Salumeria (it wasn't the right one, but the sandwiches were still great), bought our 3 euro sandwiches--parmesan and salami for me, and proscuitto cotto (ham) and swiss for Stephanie, and we were on our way. Appointments are required to get into the Botanical Gardens. Stephanie had called ahead, so at that gate, we just checked in, and then began exploring the gardens. We walked through the California palm trees, to the desert section--tons of cacti, around by the rainforest section...brimming with waterfalls and ferns, up to the fruit tree section, with Sorrento lemons the size of grapefruits, past the greenhouses where congested pregnant women and infants are allowed to sit to take advantage of all the clean oxygen, to our picnic spot..a nice little grassy area by a goldfish pond. We enjoyed our massive sandwiches while Evan enjoyed the sun, the breeze, the greenery the grass and the sound of the birds--all which he doesn't get to experience too often in Naples. It was such a peaceful place, and we had a ball. Stephanie goes every few months, and so we look forward to joining her again sometime soon. Such a great hidden treasure and certainly worth the visit!