Naples feels like a different city in August. With the heat and humidity at it's peak, the majority of Neapolitan families go on vacation and head south to the beaches in Puglia & Calabria, or head to the islands of Ischia, Capri or Procida that are just a quick ferry ride away. With most folks out of town, the normal traffic intensity of Naples is eased, the availability of parking is incredible, and the ability to find an open store, pizzeria, gelato stand etc is a bit more challenging. All that being said, we are enjoying the calm that August brings to Naples, and enjoying day trips on the weekends to take advantage of the lack of typical traffic.
Last Saturday we drove 45 minutes to Mt. Vesuvius and beared the heat and lack of shade as we hiked to the crater of the volcano. The view was well worth the effort, and we were rewarded at the top with a glass of Mt. Vesuvius white wine...not very tasty, but it seemed like fun to toast with a glass of wine on the edge of a volcano...especially an active one which Vesuvius still is:)
On Sunday, we accepted an invitation from our Italian friends Rosa and Paolo to join them at an Agriturismo (basically a park w/ bbq pits, bathroom facilities, playgrounds etc..and many with restaurants) for a picnic. We arrived after 2.5 hours in the car...an extra hour owed to some mixed communications about directions and meeting places...and found ourselves at a huge park where $10/car allows you entrance and use of all the facilities. We quickly claimed a spot, Paolo got the fire going, the girls laid out all the food on the picnic table, and we spent the day relaxing, talking, and of course, eating. On the grill there was corn on the cob, sausages, turkey & pork and even huge chunks of cheese grilled over the fire, and then we had a rice, tuna and olive salad and the cous cous salad which I had contributed. Conversations were primarily all in Italian which can be challenging due to the sheer speed of the way Italians talk when they all get together, but we managed to keep up with 'most' of the conversation, and had a great time. I've vowed not to drive 2.5 hours again for a picnic, but I'll gladly have them to my neck of the woods for a casual picnic in our neighboring park before the summer is done.
We head to the Amalfi Coast again this week to meet up with Simonne and Fabio for more fun times on their boat, BBQ on their terrace, and just fun times with them. They have become great friends, and they will be moving to Switzerland in a few weeks, so we are really trying to spend as much time with them as possible before they move. I miss Simonne already since she usually comes over almost every day when she isn't at the coast, but once they are settled up in Switzerland I'll be sure to visit:)
I continue to go to the park in my neighborhood almost every day and always seem to make new friends. This week I was invited to run with a group of runners that I have seen there often, so it was great to have the company as I do my laps around the park. This week I became friends with a Grammar School teacher who lives in my neighborhood, and today I met an OB/GYN, Simonna, who after joining me with her babies on my picnic blanket, said she would love to hang out more and asked to exchange phone #s. So..despite what a lot of people think about Neopolitans being closed in and hard to meet, I find just the opposite to be true. The folks I have met all seem open, friendly, and interested in developing new friendships. It's great!
Pictures include:
View from atop the crater of Mt. Vesuvius
Picnic at the Agriturismo
Sunrise from our balcony (w/Evan an early riser, we've decided to start out each day w/ some family time-drinking coffee & watching the sunrise together from our balcony before Josh leaves for work
And Evan showing off some new shoes...Evan DOES have big feet, but not that big-the camera perspective is funny!
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