NAPLES
AND SICILY ESSENTIALS -- FOOD AND MORE
FOOD
FIRST
Mozzarella
di Bufalo Campan MORGESE truly fabulous
Gellato,
Centro Storico, Via Benedetto Croce 61
Pizza
vs foccacia
Pizza is something thin cooked in fewer
about 5 minutes usually in a brick oven. Foccacia is
thicker and often served at room temperature, but much
more like what many Americans think of as pizza. For
me the best pizza I ate in Sicily or Naples was at a
little bakery in a small Sicilian town we passed through
while trying to avoid driving directly through Palermo.
It was on the main street across from a primary school.
We stopped in to get some supplies for the road ahead
and I ended up eating most of it while poor stassi was
driving. The baker was there bringing out the goodies.
Bless her.
Pistachios are
grown in Sicily. Who would have thought? What it means is that
the very best pistachio ice cream or gelato is right
there and it is not dyed that peculiar acid green color as it
is in the United States.
In
Sicily gelato is often served on a bread roll.
This seemed very peculiar.
Sfogliatella,
Arancino, fritatina, Crocche' Suppli' -- these are
some of the best foods in the world.
Coffee in
Naples is considered one of the essential food groups. You'll
find fabulous coffee bars on every block of the city.
Stop
by and visit bakeries
Bakeries will have wonderful lunch foods ready around 10 or 11 AM. These
will almost always include fresh bread of course, but often a variety
of toppings on foccacia slices too. If you are lucky, you'll also find
some of the fried treats of this part of Italy. You will save a huge
amount over the cost of having even a simple meal in a restaurant and
can pile up your change for a real splurge for dinner.
EVERYTHING
ELSE
Smoking is
still very popular in Italy, though it does seem to be a more
restricted activity than it was about five years ago when we
were last in the country.
Sicily --
remember it is an island and you are rarely far from a beach even
if you can't see it
Negotiate,
negotiate and negotiate some more and do it with humor and a
little style for the best results.
If you do, you will end up with some significant savings.
Consider
camping
Campsites are very professionally run and offer solidly built bungalows
or fully equipped trailers for less than you will pay for an equivalently
service hotel room. Plus you will normally have your own comfortable
outside area to enjoy evening dining.
Stay
away from traveling in summer months
Unless you actually enjoy being in crowded circumstances with long lines
and impatient service, traveling in the summer months almost anywhere
in the world will be disappointing. Give a go in the late spring or early
fall for an opportunity to see countries at their very best.
When
you can, use the internet to find hotels and even campsites.
Even
if you use the internet in the morning to find a hotel
for that evening you very well might find some good savings.
And you will have the added advantage of knowing you'll
have a bed to sleep in that night.
Traffic
I haven't touched too much on traffic, but I think Italians in this part
of the country have made it something of a suicide mission. I don't
know how there's anyone left. To get across streets, try looking
for some Napolitanos to come along and cross right beside them. This
worked very well, though after about a week we began to get the rhythm
of just how to negotiate the chaos.
Dressing
Dress is usually very stylish, but casual and men generally seem to dress
more carefully than women.
Courtesy
Italians are extremely civilized and you should be too!
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