2022 - Italy

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On our way from Dallas to Roma
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Erik got an aisle seat. The flight was from 2:30 PM in Dallas to 8:00 AM in Roma.
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On the train from Roma to Napoli
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Bright red poppies grew alongside much of the train route. Sorry for the blurry picture but the train moved very quickly.
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Relaxing on the train. It was very nice. The Wifi worked. We were able to plug in our phones. The only downside was that we still had to wear masks.
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Once we got off the train and then the subway, we found ourselves in Piazza Dante, but without Dante.
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Our first priority after checking into our apartment was getting some Neapolitan pizza. We were not disappointed.
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Napoli is a strange place. The streets are tiny. It's dirty. It's loud. It's often ugly. But we love it here. I wouldn't want to live here, but this is our second visit. It feels very alive here.
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What has Mario been doing since he finished his Switch games? Selling Kebabs in Napoli.
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I don't know what this is supposed to be. Sometimes Kathy just tells us to stop and then she takes a picture.
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This is the family room in our apartment. It's a nice place. Erik has his own bedroom, bathroom, and office upstairs.
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There are a lot of little craft shops. This guy was making a violin.
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I bought this hat at a local hat shop. The lady at the shop thought it was very important to make sure that I knew the hat was made in Italy and not China.
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I love these tall doors in the apartment. There is another one opposite and we get a really nice cool breeze if we open them both.
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This is the view down into the courtyard. Normally, those large doors are closed and you go in and out through a small door in one of the larger doors.
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That's the hat shop. Erik bought a similar hat this morning.
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I love seeing all the laundry hung out on the balconies to dry.
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We stopped for a short break on our way to the catacombs. That's Erik's new hat.
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That's Kathy eating some cheese she bought this morning.
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Napoli is a sketchy place. This was some funky barbed wire on top of a fence.
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Look at all the antennae on top of that building.
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Not sure what that is. Maybe the Taliban teaching a class on improvised explosive devices.
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Dante is missing out on some good granita.
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We look so cool with our hats, which were made in Italy, not China.
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Madre del Buon Consiglio
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They modernized the votive candles. I think you push a button to "light" the candle.
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Nice ceiling
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That's the altar at Madre del Buon Consiglio
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Another look at the ceiling
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Some dead lady. I think she liked flowers.
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This fresco was on the ceiling outside above the entryway
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Waiting to tour the catacombs. Having played Diablo many times, I think I know what to expect.
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The book is in Italian, but I bought it anyway because I think it is about Neapolitan pizza.
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Catacombe di San Gennaro. I was disappointed that there were no bones of dead people down there. Our guide said that the French made them bury them or something. The reason wasn't very clear, but they were gone. At least that meant that we didn't have to battle any skeletons.
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If you were rich, you got entombed in little nook with a painting over it.
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Less well off people got slots in the wall that they shared with their family. Poor people were entombed in the floor and were mixed with whatever strangers died around the same time.
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When the put bodies in these tombs, they weren't covered or sealed up. They just rotted away in plain view. They did put some oils on them to hold down the smell. At least that's what I think our guide said. He gave the tour in English, but between his mask and accent, I missed a lot of what he said.
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I have no clue what this was all about. Maybe it had something to do with an earthquake. Our guide told us about some vial of blood that is usually congealed but liquifies once or twice a year and, when it doesn't liquify, bad things like earthquakes and wars happen.
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We hopped on a bus to get back to our part of town. The bus ride was way more exciting than most amusement park rides. The first rule of the road i Napoli is that there are no rules.
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Gnocchi for lunch.
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Kathy had a salad.
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I got a pizza, of course. The pizza is served uncut in Italy and they assume you'll cut it with a knife and fork. Kathy bought a pizza cutter on our walk this morning so we can use that. We can't fly it home because you can't take a pizza cutter on a plane anymore.
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Gay-Odin is a "chocolate factory". We've seen a few during our walks, but we haven't gone in yet. They sell a 2.2 pound chocolate Mount Vesuvius.
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Kathy's dream car.
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They have some giant doors here and they fell compelled to put the doorknob where it looks best rather than where it is most functional.
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Love the illustration for the bathroom. The bathrooms here are not good. One I declined to use today had a squatty potty (no seat), no toilet paper, and no light. I guess you were supposed to go with the door open or maybe bring a flashlight.
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This is the "factory" where Giovani carves them. You can see the shells he uses on the side of the table.
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That's the soon-to-retire owner, Giovani, showing us how he carves a cameo. He said that he is the third generation in the family that has been doing this.