A Slice of Neapolitan Life! pt. 1

Walk fast, with a purpose, like you have a place to be – is what I recited in my head as we headed out into the Napoli rush.  Thank goodness my roots are deep in the South Side of Chicago where the skill of a mean glare, the ability to ignore beggars and disregard the rest comes in handy.  We boarded the overcrowded Italian R2 bus headed for Corso Umberto in search of San Giovanni Maggiore Pignatelli 15.  This bus was more crowded than the night of the fireworks display at the Taste of Chicago on the 3rd of July!  And how do I begin to tell you that searching for this address was the equivalent of running through the world's largest corn maze? 

After an hour of attempting to lug bags through endless turns on cobblestone streets and coming back to the same monument, that old fashion word every big city girl is familiar with came to mind…Taxi!  “The Decumani Hotel De Charme, please!”  Up the hill, around a narrow corner, past a dozen or so scooters and a repeat of the same, at least three times - and we have finally arrived!  Arrived to a pedestrian-only area, delineated by a sort of "border crossing" that allowed entry only to cars with special permits.  This restricted zone with telltale cameras was like the blue box cameras found in high-crime areas or maybe it’s an elitist system or something!

A tiny man opened what seemed like a tiny garage door and our driver pulled into an area that was like a small subdivision.  Here were entrances to other houses, parked cars, and the lift to our hotel.  We loaded into the rusty lift that was probably serviced last century and inched our way to the top!  That’s right; to the “deluxe apartment in the sky” we go!  The hotel lobby resembled that of a palace although the rooms were simple - 2 beds, a television, and an in-room toilet and shower.

We finally arrived to our hotel!  We've been rolling since the rooster’s crow and now its time to enjoy our “Slice of Neapolitan Life” or in other words, a one-day tour of Naples!