NAPLES, ITALY - THE BIRTHPLACE OF PIZZA

The population of the city of Naples, Italy is listed as 989,598 however, the wider metropolitan area boasts a population of approximately 4.4 million, the second most populated area in Italy after Milan. 

Who doesn't love pizza?  Naples boasts of being the birthplace of the modern pizza.  Said to have originated in Naples as a meal for the poor, Ferdinand IV made it popular with the upper classes.  The Pizza Margherita was actually named after Queen Margherita of Savoy after a visit to the city.  

Cooked traditionally in a wood-burning oven the ingredients of the pizza Napoletana have been strictly regulated by law since 2004, and must include wheat flour type "00" with the addition of flour type "0" yeast, natural mineral water, peeled tomatoes or fresh cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. 

Pizza Margherita

The piazza or main city square of the city is the Piazza del Plebiscito.

Piazza del Plebiscito

Naples has two other major public squares: the Piazza Dante and the Piazza dei Martiri.

Piazza Dante

Piazza dei Martiri

Located next to Piazza del Plebiscito you will also find the Theater di San Carlo, the oldest opera house in Italy.

Theater di San Carlo

Naples is located on the Gulf of Naples, on the west coast of southern Italy,  rising from sea level to an elevation of 450 meters (1,480 feet).

Naples' historic city center is the largest in Europe and in 1995 was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. 

Naples has a total of 1,000 churches, 448 of which have historical significance, making it one of the most Catholic cities in the world in terms of the number of places of worship.

The Roman ruins of Pompeii  which was destroyed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, are visible from Naples. 

The Norwegian Epic docked in Naples on Tuesday, May 14, 2019.  I was joined on this short three night cruise by daughter Tamie, daughter-in-law Trista and a family friend Heather.  Our time in Naples was brief, just 10 short hours.

Norwegian Epic

For a complete review of the Norwegian Epic check out my blog article by clicking here. 

The port of Naples is located right in the center of Naples, serving over 6 million local passengers annually, plus a further 1 million cruise ship passengers.

Before arriving into Naples I pre-purchased tickets for the Naples Hop On Hop Off bus at a cost of $26.22 per person.  

HOHO bus

HOHO Route map

We disembarked the Norwegian Epic at 8:30am and made our way to the HOHO bus that we easily located at the port exit.  The sign on the bus said “Blue Line B Route”. Once the bus had filled we started making our way to Stop 1: Largo Castello/Piazza Municipio.  What should have taken 5 minutes took 30.  Traffic was a nightmare. 

Stop 1 is also the main stop and transfer point to the “Red Line A Route”.  Once we parked we discovered we had 30 minutes until the scheduled 9:30am departure.  Coffee seemed to be in order and we managed to find Caffetteria Cuore just around the corner from the bus stop.   Trista claims it is the best coffee she has ever had.  Now that we are back home she is trying to replicate it but with little success. 

HOHO Stop 1 Largo Castello / Piazza Municipio

Entrance to Caffetteria Cuore

Placing our coffee order

Trista with her "Best coffee I have ever had."

The Blue Line bus left promptly at 9:30am, taking 90 minutes to complete the loop.  This route includes the more scenic outlying areas affording some spectacular views, including Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii. 

Horse Carriages for hire at Stop 1

View of Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii from Naples

Arriving back at Stop 1 we switched to the Red Line.  This route focused more on the city area. 

We got off at stop #9 Via Foria.  With Naples being the birthplace of pizza it was time to find a local restaurant and experience some for ourselves.   We selected Mamm e figl Restaurant.

Four of us enjoyed pizza and wine and our total bill came to $33 USD.  After a relaxing lunch we boarding the HOHO bus back to Stop 1.  From here you can either walk back to the port or take a taxi. We were back in our cabin before 4:30pm.  The Norwegian Epic was scheduled to sail from Naples at 7pm.  Naples is certainly a place I will visit again. 

TWO DAYS IN BARCELONA

Our eleven hour non-stop Norwegian Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Barcelona was confirmed for Thursday, May 9, 2019. 

This trip would include myself, daughter Tamie, family friend Heather and daughter-in-law Trista.   

L to R: Sharon, Daughter Tamie, Friend Heather, Daughter-in-Law Trista

The international flight departed from Tom Bradley International Terminal at 4:35pm. 

Bradley Terminal Map

We felt we were traveling light, each with a small backpack plus a roller bag but unfortunately, Norwegian Air weight allowance for onboard roller bags is 10 kilos (22 pounds).  If you find yourself overweight, pay the fee online at the time of booking or prior to the flight departure.  This will save you up to 50% on your charges.   

The Norwegian Air 787 Dreamliner experience offers: 

• comfortable seats with plenty of space for your legs
• fresh air and optimal cabin pressure for less jet lag
• 65% larger windows than in comparable planes
• smart mood lighting 

Our 787 Dreamliner was not located at the boarding gate and required us to take a shuttle bus from the gate to the airplane.  We departed Los Angeles right on time at 4:35pm and arrived into Terminal 2B at Barcelona at 12:30pm the following day, May 10^th. 

Contrary to some misinformation given online, Barcelona has only one international airport located13 km outside of the city center. The name of the airport is called Aeroport de Barcelona-El Prat.  You may also hear it called Aeroport de Barcelona (Catalan) or Aeropuerto de Barcelona (Spanish).  The airport initials are BCN and it is the main, and only, airport for Barcelona. 

Barcelona Airport-El Prat

Note:  Some budget airlines have misleadingly used the word "Barcelona" in the description for Girona Airport (airport code GRO) and Reus Airport (airport code REU) which are over 100km outside of Barcelona. Make sure when you book your flight that you are flying to BCN airport - otherwise you will be in for a long and expensive transfer to the city center! 

Completing immigration forms is not required for US citizens entering Spain.  Immigration staff was very approachable and friendly, making the process quick and easy.

Next we headed down to baggage claim to retrieve our roller bags.  Sadly, this took a full 30 minutes.

Baggage Claim Barcelona Airport

From here we made our way to the Tourist Information Office located in Terminal 2B. 

Online vouchers need to be exchanged for paper tickets for a number of the tourist sights. I pre-purchased the Montserrat ToT tickets which required that I exchange the voucher for paper tickets.  

Tourist Information Offices are located at:

Terminal 1: On Level 0 to the left hand side of the arrivals gate.

Terminal 2B: At the front of the building towards the left if you are facing the terminal. Next to the large ARS cafeteria.

The Tourist Information Office can be distinguished from the Airport Information Office because the Tourist Information Office displays the logo for Catalan Tourism.

The tourist offices can provide you with information on the following topics:

1. Transport: timetable for the trains leaving from the airport, transfer details for the main areas in Catalunya
2. Maps: maps for both Barcelona and other areas of Catalunya
3. Car Rental: a leaflet providing contact details for various car rental services in Barcelona city center
4. Hotels: they will help you to find a hotel to suit your needs in the Catalunya area
5. Foreign Embassies: contact details for the national embassies in Barcelona and they can contact them on your behalf
6. Tourist attractions: addresses, opening times, leaflets and advice on attractions in all of the major Catalan areas
7. Barcelona Card:  If you have ordered your tourist discount card online then you can exchange your voucher and pickup your Barcelona Card in either Terminal 1 or Terminal 2. 

From the Tourist Office our next goal was to find the Aerobus for our transportation to downtown Barcelona.  These are blue and white buses located just outside the doors and to the left from the Airport Information Office.  

I pre-purchased online tickets at a cost of $6.98 per person for the one-way trip.  One nice feature is the free wifi onboard.  The transfer takes 30 minutes and will drop you in downtown Barcelona on the east side of Playa Catalunya, a major interchange station served by several metro and suburban railway lines.

Plaza Catalunya, Barcelona

Our Barcelona accommodation was conveniently located just ½ block off of La Rambla, notably the most famous street in all of Barcelona.  This tree-lined pedestrian street stretches 1.2 kilometers (0.75 mile) from the Christopher Columbus Monument at Port Vell to Plaza de Catalunya.   It also forms the boundary between the Gothic Quarters on the east and El Raval on the west. 

Christopher Columbus Monument

La Rambla

Once we had checked-in, dropped our luggage and changed our clothes, it was off to locate the Hop On Hop Off bus to explore this vibrant city. 

Enjoying the fresh air on the upper deck of the HOHO

There are two major hop on hop off bus operators in Barcelona.  Barcelona City Tour HOHO and Barcelona Bus Turistic HOHO. 

Barcelona City Tour HOHO

Barcelona Bus Turistic HOHO

We selected the red Barcelona City Tour HOHO bus for our visit.  You can purchase your tickets when boarding, paying with either Euros or credit card. We purchased the evening pass which would allow us unrestricted travel between the hours of 4-8pm.

Shortly after 5pm we hopped off of the Blue Route at stop #9 for a bite to eat.   

Barcelona City Tour HOHO Route Map

We were able to locate a great restaurant named Vapiano.  Opening one restaurant in Hamburg, Germany on October 22, 2002, today there are 200 locations in more than 33 countries on 5 continents. 

Vapiano Barcelona

As you enter the restaurant you are cordially greeted and handed a small Vapiano charge card.  

Vapiano card / front

Vapiano card / back

Pasta, pizzas, antipasti and salads are ordered directly from the chefs at individual stations.  The chefs prepare all of the dishes to order in front of you and you can have your meal prepared to your own personal preference. Favorite dishes can be created and then individually prepared. The herb garden and the fresh herbs on the tables are not for decoration but used to offer a special taste to every dish.

Inside Vapiano

As you make your way around the bar and restaurant you simply order, tap your card on the card reader and the amount of your purchase is added to your card.  We arrived during happy hour and took advantage of the 2 for 1 drink special.  When you are ready to leave you simply take your card to the cashier for check-out.

After dinner we completed the Blue Route, making a stop at the famous Bascilica de la Sagrada Familia. 

Sagrada Familia

My last visit to the Sagrada Familia was May, 2016.  Click here for a complete review of that visit.   

As we arrived back at Plaza Catalunya it began to sprinkle so we opted to take a taxi instead of walking down La Rambla back to our room.  By the time the taxi dropped us off it was close to 8pm.  We had been on the go for just over 28 hours.  The following day would include a full day trip to Montserrat with a 7am wake up. We decided to call it a night.

My last visit to Montserrat was May, 2016 which I documented on my travel blog. With little difference between my May 2016 and May 2018 visit, I will simply refer you to my travel blog to learn more about this stunning Benedictine Monk retreat.  For further information on how to further organize your visit to Montserrat click here. 

Montserrat

Buffet Lunch included

Buffet Lunch area

Tracks to the top of San Juan - steepest in Spain

View from Sant Joan, the highest point

First level of Montserrat

Dinners are typically eaten in the late evening in Spain and we found ourselves following that same tradition.  After a long day of sightseeing at Montserrat, followed by a walk up and down La Rambla, it was time to relax and enjoy a drink before dinner.  Taverna 1900 became our Happy Hour stop. 

Taverna 1900 is newly opened and located where the now closed Gran Rambla Restaurant used to be.  Google Earth does not recognize Taverna 1900 but it does list Gran Rambla at 1840 La Rambla should you need directions.  Our room was conveniently located a short 150 yards from Taverna 1900.  

Directly behind Taverna 1900 is the lively Plaza Reial Square.

Located in the plaza are a large number of restaurants and some of the city's most famous nightclubs, including Sidecar,  Jamboree,  and Karma. The square is also home to Hotel Roma Reial and is known for its many outdoor venues.  Our evening entertainment was an acrobatic troupe. 

Outdoor performing acrobatic troupe

What better way to start the evening than with a pitcher of Sangria. We selected Can Reixes Restaurant for dinner and drinks.  Our appetizers included an order of the “Bruchetta” mozzarella with rocket, Iberian ham and parmesan accompanied by an order of the Assorted Cheese Plate.  

Can Reixes Restaurant

Can Reixes Menu

Appetizers

Sangria and drinks

When in Spain one must try Paella. Holding the distinction of being the national dish of Spain, this yummy rice dish comes in many varieties including Valencian, vegetable, seafood and mixed paella to name a few.  Our choice for the evening was chicken paella.    

Traditional prepration of Paella

Chicken Paella

We seemed to fit right in with the Spanish culture spending close to three hours eating, drinking, people watching and socializing with the locals.  After all we consumed it was fortunate that we only had a couple hundred yards of maneuvering to make our way back to our room and fall into bed.  The following morning would be our last precious few hours in Barcelona before we boarding the 4,100 passenger Norwegian Epic for a three-night cruise to Naples and Rome.  But for now, sleep was calling.

Our last morning in Barcelona we focused on a FREE 2.5 hour walking tour of the Gothic Quarters. Although FREE, reservations are required.  Our reservation was for the 10am departure which starts at the northeast corner of Plaza Cataluyna where you will see the purple t-shirts and purple umbrella. 

Starting Point for Walking Tour / Plaza Catalunya

Sights on Gothic Quarters walk

Sights on Gothic Quarters walk

Sights on Gothic Quarters walk

Sights on Gothic Quarters walk

Sights on Gothic Quarters walk

Sights on Gothic Quarters walk

The clock was displaying 1:00pm, our indication it was time to put our Barcelona experience behind us and head to the ship.  We opted to take a taxi to the port, a cost of $28.15 USD for the four of us. We would set sail at 6pm.