Pizza: Naples style.

Pizza Margherita in Naples

In June 2011 I went to the Pizza Mecca of the world and, while I was there, I made it my duty to seek out the ultimate thinly-crusted tomato and cheese creation.

Naples, synonymous with pizza, is located in Southern Italy. It is home to the famous Pompeii and Herculaneum landmarks, and Mount Vesuvius. Not to mention the mafia.

It is a city full of rawness and grime and first impressions can leave much to be desired. But Naples gets into your bloodstream with its abundant character. You can't help but leave it being happily surprised.

Upon arrival at the main train station of Naples - with my heavy backpack on - I was greeted by a huge pile of rubbish on the road and a chaotic traffic system. There were beggars along the side of the bus station and people trying to hawk their goods. This definitely didn't feel like the Italy I had experienced in Florence or Rome.

But later on that first night in Naples I discovered another aspect to the city which was much, much more appealing and very unassuming.

A group of backpackers from my hostel all chose to dine at a well-known pizzeria called Di Matteo.

In true Naples style I opted for the Pizza Margherita named after Queen Margherita. A true pizza like this one was soft and thin with a chewy outer crust. The cheese and tomato melt together and the singular basil leaf on top just finishes off a heavenly, simplistic meal.

Although the pizzas are big, they are also thin and could easily be consumed by someone with a big appetite.

It's also tempting to opt for more toppings when browsing the menu just as one might do when in their local pizzeria back home.  The secret is to keeping it basic and pure! I did have the Pizza al funghi in Naples, and a pesto pizza back in Florence, but you really can't beat the Margherita (tomato and cheese) or the Marinara (tomato, oregano and garlic).

The piazza we drank in

I also loved the great night life that you can find in Naples. We stumbled upon a big group of university students drinking (with their dogs?) outside their accommodation in a piazza. There are plenty of off-license bottle shops around in the little alleys of Naples where you can buy your Peroni's, and the locals were happy to mix and mingle with us.

Here you can see the interesting mix of students, tourists and dogs. You can also see the politiclly-inspired graffiti/ street-art on the streets of Naples.

The students mingling in the piazza with their dogs

Napoli graffiti

It goes without saying that the coffee in Italy is supreme and my experience in Naples was wonderful. While waiting for the National Archaeological Museum to open on a Sunday I ventured over to a coffee shop and ordered a caffe latte from two lovely baristas who insisted I have my photo taken with them and then very kindly refused to take my euros in payment of my delicious drink. These are the two great guys who made my coffee.

Two baristas who made me lovely coffee (on the house) in Naples

And having mentioned Pompeii (which I can't recommend highly enough) I wanted to show you some of the pictures I took while there. I honestly didn't know what to expect before arriving at the site. I am ashamed to admit I don't have much knowledge about (or interest in) Ancient Greek history, yet I don't think that's necessarily a problem when visiting Pompeii. The richness of history captured as a result of the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD meant that everything has been amazingly preserved in its original state. In particular I found the Lupanar - ancient brothels which, translated from latin, mean "den of she-wolves"- fascinating to visit because the stone 'beds' are still there for you to see, as well as the bawdy paintings from that time.

Pompeii ruins

 A mosaic inside the brothel 

The group I visited Pompeii with

Preserved bodies at Pompeii

And at the end of a long day walking through the relics of our Roman predecessors, what more could you want than a sweet, creamy gelato? Fantasia Gelati was suggested to me by my hostel manager and her suggestion was wonderful! The ice-cream was rich and decadent and I'm not even entirely sure what I ended up ordering (as the names were in Italian) but it had chocolate and cherries in it. Yum!

The best gelato in Naples