About
Naples is at once a sophisticated ancient metropolis littered with monuments of art and architecture, a city dramatically perched between Mount Vesuvius and the sea, a place of palaces, the hometown of pizza. But unlike many other Italian cities with such a formidable legacy, Naples is not an open-air museum. This is a city with a pulse so strong and a culinary heritage so divine that after spending time in Naples we’ve found ourselves wondering: why don’t all roads lead here? On this food tour, we’ll contrast the narrow cobblestoned alleys of Centro Storico, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with what lies beyond the old city walls in the thriving old neighborhoods that crowd Naples’ historic gates. We’ll start in a third-generation pasticceria for a Neapolitan coffee and sfogliatella, a pastry first created in a Catholic convent near Naples, followed by the famous baba au rum. We will then plunge into the traditional food shops, stopping for a quick limoncello in a most unusual place before a snack of classic, seasonal Napoli street food and, of course, there will be pizza in more than one form. We’ll then move beyond the walls into a very different area teeming with local life and market streets. We’ll stop into a baccaleria, where salt cod is king, before sampling the healing waters of Vesuvius at a kiosk in the market. We’ll meet three sisters at their vegetable stand and sample some of the famous tomatoes grown around the famous volcano. We’ll visit a family-run bakery, where we will make our own Neapolitan caponata, a salad made with the bakery’s special bread, called freselle, mozzarella and heirloom piennolo tomatoes. Shopkeepers, bakers, olive sorters, home cooks, vendors and the last traditional sign painter of the market are all part of the warm community we’ll be welcomed into. On this walk within and without the city walls, we’ll spend the day experiencing the everyday food traditions served up with the superlative hospitality that is the hallmark of the Neapolitano.
Read More
