locals only
a fun look at the movers and shakers of Napoli
October has been my favorite month in Napoli so far. It will randomly rain a few hours in the day, but the sun will come out in full force. It’s not cool enough for a jacket, but very comfortable in a humid 70 - 75 degrees. The temperate weather and continuous influx of guests has allowed me to explore so much more and enjoy each neighborhood Napoli has to offer. Here are some amazing things I’ve come to know about Napoli through the awesome people I’ve met.
It’s a coffee town
We know it’s a pizza town! What I didn’t know is that Napoli is known for it’s high quality of coffee beans and roasters. We’ve had friends in town that are coffee aficionados (they roast their own coffee at Misa) and we set out to meeting the town’s best suppliers. Starting with the local shop, Ventimetriquadri is pretty well known in Napoli for its artisanal coffee. We have met some global coffee lovers during our visits there. It’s really a treat!
Another great place we visited was Caffe Sansone, a microroastery. We met the owner of the coffee shop who first opened it when he was 24 years old! Love to see the young gunners doing awesome things.
It’s an art town
I also was invited and welcomed to Napoli by Ines, the owner of Atelier Ines. What a lovely and warm person who made me feel at home. In between muraled walls and busy shopkeepers, you will find a little gardened oasis tucked away from the chaos. The hotel is also an art gallery for Ines’ father in law’s art, as well as art created by her and her husband. My favorite part was all of the door handles and knobs. Each one was uniquely designed and created for the space. I also got to check out her husband’s studio - it was so inspiring.
In Sanita you will also find Pasticceria Poppella, a local shop for fiocco di neve, a very simple pastry filled with the best cream I have ever tasted in my entire life. This is coming from someone who once thought creme fraiche was yogurt. We have taken out of towners here and the owners made chit chat with us and asked us where we were from. It’s so easy to make small talk with Neapolitans! They are so friendly.
Another day we went to Open House Napoli and checked out A' Mbasciata. This historic building was formerly the embassy of Venice to Naples (before Italy was its own country). A young engineer and his brother were helping move their grandparents things into storage when they came upon a carpeted mess of this building. They lovingly restored each tile by hand, ripping up the carpet and peeling away layers of glue until each original was restored to pristine condition. They created a private social club for intellectuals and artists to gather in an old fashioned salon. Each room was special and unique - a film room, a bar, a dancing room, etc. I hope to join so I can take part in the activities and events there.
Overall, this city is full of young, bright entrepreneurs and artists. How do people even dream this up? I am lucky to have met so many inspiring people.
One more sweet story: I really like this kind gentleman Gennaro who owns the yummy Neapolitan restaurant Da Fofo. After having a great time with friends, I came back with my in-laws, and he told them, “now you don’t have to worry about them, Napoli is home, we will take care of them”. It was so sweet that he made the extra effort to speak in English and make sure my in-laws knew we were OK. That is one reason I love the Neapolitans - they have big hearts!
Bonus: If you want to learn about THE Neapolitan mindset, I recommend you watch the movie “Mixed by Erry”. It’s heartwarming in the most Neapolitan way! It’s available on Netflix and has something for everyone :)