Don’t go to Naples, they told me. It’s a dirty, corrupt city. They (whoever they might be) were probably right. But they also forgot that I would go to great lengths for a great pizza. I had heard stories of the steaming discs of goodness that are Neopolitan pizzas, and I decided that I couldn’t call my culinary quest in Italy complete with sampling one. With this mission in mind, we hopped a plane for infamous Napoli.
In addition to my pizza quest, I also wanted to get a literal and figurative taste of Southern Italy. Italy unified in 1861, yet regional identity still infiltrates every aspect of Italian life. In fact, it’s difficult to describe an overarching “Italian culture” because Southern culture is different than Northern culture, which is different than Central culture. This type of regional identity exists in the United States, but it is usually trumped by an overarching American identity. In Italy, these two identities seem to be more or less on par with each other. I’ve sat at dinner with Italian college students and listened while they discussed the differences between their table manners; these two people were from towns no more than twenty minutes from each other. I couldn’t wait to see the differences between cities separated by 695 kilometers.
When our plane touched down in Naples, we had one collective thought: “its time to find pizza.” Within an hour of tarmac-landing gear contact, we were devouring delicious pizzas. We decided to split a plain margherita, a pizza with olives, artichokes, mushrooms, and ham, and a pizza called the “Four Seasons,” which was divided into four sections, each representing a different part of the year. At this restaurant, I relearned something that I’ve discovered numerous times yet often fail to remember: when a pizza is well made, toppings are extraneous. The margherita reinforced this lesson yet again, a perfectly simple pizza with garlicky sauce and gooey cheese. If you’re serious about pizza, come to Naples.
After our pizza adventure, we immediately left Naples and boarded a train for Sorrento, a beautiful beachside town on the Southwestern coast of Italy. Over the course of the weekend, we also visited Capri, an undeniably stunning though heavily-touristed island, and the volcanically preserved ancient remains of Pompeii. These towns provided entertaining sights, and even better food.
On the first night, we were too tired to venture far from our hostel, so we went to a small restaurant in the town of San Agnello where we were staying. After risking our lives on narrow, wet streets populated by speeding drivers, we heaved a deep breath of relief when we were safely seated at a corner table. As soon as I opened the menu, I was incredibly pleased; for the first time in Italy, the antipasti and main dishes resembled the Italian food that I grew up with (in restaurants, not at home. I’m not actually Italian, I only wish I was). Italian immigrants to the United States came almost entirely from Southern Italy (and brought their food with them), so Little Italy in New York would more appropriately be called Little Specific Regions of Italy (catchy, right?). I have loved the Northern and Central Italian food that I’ve been eating all semester, but I was excited to try more authentic versions of the Italian-American dishes I have always loved. After a few minutes of deliberation, I decided on fresh pasta with seafood and eggplant parmigiana. The pasta was served with clams and mussels and topped with a garlic infused tomato sauce- absolutely delicious. The eggplant came layered with the same tomato sauce; the eggplant was baked instead of deep-fried, which made it lighter than many versions of the dish.
I so thoroughly enjoyed this meal in San Agnello that I decided to order nearly the same exact thing the next night in Sorrento. We went to a place recommended by Let’s Go (my travel bible) called Ristorante e Pizzeria Giardiniello. We were hesitant to go in when we saw that the menu showed pictures of the food (usually a red flag), but LG has rarely let me down. After ordering and being served free bruschetta, I gorged myself yet again on seafood and tomato pasta. This version was even better- the dish included squid and prawns in addition to clams and mussels, and the sauce was a little bit spicy and even more delicious. Emily and I split this dish and pasta with pesto, but the pesto was mediocre at best. Note to self- do not get a Northern specialty like pesto in the South. Stick with Southern Italian favorites and you’re bound to be satisfied.
Note: Photos by Rebecca Blackwell
