We are in Naples and we're threatened with murder.
Heading to Nick and Bel's wedding in Ravello, we spent 5 nights in Naples, a city I had travelled through a few times however had never stayed for any length of time. The reputation is of a gritty, unglamourous & dangerous city. The looking over my shoulder had just started to ease-up while we were walking through the Spanish Quarter, home of the Camorra.
A stereotypical nonna was hunched through her doorway watching her streets when she looked at me, pointed up the the road and wagged her finger at me. I gave her the smile reserved for doddering old ladies and kept on walking. She gave me the smile reserved for stupid tourists and after pointing up the street again, drew her finger across her throat and pointed at me.
On a brighter note, the Veiled Christ is one of the most magnificent works of art I have ever seen. Photos are not allowed however as can('t) be seen in the above ripped-off photo, nothing could do it justice. In particular the incredible detail off the feet, somehow under a veil, somehow not, was breathtaking.
It was great to spend some time with friends I had not seen in a while including my God-Daughter Ms. Ginger who was kind enough to share the fact that Dom has a crush on Bronwyn Bishop and Georgia a crush on Tony Abbott. Some good meals and some good wine were long overdue with Dom & Georgia as well as Mr Too-Cool-for-my-Wedding-Nicky.
The view from our Ravello rooms was not too bad either.
Being the birthplace of pizza and being a fat pig, I (and my not a fat pig wife) hit the streets pretty hard for a fix. As each pizza wore off, we searched harder and longer for a bigger high never being satisfied, even while eating fists of mozzarella like an apple.
- L'Europeo di Matozzi - our fist stop within 90 minutes of checking into the hotel so was always going to hit the spot, scratch the itch, twinkle the ivories and raise the flag. A little bit wet but molto bene.
- Sobrillo - my favourite all-round pizza. Cheap, flavour-full, not wet (as it seems the Neapolitans like) and an excellent crust.
- Trianon di Ciro - my favourite crust - smoky, chewy, charry. Amanda's DOC margherita was phenomenal though pretty wet.
- Antonia et Antonia - adjacent to the bay, great views of Naples and the air-kissers. A very competitive pizza that would be proud in any line-up. Glasses of prosecco while you wait and my starter of a basketball of mozzarella was outstanding. A little bit saltier than others and all the better for it. Unfortunately ruined by the waiter kindly informing us that in addition to the 15% service charge and 4euro pp seat cost that a tip is customary.
Pastries were generally exceptional at our pre-determined destinations.
- Mignone - good but probably the weakest of a strong group.
- Gran Bar Riviera - excellent, adjacent to our hotel, jaw-dropping gelato.
- Aruta - fantastic
- Angelo Carbone - diabetic
Amanda managed to eat 2 gelato for every day of our trip. While the gelato was fantastic (nociola, nociola, nociola!!!!) even I, one of the world's pre-eminent ice cream whisperers could not compete.
Coffee, pastries, pizza, mozzarella & gelato were generally of exceptionally high calibre wherever we ate. Other meals were for the most part, disappointing. Pasta appeared to be from a packet at every restaurant we ate at - maybe Amanda needs to teach them how to make the fresh stuff!
- Hosteria Toledo - great service, great company, good food but not particularly memorable.
- La Cantina Di Triunfo - solid, great service, modern decor...OK
- Da Salvatore (Ravello) - solid salumi plate, some very good plates at the table (ricotta gnocchi with veal cheek) and a semi-freddo inedible for 3/4 of the table (including me - Ice Cream Whisperer). I was hoping for better.
- Umberto - terrible. Polpette that tasted like dense, soggy cardboard
- Squisistezze - tasty little lunch spot with modernish takes on Italian. Yummo zucchini amuse.
The exception was Da Dora. It is an expensive restaurant for all its simplicity however the seafood risotto I had was incredible. Not the kind of dish I would normally eat however was extremely delighted. The restaurant is a small kitschy place located in a small alley in the Chiaia region. Nonno does the cooking in an alley-side open kitchen (charcoal BBQ included) while Nonna and team serve it up inside. Ugly nautical paraphernalia, TV on - loved it.
I possibly had the best steak I have eaten, from David Burke Primehouse - a 40 day, dry aged bone in, rib-eye that put me into a food coma after the long flight. An incredibly tender and deep beef flavour that was a little confronting at first. It was the highlight of my eating and it was on day 1 before a rapid downhill spiral into the deep fried prairie of suburban Chicago. But they know how to do a mean sports bar to their credit.
There was a huge amount to see in the very pedestrian-friendly downtown. Michigan Avenue, to "The Bean," next to a Gehry pavilion, next to an outdoor ice skating ring, down the road from Al's Italian Beef, across from a Christmas Market, near Buddy Guy's blues bar, under the "L". A great walking city despite the unbelievable cold.
Apart from the quality of the coffee actually making Starbucks taste good in comparison, the thing that struck me most was the Latin work force. The (meant to be?) invisible population that held the non-customer facing jobs wherever I went. Setting tables, cleaning rooms, washing bathrooms, making the city function. How would the US function without them?
I decided not to tempt fate and hit the street food. Even though Delhi is know for its 
At the fertility ceremony, Juwon's heart sank as it was forecast she would have over a dozen children.
And Nath put on a brave face.
Essentially we just ate and walked our way around Paris. Each day we would have a few pin-points on the map to provide direction. The pin-points ranged from A L'Etoile d'Or for salted caramels (a morning rush had bought out the Henri le Roux natural salted caramels however we grabbed some Bernachon chocolate) to vintage boutiques where they were not sold out of vintage Dior bags, thank-you-very-much Santa!
