Naples - Day 13 Monday February 9

We have been fortunate enough to visit Naples on three previous occasions, and every time, the highlight of our trip has been eating pizza. Seriously, this is all you need to know about our priorities and why we will never be thin. The pizza here is ethereal, and I say that as someone who grew up eating pizza in Connecticut...which raises the bar high. IYKYK.

We had decided to take today's Viking included walking tour, but Charlie did not feel up to hours of walking and standing, so he requested that I go on my own.

Our group left the ship at 9:30 AM, to explore Naples with a guide. The whole port area is under construction as they are building underground tunnels to cross the roads.

Here is Castel Nuovo, the fortress that served as a residence for the kings of Anjou and Aragon, and the Spanish Viceroys of Naples.

We passed the Opera House

In Piazza Municipio, directly in front of Palazzo San Giacomo (Naples City Hall), we saw Bernini's Fontana del Nettuno/Neptune.

Above it, high on the hill, sits the medieval Castel Sant'Elmo.

We strolled the pedestrian Piazza del Plebiscito, flanked by the Royal Palace of Naples (front and back views)...

the Church of St. Francis...

and whatever these building are (someone is burning out).

We entered the 19th-century Galleria Umberto, a popular place for the Neapolitans to linger over coffee and shop.

it’s pretty bold for Starbucks to come to Italy to peddle coffee!

As part of the tour, we were offered espresso and sfogliatella pastry. Delicious!

We had some free time, and I found a pharmacy to get Charlie some pain patches for his back and took a few photos along the way. There are so many food vendors offering take-away treats.

Charlie wanted to test out his walking stamina to get some pizza for lunch. We chose a place relatively close to the port. It was not sublime.

This evening, it was “Taste of Italy Night” in the World Cafe (buffet). The menu enticed us to go. The chef was so proud of the fact that that they had ordered and picked up homemade buffalo mozzarella this afternoon. It was absolutely delicious. I could have made a meal just at this table...

...but, there was also homemade Pasta Carbonara. So, that had to be tasted.

After dinner, we went to the Captain’s Farewell Toast and a Beatles’ Songbook show.

Photos are tagged Star and Naples_26