We woke up a bit late, ate some breakfast and moved toward the door. It was noon by the time we set out, walked down toward the Vehicle Garage to hire a guy to boost the car. We walked down a steep path lined by lemon and orange trees.
We parted ways with Al at the garage, wandered though a grocery store and settled in for a coffee and beer at Moreno cafe.
We met up with Al at the train station and set out for the NATO base. The International Store was an inexpensive place to buy some fancy wine, beer and olive oil. After getting Al's mail at the Canadian Forces Support Unit Naples, we set out for Capua; home of the second largest Roman Amphitheatre.
The ruins were in pretty rough shape; clearly showing their 2000 plus year age. This forum is best know for hosting Spartacus. The building was apparently 3 stories, but you had to use your imagination. Even the second floor barely stands to this day. The footing to the higher floors are the only reminder of the grandeur of the place.
The really interesting experience was getting to explore under the forum floor; where the fighters and animals would have been housed.
We can only imagine the horrors that this place would have entailed. It would have been dark, lit by fire and a sewer would have flowed through the place with unimaginable stink.
We spent about an hour roaming the grounds; set out for the provincial capital; Caserta. The drive was short, passing an unexpected toll.
We arrived to the Royal Palace of Caserta; a beautiful building filled with history, culture and tails of opulent lifestyle. The iconic garden was closed for the day, however, we were still able to get a couple pictures.
We explored room by room; noting the changes in artist styles and skill. There were rooms that it was clear the artist was skilled with plaster, the next with gold leaf, wood, etcetera.
The 'apartments' were very impressive, but like most museums, it becomes a lot to look at room after room.
We drove back to Al's house; about an hour south to Naples. We stopped for pizza at “Paradisio”, only about 500 metres from his house. While we waited for our two pizzas (8.50 Euro), we enjoyed a couple fresh pulled pints!
Not only were the beers very good, they gave us a plate of the best, most butter-like, green olives. They were seriously green; amazing snack!
The pizza was very good; but not without some observations. The sauce is perfect; what you would imagine if they put it in a food museum. Exact amount of seasoning, basil, fresh tomato taste with a hint of sweet. It was also plentiful; making it almost soupy, but in a good way.
The crust was very thin; perfect wood-fired char at the edges, but had to be folded to hold the toppings at the centre. It tasted incredible, but was a bit awkward to nosh on.
The toppings were the other star of the dish. The margarita pizza (about $5 CDN), was all about the sauce with a garnish of basil and fresh mozzarella. It was simple, yet had complex flavors; a perfect 'clean' pizza and my favourite.
The second pizza we had was Capicolla (or something like that); had cheese, olives, ham and mushrooms. It was good, but toppings along with the sauce made it slightly salty. Still amazing.
After the late start, it was a late night. Tim and Al debated political and sociological issues into the late night. I went to bed with the anticipation of an early start (hopefully) tomorrow.
