We woke up around 9:00 and got ready for our 10:00 check out. We originally booked a train to Rome but we decided our bodies needed a little rest and we did want to hit Naples too so might as well do it now since we were planning on going north after Rome and Naples is south of Rome.

This was the shortest train ride yet, 3 hours. I looked up hostels in Naples and they all had terrible reviews so I thought why not try Air bnb? Found a great one for only 30 Euro a night each and it was a little tricky to find but we made it. It’s on the top floor of an apartment building so it’s quite the hike but it was beautiful. When you walk in to the apartment you can go left right or straight. Left is the hosts house where him and his family live. Straight was a staircase up to the private terrace and right was a kitchenette, dining area and three large bedrooms for the guests. We walked in and immediately thought money well spent.

It was about 15:30 when we got there so we had spent most of the day traveling and then the rain came. Hardest rain I’d seen all year. Not to mention the thunder and lightning. We decided it wasn’t worth exploring the city yet since the next two days were supposed to be nice. Eventually we got hungry. Our host recommended a spot but we just thought we’d go get something light and save that place for tomorrow. Keep in mind it’s still pouring on streets with lack of drainage, puddles everywhere!

*Pop-up note: As much as I love my Nike Roshes and they’re comfortability they are quite terrible when the bottom wears out a bit and the ground is slippery. Especially in Italy where every floor is marble. I almost suffered 6 ACL sprains at least.

Our apartment building is in an L shape so when you leave you can either go straight or left. We went straight, we later found out this was the wrong choice but there was no turning back in this rainstorm. We didn’t see one restaurant or even food stand, really bizarre. We finally come across a restaurant and go in, drippin wet. The menu was decently priced, about 8 Euro to 20 Euro for every dish. However the menu wasn’t in English and our waiter spoke no English either. He talked us into the special and I had a hutch it was going to be something more spendy than menu prices after I processed what just happened. He also brought us an appetizer we didn’t order. Two large mozzarella balls, with cherry tomatoes, an olive oil drizzle, and bread, needless to say it was heat.

Then out comes the main course, a whole fish the size of a large oval plate you’d get your Mexican food on at any Mexican restaurant in the states and then pasta I’d never seen before that looked like hollowed out bones with a creamy red sauce that had shrimp, calamari, and clams in it. Our waiter cleaned the fish for us which was a huge help because I would have really struggled. We then indulged, each bite better than the last and the most protein packed meal we’ve probably had the whole trip. I love seafood, Nate isn’t the biggest fan but he enjoyed this a lot. The waiter tried to talk us into dessert, we were both stuffed, so we declined. Then the check came. 85 euro and we didn’t even order wine. I just laughed bc I knew that would be the case. Be careful when going into a place and not ordering off the menu where you can see a price bc when they sense you’re American they smell money. 45 bucks each on one meal was not in the budget but I really enjoyed it and can say I fine dined in Italy. Our waiter brought us a couple shots of lemoncello after the bill and that was that. The rain let up after the two hours we stayed at the restaurant but we were still soaked when we got back to the apartment. We stripped down, took showers, found an American channel on tv and fell asleep.

*Pop-up note: Nate and I both had sore throats the day of our tour of cinque terre. That’s what you get when you go out late drinkin and get 2.5 hours of sleep. Mine felt a lot better today, Nate’s felt worse so he’s not doin too well right now. Hopefully this chill trip to Naples will help him bounce back, shoot helps both of us bounce back. Just try your hardest to drink lots of water, maybe even tea at the coffee shops, and buy fresh fruit from the markets to keep your vitamin intake up