Finally reached the land of the Mafia!
The flight from London to Naples was not without its share of fun. Everyone crowded around the bar near the toilet (yours truly excluded) and it seemed more like a trattoria than a plane. As more and more drinks were consumed, the true italian character came to the fore - shouting, whistling, leering, jeering, laughing.......babies were crying, women were shouting, men were whistling. Just when we were about 500 metres from the napolitano landing strip, the pilot decided to ascend again and we
Finally reached the land of the Mafia!
The flight from London to Naples was not without its share of fun. Everyone crowded around the bar near the toilet (yours truly excluded) and it seemed more like a trattoria than a plane. As more and more drinks were consumed, the true italian character came to the fore - shouting, whistling, leering, jeering, laughing.......babies were crying, women were shouting, men were whistling. Just when we were about 500 metres from the napolitano landing strip, the pilot decided to ascend again and we did another aerial round of the city (of course, this was accompanied by much jeering from the by-now suitably inebriated crowd). Believe it or not, it happened a second time (this time when we were only 200 metres from the ground) and now everyone was asking for the pilots blood (and refunds!). I couldn't stop laughing. When finally we did land the third time, there was much clapping (what the hell, I joined in too!).
So that was my re-entry into Italia (after a gap of 4 years). Much water has flowed under the river since then - I have more grey hair, Italy are the world cup champions, i can understand (and speak) italian. But somethings still haven't changed - the sigh one sighs on taking the first bite of a real neopolitana pizza (not the fluffed-up American shit that Pizza Hut offers), the lecherous looks on the faces of the unshaved italian male, the aggressiveness of the italian women, chaos on the italian roads (cars overtaking, jostling, cutting their way, driving on the wrong side and best of all, dents on ALL cars!), Beer being sold on trains, gestures abound during animated conversations, people spitting, everyone with atleast one mobile in their hands (if not two, and if not another one in their bags and pockets). After boring and sanitized Edinburgh, it felt great to be back in a REAL country!. It was a pleasant surprise to see happy, smiling and animated faces after having borne the reserved British for over 3 months now.
Naples is still the same - churches, pizzas and chaos. Being served una verita pizza neopolitana in a dirt cheap pizzeria by a ragazzo dressed in white shoes, white shirt, white trousers and a white cap was a pleasure. Not to mention the photo of the winning Italian football (the real football not the fake american one!) team on the bottle of beer and the melting cheese was an emotion that will stay with me for long (of course it is replicated in almost every meal). This experience was enhanced by the sunlight and the 14-15 degrees temperature ('warm' say my frozen-to-the-core-Edinburgh bones!).
A bit on what I have been upto. Having seen Naples earlier, I decided to go to its outskirts and check out Pompei (of Mt. Vesuvius and AD 79 fame). Went with this Canadian guy I bumped into at the youth hostel I was staying at. It took us an hour to find change for 10 Euro (since the booth at the Pompei Ruins entrance refused to give us any). Mustering up courage I entered a bank and quickly got change from there and got out (before painful memories from work came back). The ruins were intriguing. The entire town of Pompei, swept by lava from the volcanic eruption, has been surprisingly well preserved. One could imagine the grandeur of the bygone era (with beautiful murals and some of the large columns still intact). There were a few bodies that had been scalded and were recovered and put on display. It was mind-numbing to see bodies in the foetal position or lying prone with their faces covered and imaging what the people must have gone through when they must have been burnt alive by the lava. One could literally hear their screams.
Back in Naples, I caught a ferry to Palermo (Yes SICILY!). It was an overnight ferry but no-one was in a mood to sleep - cards, drinking, games, jokes and leching was all that was happening on the ferry. Reached Palermo at 0630 next morning. Finding a hostel to stay in was not very easy and i actually spent a couple of hours looking for one. It is not difficult to imagine the grandeur of Palermo in the past. The buildings are extremely beautifuly, ornately carved, with a hue of colours. But now, with over-population it seems to have lost a bit of its charm. But still, as churches or beautiful buildings suddenly make their appearance in the middle of chaos, one is left breathless The first cup of coffee I had here in the morning was the smallest and surprisingly, the strongest, cup of coffee I have ever had in my life! It gave an instant hit :)
I had thought that the Sicilian dialect of Italian would be extremely difficult for me to comprehend. But I have been pleasantly surprised - I have been able to communicate (Grazie a miei professoresse italiane!). And Sicily has such a fine mix of blood - Italian, Arab, Tunisian, Greek. I just dont look (or feel) out of place. This is also due to the fact that people here are short - hence i don't feel vertically challenged ;)
Today I made a day trip to a town called Cefalù. It is to the east of Palermo (about 70 kms away. Palermo, btw, is in the north-centre of the Island of Sicily). Cefalù is a small town with winding streets and quaint pizzerias overlooking the sea. The train journey from Palermo was all along the sea with dramatic cloud-topped rocky cliffs and villas overlooking the sun-kissed beaches and turquoise blue waters. The town (pop: 22k) is overshadowed by a large mountain called 'La Rocca'. The view from the top is really amazing. One gets to see the town, the large duomo (church), the sea and the red-tiled roofs. The narrow streets with just enough space for one car to pass through seem to be where all the locals practice their Michael Schumacher skills (motorcycles, cars, vespas, bicycles, you name it). I almost got run over only about 20 times!. Just reached back from Cefalù, I decided to build up my appetite by sending this mail. People here only seem to be eating all the time. So, as they say, when in Rome (or Sicily) do as the Romans (or the Sicilians) do. I have also been overeating sumptuous, pizzas, pastas, lasagnas. The excess of cheese, thankfully, gets burnt as I get to walk around a lot.
I plan to stick around Palermo for a few days more and then plan to do an anticlockwise round of the island (the train and bus service here is very efficient) stopping by at a few towns on the way. Haven't as yet decided how long I will be on the Island.
P.S - On my way back from Pompei to Naples, at the train station, I was accosted by a 8-9 year old boy who asked for a smoke. Italy never ceases to amaze :)
and...
I have yet to encounter il capo dei tutti capi (i.e. Mafia). Of course, if you get no further updates, you can assume that I have either been enrolled into the Cosa Nostra or have been abducted (latter is quite unlikely though!)
(Dec, 2006)
