This is Part 2 about our January 2026 trip to Italy with my cousins to celebrate our 40th and 45th birthdays. You can read about the first part of our trip in the post Landing In Naples and Exploring Pompeii.
Taking the Funicular to Castel Sant’Elmo
After our adventure in Pompeii, we were all happy to sleep in and start our second full day in Naples with a late breakfast in the hotel. Nate then suggested we take the Central Funicular up to the Vomero district and walk to Castel Sant’Elmo.
The last time Nate and I attempted this particular funicular, we ended up with an unintended trip to the end of the line and an uphill trek. This time, we took a minute to understand how it works: one route is non-stop between the lower station and the top one at Vomero, and the alternating route includes two stops. Fortunately, the station close to our hotel was only one stop away from Vomero, so we couldn’t possibly have messed it up again!
Castel Sant’Elmo is a short walk from the Vomero station, and offers breathtaking views of the city. A fortress built in medieval times, it now serves as a museum with an exhibition hall, offices, and a cafe in its upper ward. Trekking up through ancient stone passageways, you can only imagine the history that took place there.
In the upper ward, you can get a full sense of how big the city of Naples is, nestled in between the gulf and Mount Vesuvius. We walked along the parapet, took in the city in every direction, and, of course, took a few selfies. We also checked out the exhibition of modern art and attempted to get something to drink at the cafe, but the tiny space was table service only and was already packed.
Down to Dine All’aperto
After our time at Castel Sant’Elmo, we decided to get a sense of what life in Naples is really like by climbing down hundreds of steps that make up the winding stone paths and alleyways of the hillside city. We admired several pieces of street art and wondered what it would be like to live in the different flats and have to carry your groceries up or down the stairs.
Once we reached the end of the steps, we were all hungry and ready to rest. We walked through a busy shopping district and then back into the alleys, looking for a more peaceful area to dine. Appeasing the very friendly host at a spot with tables right in the alleyway, we stopped at La Parolaccia Ai Quartieri Spagnoli, which I now know (with the power of Google Translate) means “The Swear Word in the Spanish Quarter.”
And, boy, we could have said a few of those! What we thought was a quiet alley actually turned out to be a busy street with vespas, cars, and trucks zipping by inches from our table. We could only imagine one crashing into the display of seafood on a stand across from us and covering us in fresh filets of salmon and prawns.
The appetizers and pasta were actually pretty tasty (aside from some questionable gray shrimp), and the waitstaff were attentive and absolutely hilarious. We told them we were celebrating Katrina’s birthday, and one of them brought out a little puppet, danced it in front of her face, and sang to her. It definitely made for an unforgettable “al fresco” (Italians actually say “all’aperto”) dining experience!
We ended the day exploring the downtown shopping district, wandering through plazas, peeking into a mall and bookstore, and refueling with coffee. Back at the hotel, we grabbed some drinks and complimentary snacks in the hotel bar and looked forward to the next day’s agenda: a private tour of the Amalfi coast. Details to come in the next post.
Arrivederci per ora!
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