We did not plan on spending any time in Bellano on our Italy adventures other than using it as a convenient train station from which to pick up a rental car for our time along Lake Como. An Italian train strike (fortunately, announced with ample time to make alternative plans) and a lack of other rental car options meant that we decided that spending a night in Bellano all of a sudden sounded like a wonderful idea. Lemons to lemonade… we were going to enjoy this side quest.
A mere twenty four hours in Naples, Italy… This brief stopover on our way from Rome to Sorrento existed for a couple of reasons – to visit the Naples National Archaeological Museum in advance of visiting Pompeii a few days later, and for me to try as many pizzas as I could. I’m proud to say I managed to squeeze in four delicious pizzas, even if for one of them it meant creating a rarely used meal between lunch and dinner.
The first pizza of the visit was a proper street lunch at what many believe to be the world’s first ever pizzeria, Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba. Back in the mid 1700s this restaurant replaced street food stands and brought their wood fired pizzas out to the street to sell. Here I am taking my first bite of a Neapolitan pizza:
Our Italy trip was, of course, going to be about eating and drinking well for two weeks. We got that kicked off right away on our first night in Rome. Knowing we would be jet lagged and coming from a soccer match earlier that afternoon, we planned ahead and made reservations at a restaurant near St. Peter’s Basilica. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from a decade of serious traveling, it’s that you should plan your first meal post-arrival. There’s nothing more frustrating as being in a new place, tired and hungry.
Armed with great recommendations from some gluten-free bloggers (thanks!), we arrived at La Soffitta Renovatio about forty five minutes after leaving Stadio Olimpico. Not personally in need of their gluten free menu, I opted for an Italian beer, a Peroni rossa, to quench my thirst from sitting in the sun all afternoon:
Bluenose Traveler 