October 18

It was a smooth but long day on the trains. Nice-Ventimiglia-Milan-Naples. Left Nice at 7:24, arrived in Naples in the pouring rain at 6:05. The Frecciarossa from Milan to Naples is comfortable and has wifi but the dining car was 4 cars away so I stayed put.

The B&B, O Sarracino, was only a five-minute walk from the train station. In theory. In fact, it took us 15 minutes in the downpour to get oriented. Using Google maps on a rainy night is challenging.

Alfredo welcomed us with Neapolitan warmth and we settled in.

Dinner was nearby in Trattoria Avellinese. It was simple and so local that a family brought a horde of their screaming kids. Good food but noisy.

October 19

Still raining! Hard! So much for exploring Naples on foot. We figured it was a good day to explore the Archaeology Museum but the first job was to figure out whether a pass that included that and other sights would be worthwhile. After scrutinizing the fine print it appeared that it wasn’t so we bought transport passes and headed out.

All the mental work left us hungry for pizza.

We headed to the celebrated Starita which serves up the best pizza in town. Fried pizza? Oh yes! It was heavenly with a chewy flavorful crust. And then we dragged our soggy selves down to the Museum

It hardly seemed possible that there would be a long line to get in on a rainy October afternoon but there you have it. It was discouraging.

We took a lengthy tea break in the elegant Galleria Principe di Napoli across the street. 45 minutes later the rain had stopped and the line had shortened so we headed in.

The massive museum displays finds mainly from Pompeii and Herculaneum. It was entrancing. Here are the highlights:

The Toro Farnese depicts the torture of the seductress Dirce by the enraged sons of the father who abandoned them. Carved from a single 13-foot high block of stone, it’s the largest intact statue from antiquity.

And then there’s “tired Hercules” so finely carved the veins in his arms were visible.

There was so much to take in.

We finished in the “Secret Room” crowded with giggling teenagers eager to see Porn: Classic Edition

We returned to Trattoria Avellinese for a simple dinner of penne arrabiata.