My trip to Italy last May

This was my fourth visit to Italy in the last ten years. Thanks to my wife's job, which needed her help in Naples, I was able to visit her and explore that region of Italy.

I arrived in Naples on a Friday afternoon. As soon as my plane landed from Munich, a huge downpour hit the runaway. A passenger that was sitting behind me called his friend in Miami on the phone to let him know he had arrived safely, and said "This is so typical of Naples - a huge downpour that lasts a few minutes, and then the sun comes out. This place is just as chaotic as Miami." It was only after a few hours in Naples that I realized what he meant by that, but I also slightly disagreed with his assessment. After taking cabs in Naples, I would say Naples is chaotic, Miami is mostly organized in spite of the drivers and the hectic highway traffic. Naples reminds of Rio in a way, but in a much smaller scale. My wife was waiting for me at the airport with a friendly cab driver - Enzo was his name. You realize after a while that Enzo is a very common name in southern Italy. Enzo is short for Vincenzo, Lorenzo, and probably every other name that ends with Enzo. Anyway, back to our Enzo, the cab driver. Enzo was very nice and polite, and became even friendlier after we started talking about the favorite subject amongst Brazilians and Italians alike - soccer. He then took us for a tour of the old city, Via Tribunali, the Castles, and made a stopped at his favorite coffee shop to offer us some delicious sfogliatelli and coffee. I was amazed by his hospitality, and that is very true of the Neapolitan culture, as I found out later. I felt right at home. I have always missed the occasional chaos, the warmth and hospitality of the people, and most of all the nice weather. He then dropped us off at my wife's apartment.

The next 10 days I spent exploring Naples, going to the ruins in Pompeii and Herculaneum, visiting the Amalfi Coast and the islands of Capri and Ischia. It is hard to pick a favorite place, but I guess Ischia and Capri were the highlights of my trip. The Amalfi coast is breathtaking, and I am glad I did not drive there. The road along the coast is very narrow with beautiful views. I wouldn't recommend anyone to rent a car and drive along the Amalfi coast. Instead, get on a bus and let the driver worry about the road, and focus instead on the amazing landscape. We stayed in Positano for two nights. Positano and the other towns along the Amalfi Coast are places that you need to see at least once in your lifetime.