Naples: Pizzas & Piazzas
-
Port
Sorrento, Italy
-
Activity Level
Moderate
-
Excursion Type
All
-
Wheelchair Accessible
No
-
Starting At
$149
-
Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
-
Duration
Approximately 6½ Hours
-
Meals Included
Meals included
Relax and enjoy a panoramic drive through Naples with a guide. (S)he will introduce you to the city, its monuments, important buildings, museums, shopping areas, entertainment and main squares. A bit of historical background will help you to understand why so many Italians and foreigners alike have fallen hopelessly in love with this city.
Take in the views along the coast of Posillipo; then you'll drive through the historic town center, along via Caracciolo, and see the Castel dell'Ovo. A stop in the Piazza Plebiscito offers an outside look at the Royal Palace and the San Carlo Opera House.
Of course, Naples is perhaps most famous for its indispensable contribution to the culinary repertoire of chefs and wannabes everywhere -- the perfectly palatable pizza. The world's first true pizzeria, Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba, opened in 1830 and is still in business today in Naples. Pizzerias in this era usually featured a large brick oven, a marble counter where the crust was prepared, and a shelf lined with ingredients. Contemporary Neapolitan pizzas are prepared in the same way as they were 100 years ago. In 1889, the Pizzeria di Pietro e Basta Cosi (now called Pizzeria Brandi) baked pizza for the visit of Queen Margherita. To make the pizza a little more patriotic-looking, Esposito used red tomato sauce, white mozzarella cheese and green basil leaves as toppings. The queen loved the pizza, and Pizza Margherita has since become a household name. Neapolitan pizza is still widely touted as the best in the world because of the fresh ingredients available to Neapolitan pizzerias -- herbs, garlic, and tomatoes grown in the rich volcanic ash of Vesuvius, and fresh mozzarella from water buffalo milk. At a local pizzeria in Naples, you will watch as expert pizzaioli (pizza-makers) demonstrate how to make a genuine Neapolitan pizza on a marble counter, right before your eyes. A sample of pizza will then be served by the chef and consumed by you.
Re-board the coach and jetfoil for the ride back to Sorrento