Back to Naples

Plenty of years have passed since I traveled to Naples on business, but my memory of it stays clear in my mind. For instance the Joli Hotel where I stayed. I'm sure there are many more fabulous hotels in the world but the Joli for me was a perfect fit. Imagine having breakfast in the dining room, which was or is glassed in on two sides. You look up in one direction and you see the Bay of Naples and the islands of Capri and Ishchia (accented on the first syllable of both names). In the other direction stands the famous volcano, Vesuvius, with a wisp of smoke rising from its crater. Just two or three doors down the street from the Joli is a pizza parlor. The pizzas you buy there only faintly resemble the American version. The Italian pizza has a thinner crust and topped with green peas and a raw egg plopped in the middle. They sure taste good to me and the beer tastes good anywhere.