BAY OF NAPLES, ITALY

My next stop in Italy was Naples. I arrived via train from Venice. I just used Naples as a jumping off point though to see some of the islands in the Bay of Naples. There's not too much to see here, so I only spent part of a morning exploring the castle located across the street from the ferry terminal.

This was my very first castle!! Castel Nuovo was completed in 1282.

This is the entrance, a 2-storey Renaissance triumphal arch called Torre della Guardia.

Detail under the arched entrance.


It costs 5E to enter ... or you can walk under the arch and into the hallway up to the interior and look around (so long as you stay behind the guard rail) for free. This is the view of the interior from the guard rail.

After checking out the castle, I then headed to the ferry terminal to get a ticket to Procida Island (15E). When I got there I had just missed the 8:35am ferry by 5min! The next one wasn't until 12:30pm! Bah! So I would recommend getting your ticket first, then go checkout the castle while you wait. As I waited for my ferry, I noticed that ferries to Capri were departing every 30min! Boat loads of people headed to the same tiny little island! No thanks! It would be so crowded there! I was sick of crowds at this point, so I'm glad I decided to visit the 2 lesser known/visited islands of Procida & Ischia instead. I like quiet, peaceful, not crowded places. But if you like people and partying, then head to Capri.

The ferry to Procida was about 30min. The ferry arrives in Marina Grande - you'll be disappointed, at least I was, cuz its a bit run down and needs a paint job. But its the village on the other side of the island that is the one in all the postcards. But Marina Grande has more restaurants and shopping.

From the marina I took a short taxi ride to my hotel - Le Grand Bleu Apartment. Normally I don't bother taking photos of my accomodations unless its extra nice. This was one of those places. It completely surprised me!


I was expecting it to be crap, as I was looking for cheap, not for luxury. I had paid $104 for a hotel room the size of a jail cell in Venice. This one was even less, only $74, so I wasn't expecting much. But I got a full apartment! It had a bedroom with a queen size bed, a kitchen, living room, dining area, computer and desk, bathroom with bidet, a private patio/terrace, and free wifi!

My outdoor eating area.

And there was a rooftop terrace with 360 degree views, with sun loungers, and an outdoor kitchen area for communal use


The island is very small, only 4sqkm, so I walked everywhere. Christine, the friendly owner of the hotel, provided me with a map of the island, and off I went. The streets are VERY narrow and all cobblestone. They are only wide enough for one car to go through. If another car is coming in the opposite direction, they either have to back up, or wait until the other car is fully out, lol!


There's no sidewalks, so when a vehicle comes I quite literally had to press myself against the building! The vehicles are tiny though, like Smart Car size, and Mini Coopers, and a lot of Vespas and motorbikes.

I found my way to that colorful village that first drew me to this island. It is called Marina Coricella. There are various ways to get here, so just ask your hotel which way is easiest/closest for you.
There was a big flight of stairs from the lookout point down to the actual village. That is Terra Murata in the background.


The village reminded me of Santorini the way the homes were built on a cliff on top of eachother ... with a lot more color though!



To get to the best lookout point you will either have to go back up to the first lookout point and continue on down the same road (at the intersection head right), or from the village ask a local for directions through the homes. I opted to walk through the homes via all the stairways. They are steep and narrow, theres tunnels too. Not for the claustropbic that's for sure!


I couldn't resist taking photos of all the colorful doors, handles, peeling paint, etc along the way. Such a photogenic place!

Keeping walking and you will eventually get to this perfect lookout point! Just look at that view!





At the lookout point there are also a few canons overlooking the bay.





I wandered the twisting cobblestone streets and came across yet another lookout point. This one was over the Bay of Naples. That is Mt Vesuvius in the background (located on the right of the photos).


I headed back down to the village for lunch at one of the cafes along the water.

I had spaghetti carbonara and freshly squeezed lemonade



There were many hungry kitties crowding around my table waiting for something to drop, lol!

This cutie placed himself right at my foot and kept meowing until I gave him something. How could I resist that face?!

On my 2nd day here I headed to the nearest beach ... Spiaggia di Chiaia. You will have to descend 182 steps (there is no other way) ... be prepared to climb 182 steps back up again! Wow, what a workout!

Spiaggia di Chiaia is a black sand beach. You can see the colorful Marina Coricella in the distance. I was here in late October so it was too chilly to actually hangout at the beach, and all the little food huts were closed for the season. But I enjoyed the sunrise anyways




I made my way across the island, back to the other marina. I just loved wandering the streets here It wasn't crowded or touristy at all. I only saw a handful of tourists at the main lookout point, and that was all. That was partly due to the time of year I was here, but also due to the fact that everyone else was in Capri, lol!


This side of the island has a courtyard, and the big, yellow Santa Maria della Pieta cathedral.

All ferries heading back to Naples or to Ischia Island depart from Marina Grande. There is a terminal in which you can buy tickets off to the side from where the ferry drops you off. A ferry between Procida & Ischia costs 8E. However I accidentally booked a ticket to the wrong port ... there is more than one on Ischia. I just booked the one that was departing the soonest. If you are wanting to be near the castle that is the main draw of this island, then be sure to book a ticket to Ischia Porto. I booked a ticket to Casamicciola Terme ... a $35 taxi ride away from where I needed to be!

I stayed at Hotel Ulisse ... checkout the view from my room! You can even see the castle in the background!

It was located only a 3min walk to a Spiaggia dei Pescatori (beach with views of the castle), 10min walk to the castle that I came to see, had 2 pools, free breakfast & free wifi ... all for $63
To get to the castle you can either walk along the beach, or through the town. I did both, I took the beach route there, and the town route back.

There were many beachfront restaurants & bars. But just a head's up, they all close from 3-7pm!! Around 430pm I was so hungry because I had accidentally skipped lunch cuz I was too busy sightseeing. Everything was closed - restaurants, shops, markets, etc. I asked a local if it was a holiday. He said in Italy the work day is 9am-3pm, then everything closes 3pm-7pm, and re-opens at 7pm. Whereas in North America our workdays are 9-5pm. Closing restaurants from 3-7pm though?! Thats prime 'eat supper and watch the sunset over the castle' time! I was not impressed.





The name of this awesome castle is Castello Aragonese. It is actually a castle, cathedral, convent, and crypt! The first fortress was built in 474BC! However the rest of the structures were built throughout the 1400s.

It is built on rock island and connected to the mainland by a causeway.


A view of the town from the castle's causeway.

It cost 10E to go inside the castle. This is the entrance tunnel (below) that leads to an elevator that has been added on. The elevator whisks you to the top for awesome views over the island.




I took a lot of photos of the inside of the castle cuz when I was researching this place prior to arriving, whenever I googled it, only photos of the exterior came up. I had no idea what to expect of it. But I wasn't disappointed! I had a blast exploring this place! There was even a restaurant built at the top.


The following photos are all of the inside.





Ancient toilets. Back then going to the washroom was a public thing - no privacy at all!

The crypt where the family members who used to live in this castle, still had painting on the walls!

Living quarters



A church inside the castle.



Wine cellar

Olive press



Some of you would probably only spend 30min here, but I was here for hours! I really enjoyed wandering around the old castle, imagining how people would have live 100s of years ago! There's so many tunnels and rooms to explore Afterwards I headed back to my hotel by wandering through the town (and stopping for some Nutella gelato!).


I relaxed by the pool, and then ended the day with a sunset from my balcony