Ciao Bella!

Naples, Italy

We had been anchored off Naples for four days, thinking about how many times we had heard it described as grimy, gritty and tattered. Just the week before, friends from home said it was too rough for their taste. Yet, there we were, in Italy’s third-largest city, and its beauty mesmerized us. Ciao bella, hello beautiful!

Like much of Italy, Naples’ historic center is a Unesco World Heritage Site; its archaeological treasures are among the most important in the world. But compared to its siblings of Rome, Venice, Florence and Milan, Naples seems unappreciated.

Perhaps part of its allure to us is the view from the water, as most everything looks better from the sea. But we explored the entire city, and still found an incredible, beautiful gem.

It seems that beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.