Family Reunion: Back to Naples

Update, November 2017: Trip scheduled for October 29-November 2, 2018. Those are the core dates for visiting Naples and Solofra. Many of us will arrive earlier and stay later. All options are available. Let’s talk!

Domenic Troisi came to the U.S. from Naples in 1907. It’s time we go back.

Who wants to go to Naples and Solofra in 2018 with me and Julie?

I need some relatives with me whose passports say “Troisi!” “Carapellucci” is Abruzzese and won’t impress Neapolitans.

We are going in late October/early November of 2018, after the summer season (hence less costly and less hot), probably for two weeks. Julie and I will research family haunts in Naples and Solofra (churches, art academies, galleries, museums, places our ancestors lived) and act as tour guides.

Plus we’ll visit other must-see history and art that isn’t necessarily family related, such as Pompeii, Capri, archeological museums, “creche street” where Neapolitan Christmas decorations are made, etc.

Not to mention…pizza. Famous Neapolitan pizza. And coffee. Lots of Italian coffee and other goooood food. We are talking about Italy, remember?

Personally, I don’t travel to shop or go to beaches or clubs, but don’t let that put you off. We don’t have to all hang together 24/7 like a Japanese bus tour. All preferences can be accommodated!

Note to certain cousins who are musically inclined: Naples has a very active “world music” scene. I recommend John Turturro’s movie Passione to get you started.

Naples is a world-class city, 4,000 years old, founded by Greeks, and, until the 1800s, a major trading center of the Mediterranean (along with Athens, Cairo, etc.) and the largest, most international and, arguably, most sophisticated city in Italy.

Over the centuries, the city has been ruled by the Romans, French (Normans and Angevins—who are the source of the name Troisi), Spanish (Aragonese and Bourbons), and since the unification of 1848, newly designated “Italians.” In a country whose only stable government since self-rule began in 1848 was the 20 years of Mussolini’s Fascism (so, not exactly a bragging point), how anything actually “runs” is a bit of a mystery. If you’re a “city collector,” as I am, all this history adds up to “must see.”

There are no direct flights to Naples from the U.S. off season, so it is easy to add a few days in Rome to an itinerary, if that sweetens the deal.

See downloadable PDF flyer here for more details about my ideas.

Julie and I are both experienced budget travelers who are willing to coach others. If you’re interested at all, get in touch with either of us and let’s see what we can work out.