I cherish this picture of an authentic pizza from Naples, Italy every time I see it. I took this picture of my first meal in Italy the day I landed in Naples for the first time. In April of 2012 I went to Naples for work for 60 days. I flew from Sacramento, California to Naples, Italy through Munich, Germany. I was really excited for sixty days in Europe on my employer’s dime.
When I landed in Naples, I had some issues with getting my rental car. Additionally, I couldn’t get the GPS to work. I brought the GPS from the United States with the European maps hoping to make my life easier. Google Maps was a thing at this point, but I just wasn’t current on my modern technology so I used an old Magellan GPS. After a few delays, the maps kicked in and I was off to the hotel. I was really hungry and ready to get some authentic Italian food.
Checked In To The Hotel…Where’s The Beef?
I made it to a hotel and checked in. There was no food available at the hotel. I was new to Italy at the time and I hadn’t learned that Italians have interesting eating hours where they essentially have a small meal in the morning consisting of fruit, croissants, and coffee and then they have a big pasta dinner at night. The eating hours and food availability is very different from America. Fortunately, my hotel was in a tourist area. As a result and now running on sensory overload from new surroundings, I was able to walk down the street from the hotel and find an authentic pizza place to eat at.
Can’t Say No To Authentic Pizza In It’s Birthplace
After looking at the fancy menu, I ordered a pizza with bacon, corn, and cream sauce. As much as I wanted to order a Hawaiian pizza, I wasn’t going to start my trip out being that guy. The picture looked good but I questioned if the pizza was going to look like the picture. Either way, with bacon, you can’t go wrong. I’ve had pasta with white sauce but I’ve never had a pizza with the white sauce so we’ll see. I’m touring…I should be open minded. Plus, I’m ordering pizza in Italy…where it was born…in Naples…how risky can an authentic pizza from Naples, Italy be?
American Pizza Is Not Authentic
I laughed when the pizza showed up. All the American advertising brainwashing about what real pizza is in America was totally wrong. You eat authentic pizza with a fork and knife. The middle of the pizza was wet and soggy. Oh and by the way, did I order bacon or chunks of ham? If it’s ham…then damn…where’s the pineapple? Yes, their version of bacon is actually ham or prosciutto in Italian. On top of this, the corn was just something that was an interesting idea.
I was a little leery about eating a cream-based sauce fresh off the plane. There was a chance it wouldn’t sit well in my stomach. I rationalized that there was a lot of dough to balance it out so I ate it and had no problems. Life is about bargaining right?
Let The Eating Begin
I started out with the fork and knife even though I wanted to attack it with both hands American style. The pizza was good. The cream, ham, and corn worked well together. I wanted to add some pepper or dried chili flakes but that didn’t happen. I was tired and hungry. As you can see in the top right corner, there was a local Peroni draft beer to wash it down with. The good food was complimented by an amazing view of the bay of Naples. This is where the America’s cup was held in 2012.
This Picture Is My Travel Trigger
This picture of an authentic pizza from Naples, Italy is significant to me because, even though I’d been to Egypt and Europe before, this trip to Naples, Italy in April of 2012 was the real start my overseas travel. During this trip my travel bug came alive again. I have since been to 63 countries and counting. This pictures makes me smile so I’m sharing it. I encourage you to identify your travel trigger and memorialize it somehow so you never forget and you always pursue it.
Resources:
- Wikipedia – Prociutto
- CupInfo.com – America’s Cup In Naples, Italy 2012
