Michael Jackson, calligraphy, and Fahad Aliyu

We were on the lookout for somewhere interesting to go and see. I was there in Budapest just for a couple of days and my friends wanted to take us somewhere besides the typical ruin bar (of course we would do that too). So during dinner, the thought came up...

"Why don't we start at an art market?" one friend said.

"Will there be live music there?" I asked. Two things that usually get me out somewhere is live music and free booze.

"I think so," she said. "But it's an art show, so there will definitely be free booze."

"Okay, I'm in."

the front of Painter's Palace

So we headed down to Painter's Palace, an underground, kind of hidden joint in Jozsefvaros. They do a lot of various art functions, like showings, life drawings, creative writing clubs, and all sorts of creative artsy workshop stuff. When we were there, there was an art market there, where local artists would display their work, hopefully sell it, and happily talk about it with any curious folk.

the art market event at Painter's Palace

The artist that really caught my eye that night was a calligraphy artist by the name of Fahad Aliyu. He had a lot of the traditional Arabic calligraphy, but even more interesting to me were his calligraphic pieces of Michael Jackson. He gave me his card and wrote my name on it all fancy-like, and we exchanged emails and had an e-chat.

Calligraphy is a really interesting world to me, in part because maybe I don't know much about it. In the Western world, it seemed to me to be pretty much limited to illuminating religious texts--and since we've no prohibition on drawing and sculptures, religious art tended to go that way--and graffiti. Plus, our alphabet perhaps isn't the best for illumination anyway.

In the Islamic world, they did have a stricter prohibition on what was acceptable as religious art and what wasn't, leading into a centuries-long foray into the development of script as not just translation, but as art itself. When you go to mosques or other buildings throughout the Middle East, you can see so many pieces of flowing letters that even the image itself looks poetic, and it's certainly a fascinating aspect of Islamic culture to me.

But anyway, this interview doesn't really touch on religion, and I don't mean it to.

It's about Fahad Aliyu, an architecture student from Nigeria who spent much of his later youth in Italy and now studies in Budapest, where he also practices and teaches calligraphy.

I plan on doing more interviews like this of other travelers and expats that I meet along the way, so hopefully you enjoy.

Let me introduce you to Fahad Aliyu:

Fahad Aliyu standing in front of some of his work

Saint: How did you get started in calligraphy? What's your main influence or inspiration?

Fahad Aliyu: I’ve always loved writing since I was a little kid. I was and still am obsessed with my handwriting, always striving to make it better one way or the other. On the other hand I really love letters and see them from a different view unlike the average person, I have a way of analysing them structurally, I feel connected to letters every time I’m writing. In mid April 2015 I was going through my Facebook feed and came a cross this video which showed an artist called Seb Lester recreating famous brand logos using calligraphy. I was not only amazed but blown away so I said to myself; "if this guy can do it, I definitely can” I got a few brush pens and decided to give it a try. Since then I stuck to it and haven’t looked backed or paused for a second. So Seb Lester influenced me from the very beginning, but gradually developing as an artist, I’m inspired by a lot of things around me, starting from myself, memories of the past, my thoughts and visions about the future, friends and family, architecture, but my favourite source of inspiration is nature.

In what way does nature inspire you?

I’ve always found mother nature fascinating. Mainly because of the sheer freedom. You cannot limit a tree for example; to how tall it can grow or how wide it can spread its roots, it’s simply impossible. Its leaves grow and wither, and the cycle continues. I tend to set my mind loose when I’m searching for ideas or inspiration for my art, especially when I’m bored and want to try something different. Which is why I often peep into nature, I try to be very dynamic. Just like the leaves when they wither, I’m always ready to start afresh and never scared of trying something new. This is important to improve and develop yourself as an artist. This is the main reason why spring is my favourite season of the year. To see the rebirth of plants and their blossoming colours is simply magical.

You mention later that you study architecture... do you feel a connection between the art of letters and the art of architecture? What led you down the path to study architecture? Was that a choice you made before or after your interest in calligraphy?

I feel the strong relation between architecture and calligraphy (at least from my point of view). Although architecture is a completely different world of its own, you have to think in a different dimension, to view things in a more intricate way than the normal human does. I like to say architecture is about bringing a conceptual idea to reality as opposed to calligraphy where you’re dealing with already existing forms. I’m currently working on an interesting series called “callitecture”, mixture of calligraphy and architecture. I came up with it because I want to create the fusion of both. It’s inspired by my admiration for Leonardo Da Vinci.

When I was much younger in junior high school, I loved drawing. I had a collection of sketchbooks filled with colourful comic drawings of superheroes. Later I fell in love with technical drawing and also realised I love making and repairing things. Whenever I had an idea to create something I would gather scrap materials and give it a try, whether it turned out successful or not. I guess that’s the spirit I still possess till today. I had a few creative projects that I was very proud of and as I grew older I realised architecture was the way to go. I always wondered how a human mind could think of something as huge as a building and actually see to it that it was built. My curiosity kept increasing and I kept fueling it, and here we are a now!

Are there any other calligraphy artists whose work inspires you?

Yes, the likes of Pokras Lampas (a crazy Russian guy who currently has the world record of the largest calligraphy piece, made on a rooftop in Moscow); Vincent Abadi Hafiz (Zepha), a French calligraffiti artist; eLseed, a French Tunisian artist who does Arabic calligraffiti; Cryptik, a mandala artist whose works are based mainly on meditation, the soul and spirit. I discovered all these artists and a lot more through Calligraphy Masters, the largest online platform for calligraphers and lettering artists.

I had to look up the work on those guys, but those are some really amazing artists. You can definitely see the link between architecture and letters, especially in Hafiz's work. Do you contemplate doing things along that vein when you'll be designing visual spaces?

Absolutely. My biggest inspiration when it comes to murals is elSeed. I see myself separating the two, but still under the same umbrella. I envision myself like Da Vinci, but a simpler version. Artist, architect and engineer. I’m working on harmonising them all in one package to dish out to the public in the future.

calligraphy meets structure

You do a lot of Michael Jackson pictures. How did you get so interested in MJ?

Growing up, MJ was my role model. I dressed like him and danced like him, he inspired me to always keep my white socks clean and my black shoes polished, all thanks to my dad who introduced my brother and I to him. I’m proud to say I have the coolest father on earth. He would buy us MJ disks that contained a compilation of his music videos, and we would all sit together and watch him execute all those sick dance moves. My dad would play us Bob Marley songs while traveling on long journeys and tell us stories of how they loved him when they were youths, while deciphering the lyrics. So my best way of keeping all these memories alive are through calligraphy. Sometimes I write famous quotes or lyrics by these legends, but making a whole picture calligram of Michael Jackson for example, is a way of visualising the childhood memories that I can’t let go of.

As an American, I'm always fascinated by the pieces of American culture that spread out through the world and were picked up, like how Jackson is popular still in a lot of countries. I remember when he died, I was in Georgia, and I think it impacted the local Georgians more than any of the Americans that I knew! As a musician myself, I find a certain fondness for Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen, since my dad was also playing them a lot when we took trips to their home in Louisiana. Where were you taking trips with your father to when you were young? And is your recreation of MJ somehow a tribute to your father as well?

I had frequent visits to many Doctors due to a health issue I was struggling with when I was much younger. These appointments were often in a different cities, many hours drive from where we lived. So I embarked on lots of journeys with my dad. This was when I listened to tracks by Bob Marley and MJ, and several other trips within Nigeria. So yes the MJ recreation is a tribute to him. For my next exhibition I intend to make a Bob Marley portrait as well.

What brought you to Budapest?

I lived in Rome, Italy prior to Budapest, where I completed high school and Hungary was suggested by a family friend as a reputable country with good universities. So I came to Budapest, and I’m currently studying Architectural Engineering at Budapest University Of Technology And Economics (BME).

So which feels more home to you now? Budapest, Rome, or where you grew up?

They all feel like home since my growing up was divided between these places almost equally because we moved a lot. But if I was to choose one, it’ll be my home town of Bida, Niger State, Nigeria simply because it has the most memories for me personally. That’s where I learnt how to read the Qur’an, to read and write Arabic as well. The skills which I still possess till date. Each of these places hold their memories but Bida is more special because it defines my originality, I’m very conservative when it comes to my culture. I was born there and I made the transition from an infant to a toddler before eventually moving to the capital city.

How did you get your work posted here at Painter's Palace?

I was scrolling through public events on Facebook (I always do that to find art events or exhibitions to attend) and I came across the art market event at painter's palace. I thought it was a good opportunity to sell my art work, meet several artists and get more connections and exposure.

more of Fahad's work

Do you do a lot of showings around Budapest?

Yes I do. My main event is usually the wild art exhibition which takes place every six weeks (the next is on the 14th of April). It's an amazing idea which was brought to life by a young genius artist. A non-profit, one night only exhibition that gives upcoming artists of various specialties the opportunity to showcase their work to the public, each event is hosted at a different location. It has been gaining a lot of recognition on Facebook and within Budapest in general, we see the attendance increasing with each event and thousands interested on Facebook, I'm very glad to be part of this movement.

Where is the next wild art exhibition? And what's their facebook page?

The next exhibition is at Patyolat in the 8th district of Budapest. Their face page is ‘Vad Art Kiallitas’. Hungarian for Wild Art Exhibition. Same for their Instagram page.

You mention doing workshops. Tell me about those.

The first workshop I had was with a non profit-organization known as Artemisszio together with a volunteering organization called "Open Doors”. We had a combined calligraphy and textile printing workshop which was a fun experience. Then I got hired by Prezi.hu to teach their staff, and I've continued giving workshops at Open Doors since I'm a part of it myself. Also recently, a new student activity we created among international BME students called blank; a scene where students with talents mainly beneficial to us architecture students, can share their skills freely with others by teaching it, we launched this in February and we hold sessions every Saturday. I'm glad everyone interested in calligraphy is taking it seriously and willing to learn. I’m always ready to share my knowledge with as many people as possible, because I believe calligraphy is a fading art form that needs to be revived.

Tell me more about your Artemisszio and Open Doors. What do you do with them? What are their missions?

The Artemisszió Foundation has been operating since 1998 as a non-profit organization of public interest. The founders were young anthropologists who wanted to apply their theoretical knowledge and the results of their scientific research to foster social and personal development and open-minded thinking. The Artemisszió Foundation is aiming to achieve its goals through the research, promotion and use of the theory and practice of intercultural communication.

Open Doors on the other hand is a volunteering organisation that helps migrants and refugees. Their program aims to ensure that refugee young people are successfully integrated into the Hungarian society, developing self-expression tools and quality relationships. They also organise creative workshops and youth exchange programs. I participated in an amazing youth exchange program last August which involved participants from 5 countries (I was part of the Hungarian team) usually with a theme (last year’s was change for media). And at the end we learnt how to produce videos in a professional way. Composition and technicality, shooting and editing up till final production. Our videos were later broadcasted on national TV. It was an amazing program which I’ll love to experience again. Though intensive, but very well worth it. The videos can be watched on youtube if you search for “Change for media 2017”. Thanks to Open Doors Hungary, Erasmus+ and SCI europe.

How can people get in touch with you and see your work?

I'm available on Facebook and Instagram with the handle @falligraphy. I can also be contacted via My email address which is aliyufahad@ymail.com or aliyufahad1@gmail.com.

I feel people should look deeper into themselves and find that one thing they love to do, what makes you feel alive. What raises your heartbeat anytime you think about doing it, work on it constantly and strive to improve yourself always. You might have a talent but waste it by not exploring ways to build it up. Stay open minded and take criticisms as part of the improvement procedure (especially for artists) because we're not perfect and neither is our art.

Thank you again Fahad, and best of luck to you in the coming future!

#art #budapest #interviews

A Syrian soul singer in Budapest

When we got back from Naples, I learned that a friend of mine was coming to Europe. “I’ll be in Berlin at this time and Budapest at this time,” he said.

“So why not stop at Prague? It’s in the middle,” I said.

“I’m going by plane.”

Damnit Wizzair and your ridiculously cheap flights! So then, it was up to me to choose one. I was in Berlin most recently, and I was closer to the folk that he was seeing in Budapest, so Budapest it would be.

Budapest is about an 8-hour train ride from Prague. It’s a comfortable train, easy to book online, has wifi and all that jazz. The only thing it doesn’t have is a food car.

In typical Czech fashion, there’s just some dude that roams up and down with random bits of food. Sometimes sandwiches, sometimes five-year-old Bickers Bars. Seriously weird off-brand stuff that probably haven’t been made since Communist times. Buying water from those guys is also a wonder, as when you get the bottle of water, you get the slight feeling that it was filled up at the toilet of the last station. Just a vague feeling though. I’m sure its fine.

Always best to go with the beer.

The beer is likely to have been sold quickly and cycled through, so it should be safe.

I met my friend Andy at the Budapest station, and since my other friends didn’t have a spot left for me to stay, I got an apartment across the street with AirBnB. So far so good, except that I forgot my phone and tablet charger… there’s always something! It’s okay, it’s just a couple of days and I’ve got an extra phone battery. At least this time I remembered my camera chip and charger, not like when I was in Naples.

a statue outside my airbnb

The first time I had been to Budapest was for a two-week stint waiting for my Russian visa that never came. It was half-crumbling ruin and half-construction site with only the very center of the city being a presentable place for tourism and life. The coolest part of town was the old Jewish ghetto, which was a giant morass of old buildings that were once bankers’ palaces (by Jewish ghetto here I don’t mean it in the World War II sense, but rather in the historical sense of concentrated Jewish neighborhood, as the ghettos in World War II weren’t usually in such nice places).

some shots around the ghetto

Holocaust memorial outside a synagogue

random building in the ghetto district

and just a cool building somewhere

The bankers’ palaces though were old remnants of their former glory, long empty, and the interiors had been gutted and turned into gigantic dive bars. The bars, called ruin bars, would often have a couple of kitschy items, like a giant Cupid or some neon lights, to give it atmosphere, but that was otherwise it. And as this was back before the tourism wave came to Budapest, they were all kind of empty, a little bit seedy, and very cool feeling. I wanted to revisit that, obviously.

a street uptown

The first night though, we had other plans. Obviously, when you’re in Budapest, you’ve got to go to some weird concert of a Syrian wedding singer. We went to that, held at Durer Kert, which definitely maintains the feel of a ruin bar, and maybe it is one, I’m not actually that sure of the technical definition. It’s a live music venue in an old university building, where the old lecture halls have all been turned into their individual clubs. Each hall hosts their own band, where you’ll have to pay an individual entry most nights. You’ll get both local acts here and international acts, and the other interior bars and garden are free for the roaming. There’s also no single type of music played here. We were at a Syrian wedding singer concert, but that same night there was also a hardcore punk and a death metal concert, along with who knows what else.

a romantic scene in one of the bars

yalla yalla in the house!

I’ll be honest, though the Syrian wedding singer guy, Omar Souleyman, was kind of awesome. A weird Arab techno something vibe going on. Even his name is pretty hilarious, as it’s usually Anglicized as “Suleiman” but here he’s purposefully put some soul into it, man.

The next day, Andy and I just wandered around the town aimlessly, hitting a few bars along the way. We started off along one of the main squares, the Oktagon, and then zig-zagging around Kiraly street.

We finally ended up at the riverside, then at Kalvin Ter, and had some ethnic Hungarian Vietnamese food. We then met up with our friends again after their daily routine was finished, and made our way for a few drinking sites.

outside Painter's Palace

The first was a little art hole, called the Painter’s Palace, where there was a little artist’s market. I met an artist there doing some amazing calligraphy. I’ll talk more on that next week.

Then we hit the Jewish ghetto again, aiming specifically for some ruin bars.

near Kalvin Tor

We went to Szimpla Kert, whose tradition is the one really that started the ruin bar thing back in 2001 in its first iteration. It’s now on Kazinczy street, and forms a fantastically bizarre complex of different rooms from different eras, a jungle-esque upper corridor, and a large courtyard garden that features outdoor films and a table from an old Trabant car. The place was absolutely packed, but we were able to find a place in the courtyard. Not ideal for the winter, but it stayed surprisingly warm, filled with outdoor heaters as it was.

in the courtyard of Szimpla

also in the courtyard, not watching movies

another bar in Szimpla

We decided to change scenes and went to Fogas haz, which is also Instant. They were once separate places, but later merged, or something. I’m not sure. But here I was able to pronounce the death of ruin pubs. There was a security line with a face control, then an enforced coat check place, and so on. And we were finally inside. They had some live music going on, which was good, but nothing we were interested in (it was progressive rock, which I’m not too keen on these days now that I’m an older gentleman and such). We finally found a neat little back room filled with weird art that looked like a coffee shop to an art gallery, or at least somewhere proper to plan a revolution.

the main room at Fogas haz

However, what really killed the mood, was some lady charging for the restroom. It wasn’t the typical old lady in the bathroom who kind of guilts you into throwing a coin at her, but rather the old lady had set up a barricade on the outside, complete with a big burly guy to shake you down for an investment in her sanitation business.

plotting revolution in a backroom

I ask her how much, “500 forints!” she yells back. That seems a bit much, that’s like 4 beers or something--at some point these wacked out inflated currencies are like Monopoly funny money--but I really have to pee, so I throw the coin into her tray. Later, when walking out, I looked around and noticed a sign that said something like 100 forints. Real mafia thing happening with the toilets, I tell you. But then I noticed another group of people coming in, a dude wearing a giant penis, and his mates chanting out British football songs. A stag party. Ah, I see now. The Brits haven’t just ruined Prague, but Budapest too. Here’s to a hard Brexit!

one of the bars at Fogas had some weird pics

including a Put in

After all of us got gypped at the loo, we decided to move on to where there might be a free place to pee. A more low key spot with superior beers, Uncle Ogre. A much quieter spot, completely lacking in the British football chants, and serving much better than the regular swill at the ruin bars. It was a good way to end the night/trip.

#budapest #bars

The Amalfi Coast: Village Cliffhangers

It’s a tragedy for someone to go to Naples and not see the Amalfi Coast. If you’ve got at least three days in Naples, then you must see the Amalfi Coast, considering how easy it is to get there, especially if you’ve a regional Arte Card, which gives you free access to transit all the way across Campania, and that includes everything to, from, and in the Amalfi Coast.

Getting there

We woke up in the morning and went over to the train station, which was conveniently next to the hotel. We jumped onto the L2 metro. This is where maps are confusing. They show the L2 as ending at Gianturco, but actually it goes on to Salerno. It’s a super comfortable metro/train car, and many of the cars are double deckers, so if you’re lucky enough, go up. The metro is really an endless series of surprises. Remember in my last blog, where we went on a tour of the underground aquifer 60 meters below the city? Imagine then, when they built the metro, I suppose they had to go below that even! There’s just layer upon layer of stuff going on underneath that town.

We rode the train to Salerno, not sure if we wanted to get out and walk around. Since our next Amalfi bus wasn’t until noon and we were there thirty minutes early, we decided to walk around. We grabbed a couple of huge scoops of really delicious gelato and walked down the pedestrian mall, which was right out the train station. After spending some time milling around, we went over to catch the bus. I can’t say how Salerno is, but I can tell you that it wouldn’t be a bad spot to base your visit to Naples. Since the L2 takes you to the main station, and to the old town, it’s really quite accessible. Also Salerno is fairly flat around the old town, has really long beaches, and is relatively cheap, especially compared to the Amalfi Coast. So to any visit of the two regions, I might even recommend staying in Salerno. These were, of course, my thoughts before I went to Sorrento.

random view from the bus

The bus fills up even in the winter months, though it’s at a greater frequency in summer. There’s also no way to reserve your spot. So be warned.

The Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast is composed of a mountain range that ends abruptly into the sea. At some point in ancient history, some crazy bastards decided to put villages on the sides of these mountains, which not only became marvels of civil engineering, but also easily defensible as they were impossible to get to by land. It’s really amazing visiting these places, and just riding the bus down across the coast, as not only the buildings seem impossibly built, but also the road. The ancient dwellers here must have been quite skilled at terracing, and actually, having been in many places across Italy, I can say that perhaps this is just a skill that Italians must have possessed to an advanced degree throughout their history. The Amalfi Coast is perhaps the most impressive display of this though.

Amalfi

We rode the local SitaSud bus, the fare included in our Arte Card. It was easily marked to Amalfi, right outside the train station. Then we just sat back and relaxed, catching in all the amazing sites.

The tight curves were pretty crazy. The buses all have a tactic that, when they come to a sharp turn, they’ve got to honk to make sure people knew they were coming. The streets all had mirrors, and were well marked about where a car should stop to give way to buses making the corner, since the bus often needed the whole street to turn. Though it seemed fairly apparent to me that Italians are in no condition to worry about silly street markings!

I would love to stay in Salerno or Sorrento, bus in and visit a couple of the villages each day, spending the days soaking up the sun on the beach and drinking coffee and writing in the coffee shops. But we didn’t have time for such leisure, which meant we had to enjoy them from our window.

Amalfi

We did get out at two places though. Our first stop was actually the bus’s final destination: Amalfi.

Amalfi

Amalfi is also the name of a little village that’s basically right in the middle of the coast. I suppose the coast could have just as easily been named the Castiglione Coast, or the Conca dei Marini Coast, but Amalfi happened to be in the middle, so it's the Amalfi Coast.

looking up the main street

Amalfi dates from about the 6th century, when it was a bustling trading port, exchanging gold from Egypt, slaves from Europe, and salt from Sardinia—back in that time Africans were keeping Europeans as slaves, and Europeans mostly other Europeans, and Arabs just kept everyone as slaves. True story. Why anyone is surprised that Europeans took Native Americans as slaves is beyond me. There was a point of decrease in slavery in Europe, when the Pope said you can’t keep a Christian as a slave in the 9th century, which meant that the only source of slaves would be non-Christians (pagans, Muslims, or Jews). Though to be fair, most slavery occurring in Continental Europe was abolished by the 15th century, and the rest of the world lagged quite a bit behind in that.

exploring one of the upper roads

Anyways, Amalfi is a really beautiful gorge of a town. It goes straight up and straight down, and you can follow it up the gorge for about half a kilometer or so of solid buildings that all cling to the side of mountains. There are a great mix of cafes, some cheap places to eat, lots of expensive places to eat, you only have to open your eyes and look. We found a place to the back of the village, that was a fairly cheap bistro. 6 euros for a plate of pretty delicious pasta, and 5 euros for a bottle of wine. When we arrived, we realized there were two ladies we had seen on the train and on our bus. Small world.

enjoying some local wine

There's a really interesting church in the main square. The church dates back to the 9th square, and has some key aspects from all across the Mediterranean fusing into it. It's just an absolutely beautiful building, and a perfect place to find peace in an already peaceful place.

Amalfi Cathedral from the main square

the front steps of Amalfi Cathedral

Looking up

Positano

If you want a really expensive place to stay, then it’d be Positano, which is apparently where all the Hollywood stars vacation. And who can blame them. We thought Amalfi was incredible, Positano is perhaps even moreso, though it’s also that much moreso difficult to navigate. Where at least Amalfi has a flat interior, Positano is just built on the side of a mountain. We got off the bus at one end, and walked through the town all the way to the other. There is a lot of climbing in that town, I won’t lie!

arriving in Positano

starting our walk

Looking down at the cathedral

Positano was founded in the medieval times, and came to its peak in the 16th century, and by the 19th century, it wasn't doing so well, so most people from there had moved to a New York City tenement, wondering why the hell they moved. So they got angry, joined with the Sicilians, and started the mafia. Also true story.

St. Francis with a view

no need for a stairmaster in this town

Positano is not for people who like things easy though. If you hate stairs, skip the town. The whole city is climbing. But it’s also well worth it, in my point of view.

Sorrento

Our last stop was Sorrento. On the bus, I was thinking that Salerno would be the perfect place to stay next time we visited Campania. Sorrento made me change my mind.

Sorrento has got a cute old town, flat and up against the sea, bright narrow streets and alleys that must have been how Naples had looked hundreds of years ago. It was in much better condition and much cleaner than anything that I had seen in Italy before.

Though something weird was going on in Sorrento. Though it was late January, they were appearing to have Christmas holidays. There was a huge Christmas tree still up in the main square, lights over every street and hanging in all the trees. What was going on?

the Sorrento Christmas tree

Even weirder was that everything was closed! I know that happened to us already in Ischia, but this was different. It was already after 6. Places should be open. Restaurants should be open. I looked on my Google maps, hitting up one restaurant after the next, each saying they were open, but upon physical investigation, appearing that they in fact weren’t. Was there a time vortex at the train station, or what? But then, why was my GPS and cell internet working? So that couldn’t have been it.

it's looking a lot like Christmas

The only thing that was open were souvenir shops, all full to the brim with bottles and bottles of limoncello, which is the local drink and is also popular throughout Campania. It’s a lemon aperitif, served cold, and tastes hardly alcoholic even though it is quite so, so it’s great to buy for the ladies.

a street in Sorrento

We were just about to give up when we finally found a restaurant, the Ristorante Pizzeria Tasso. Don’t be fooled by its name, despite its “pizzeria” title, it’s by no means the cheap restaurant we were looking for. The first menu item was a seabass for 20 euro, which is actually a good price for seabass, but a bit over the bar food kind of thing we were looking for. But as they did put “pizzeria” in the title, we felt no shame ordering pizza, which actually wasn’t that expensive, at about 8 euros each. Expensive for Campania, but not expensive for the restaurant.

A short rant on pizza

Pizza is from Naples. If you come to the Campania region, you have to eat pizza. Everything else is second. The pizza there is beyond pizza that you’ll have anywhere else. I don’t really know how to explain it. It’s like every kitchen in the region has a special brick pizza oven that just makes awesome pizza. I was told to go to this pizza restaurant or that in Naples, but I’ve learned, it doesn’t really matter. Everywhere is going to have great pizza. And that was true here. And that was true everywhere. And the pizza is cheap. The standard item on the menu might be 30 euros, but they’ll still have pizza for under 10. There’s no rhyme or reason. Why should a fancy place even have pizza?

I never remember to take a pic before starting...

From Sorrento

There are two ways to go between Sorrento and Naples. That old rickety train I mentioned in my Pompeii blog, or by boat.

By boat, you can take the high-speed ferry provided by Caremar, with a transfer in Capri. It’s 20 euro to Capri, and 20 euro to Naples. There’s also a high-speed hydrofoil thru Alilaura that’s direct and only costs 13 euros, but that’s still double the price of the train. You can check all those times here or at their individual sites.

As we had the Arte Card, the choice home was obvious. We’d just take the train. And then wrap up our visit to Naples with wine on the rooftop of our hotel.

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#history #beach #touristicsites #amalfi #naples