The Olympics happening in Italy recently had me thinking about my trip there in the fall of 2018. I’ve been to Italy a few times, and it’s one of those places that never feels repetitive. Each visit feels new.

That trip was my first time in Naples. It quickly became one of my favorite cities in the country. We visited in the fall, and the city felt fully lived in. Less curated. More everyday.

We rented an Airbnb high above the city with a direct view of Mount Vesuvius across the rooftops. Getting there involved a long drive up a narrow hill and a brief moment when our cab started rolling because it wasn’t in park. We made it.

Naples is also where I had the best plate of pasta of the trip. We had walked a long way downhill from where we were staying and stopped at a small restaurant without much thought. It was run by a couple in their seventies. Nothing elaborate. Just good food.

From Naples, we made our way along the Amalfi Coast. The landscape shifts quickly from dense streets to open coastline. Cliffs, water, stone, narrow staircases. The scale changes, but the immersion stays the same.

These photos are from that first stop. Part 2 moves north.