Photo from The Espresso Break 

Buon giorno! Do you have your caffè ready to sit down and enjoy a morning perusal of your favorite spots on the web? While Barbara from The Espresso Break describes her blog as a place “where you can read about the food and nooks of Naples, Italy in the time it takes to drink an espresso,” if it is your first visit to her wonderfully fun and informative blog, I think you might want to go for a cappuccino or a caffè americano. Newcomers will need something longer than the two sip Italian espresso in order to enjoy her blog. For coffee lovers, perhaps a great place to start is with Barbara’s quest for the best new “caffè drink” in Naples.

Naples Underground from The Espresso Break 

Given that Barbara started her blog not long after I started Ciao Amalfi, and that we live only about an hour apart, it was a surprise that we hadn’t discovered one another sooner. It has been a wonderful surprise to find a fellow writer and lover of the region’s many important architectural and historical sites. Barbara is an explorer, archaeologist and historian at heart, as she spends her free time out trekking through the ancient ruins in Campania with her three children. And what adventures they go on! For those who want to know more about Campania’s many ancient ruins, a visit to Barbara’s blog is a must. Head over to The Espresso Break to read about Barbara’s recent trips to the Grotto di Pastena, Boscoreale, The Villa of Poppaea in Oplontis, and so much more!

Barbara with two of her fellow explorers at Julius Caesar’s Summer Villa in Baia

The Espresso Break is divided into short Tours of Naples, each focusing on a different and often eccentric aspect of Naples. Here is Barbara’s description of what you can find coming up on The Espresso Break:

The Naples Underground Tour:  Naples has over 700 cavities that date back to the 4th century B.C.  I’ll be in search of this ‘parallel city,’ now considered a major part of the study of urban speleology and first re-discovered during the 1970’s when firemen were sent to put out a fire and found that Neapolitans were using these cavities to dispose of their trash.  (Every first Thursday of the month.)

The Odious Women Tour:  I’ve posted already about the ruthless and sexually charged Roman women, Agrippina and Poppea.  I will continue to search for women in the city who were once considered odious, but I’ll expand my search through the ages to include trailblazing Renaissance women painters, Jacobin revolutionaries, and saints who lost their lives for heretical beliefs.  (Every second Thursday of the month.)

The Espresso Break:  Neapolitans pride themselves on their coffee.  And I’ve noticed a new development in the city.  Baristas are now expanding their repetroire to include a bevy of new coffee creations, naming things like ‘The Morocco’ and ‘The grandma’.  I want to roam to as many cafes as possible in search of the these new and eccentric versions of paradiso.  (Every third Thursday of the month.)

Port Call:  Will describe extras and oddities in and around the city as well as describe tours, such as those for kids or following the journey of St. Paul the Apostle.

Didn’t I tell you that you needed a long drink to enjoy all that The Espresso Break offers? The discovery of Barbara’s blog has inspired me to dedicate my Sunday Shout-out’s for the month of September to bloggers in Campania. I’ve already shined the spotlight on two of my favorite bloggers located right here on the Sorrento Peninsula, Leanne over at From Australia to Italy, who is based now in Sorrento, and Scintilla at Bell’Avventura, who writes about Positano. In my early Sunday Shout-out’s I also highlighted Karen at South of Rome, who until this summer was located just outside Naples, and Valerie of 2 Baci in a Pinon Tree, who spent time earlier this year on the Cilento Coast in southern Campania. However you start your morning, whether it be with an espresso, cappuccino or cup of strong black tea (that’s for me this morning), stop by Ciao Amalfi on Sundays this month to meet some of the great bloggers in Campania!

A big espresso-energized grazie mille to Barbara at The Espresso Break for sharing her knowledge and adventures exploring Naples. We look forward to following along!

Related Posts

Sunday Shout-out: Welcome back to Florence Katie!

Sunday Shout-out: Lost in Sicilia

Sunday Shout-out: Italytutto.com

Sunday Shout-out: Ciao Chow Linda