Francesco’s apartment offers incredible views of the Bay of Naples, Vesuvius and Sorrento. It must have one of the best outlooks in Naples. The apartment building is in the residential area of Posillipo about half an hour, on a good day, from Naples railway station. Public transport relies on one bus. The way to the apartment building from the bus stop is uphill. The walk is fairly steep along the road but there is a 62 step hillside staircase which acts as a shortcut, after which there is a short level walk to the apartment building. Francesco’s apartment is on the top floor of the building which dates back to the early 20th century. There is a lift but it only goes to the second floor which means climbing a set of 24 steps with baggage to reach the apartment on the third floor. The lift can only carry one person at a time so can be slow. To use the staircase you will have to climb up 88 steps from the ground floor. During our visit, the lift was not working when we were due to leave and we had to carry our bags down the steep staircase. This apartment is very challenging for anyone with mobility issues.
The cost of a taxi into central Naples is about 30 Euros each way making taxis a very expensive choice. The 140 bus service at the bottom of the hill is good and goes to Mergellina which allows you to connect with other services including the metro. You need to remember to buy tickets in advance or online because you cannot buy them on the bus. You can buy tickets from a Tabaccheria however during our stay we had to try four shops as they had all sold out of tickets before we could buy any tickets. It would have been helpful to have known this in advance. If you are staying for a week buy a weekly ticket - 16 Euros - as it’s good value and much cheaper and more flexible than using taxis.
The lighting in the apartment is very poor, especially the bathroom where there is only a light bulb hanging from bare wires. The lighting in the kitchen area is inadequate and there is none in the bedroom. The wiring connecting one of the speakers is exposed: this is potentially extremely dangerous.
The kitchen equipment needs updating. It would benefit from a kettle and an iron and ironing board for those who wish to do any laundry.
Mergellina has a lovely walk by the sea. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants for you to choose. Conad is an excellent local supermarket on the 140 bus route. We would highly recommend it as there is no supermarket in Posillipo village. Beware of the small shop there as they are not very friendly or helpful.
Overall we really enjoyed our time in Naples which is a thrilling experience not to be missed. We found the people in Naples welcoming and friendly, the food was great as was the wine. We will certainly return to Naples again.