When our GPS failed to work properly and we ended up in a remote, rather frightening area outside the city of Naples at 11:00pm, emailing Giovanni for a precious 4 minutes before our phone died, we felt pretty lost (note to self: always have a fully charged phone when traveling in a foreign country where the only words you know are "good morning, good-bye, and thank you"! )
Giovanni came to our rescue! After a series of stop-and-ask-anyone-who-looks-like-they-might-speak-English, we made it to his AirBnB about midnight.
Would Giovanni be available to greet us, after having lost communication an hour prior?
Here's where the rescue comes in... not only was he there to answer the buzzer at midnight in the ancient city of Naples, he helped us to the Airbnb apartment with our luggage, and drove with us down the street several blocks to a local garage where we could safely park our rental car. When he realized we hadn't eaten since breakfast, he popped into the hotel across the street, and after chatting with the clerk, walked us a couple blocks further to a wonderful non-tourist cafe that was still open, and waited while we ordered take-out to walk us back to the apartment. Did I mention that he offered to have his Italian Mama fix a sandwich for us if all the local restaurants were closed? This is truly great stuff for weary travelers.
The apartment was great, and it's location terrific for sightseeing and day trips to Pompeii, Herculaneum and the Amalfi Coast. We enjoyed the little local trattoria Ascolo, (where Giovanni took us our first night) several times during our stay and found it quite charming.
If you're planning a trip to Naples, you won't find a better place to stay. Many thanks to Giovanni...ciao!