Napoleon must have had it made when living in exile here: cool, crystal-clear waters, a lush, mountainous terrain, and a certain intangible Italian charm set this island apart from its tourist-ridden counterpart, the Cinque Terre. I found this island to be a relief from the usual annoyances of the summer tourist season; although swarms of tourists still crowded the pebbly beach, the rest of the island remained mostly untouched. Just minutes after stepping off the hour-long ferry ride to the island, I found myself transported, immersed in narrow, winding streets hemmed with lines of laundry hanging out to dry and topless middle-aged men confidently displaying rather impressive beer bellies. The humble abode of not-so-humble Napoleon is only a short hike away. The architecture of the house blends in so well with its surroundings that my friend and I passed by it on the first go. Looking at the view off the cliff on which Napoleon’s house sits is extremely gratifying, and makes the long journey to the island and up the hill to his house worth the effort.

Continued…

Hey Let's Go fans! We're in the business of connecting travelers to all the information they could possibly need to enjoy themselves while abroad. To that end, we've partnered with with our fellow travel bloggers at Pause the Moment.

Continued…

When this greets you daily in Naples:

Continued…

Naples is a crazy place. And I mean that in the sense of "insane; without sense." Things really tend not to make sense.

Continued…

1. When you arrive, get away from the train station as fast as you can. Not because it's the world's most dangerous place, or anything (or the safest), but just because it's really not pretty there.

Continued…

Two months on a budget does things to the brain. My boss already says I "do things for Wi-Fi," so I guess there's really no sense trying to hide the evolution of my shady penny-pinching ways from the world. For your entertainment or actual use, here's how I survived to write you this blog, and how you can save cash at the expense of your health and/or dignity:

Continued…

Now that I have left the (usually) wide boulevards of Rome for the (often) narrow alleys of Naples, I feel somewhat better qualified to give a list of places you MUST eat at in Rome. If you're anything like me, after all, you plan your trips around food—i.e., "Well, if we go to THIS museum, we're near THAT amazing gelateria, soooo..."

Continued…