Currently holed up with Covid, watching yesterday’s 10 centimetres of snow turn into a big mess as rain pours down here in Vancouver; Naples’ sunshine seems impossibly remote. Were we really there only three weeks ago? That incredulity is, perhaps, all the more reason to go through my photos, to interrupt my coughing sessions with spurts of writing and uploading and reminiscing. Sighs of contentment to balance the paroxysms of sneezing.
Somehow, it turns out, I managed to snap over a thousand photos during our month away. Most of those will be culled once I’ve made a note of whatever they were meant to recall for me. So much I want to tell you and show you, but first, since many of you seem interested in the Travel Wardrobe (and also since the What I Wore posts are always surprisingly popular, even if they can make me cringe) . . . I’m going to continue my assessment of a Carry-On Only approach for this trip. (To clarify: we decided both going and coming home that we’d check our bags on the plane, but sticking to carry-on limits made train travel a breeze and facilitated finding our own way on foot if necessary.)
And rather than a long post stuffed with photos of What I Wore for the last half of our trip, I’m going to post What I Wore in Naples, then do the same again for Siena, and then for Turin and Paris (by which cities, the weather was much cooler).
Our first morning in Naples (where we stayed in a wonderful Bed and Breakfast with warm, supportive, and professional hosts in a commodious and comfortable room with two balconies, one with a view of the sea) it was chilly in the morning and the locals were sporting their piumini (down jackets). I wore tights with my linen dress, wrapped a scarf around my neck, and was happy to wear my wool cardigan for the first hour or two — and Paul snapped a photo of me at the Piazza del Plebescito as I stepped toward the Basilica of San Francesco di Paola.
And another, below, while I took photos of the windows and the extravagant architectural ornamentation of the Galleria Umberto I.
We were still ambling as we headed out of the late 19th-century shopping mall, a cornerstone of the city’s rebuilding and risanimento (my trans: restoring health) after the cholera epidemic that swept through Naples in 1884. I had a vague goal of getting to the old centre of the city, but as we worked our way through the Spanish Quarter, we kept being pulled up intriguingly narrow, winding streets, and then the hilly streets became long stone staircases, and once having started, even though the day was becoming warmer, we committed to visiting Castel Sant’Elmo (my iphone tracked 52 flights that day!)
My scarf and my cardigan went into Paul’s backpack and my tights would have as well, except that I feared raising blisters if I went sockless. By noon, the temperature was 25C and I was very glad my carry-on wardrobe included this linen dress.
You can see some of the photos I was taking of and from Castel Sant’Elmo here.
Layering also worked the next day. Remember that these are all photos Paul took and then sent me from his phone, with no indication of exactly where they were taken. But checking my own notes and comparing that floor with my own photos, I’m quite sure this was taken at the Chiesa di Sant’Anna dei Lombardi. . . where there is, apparently, an astonishingly beautiful ceiling by Vasari which we did not see. Sometimes serendipity is not one’s friend and sometimes compromises must be made. Next time. . .
I’m trying to accept that this is the way I look sometimes. I think that many of us do, really, but the images that circulate around us don’t so often show the slack-mouthed stare. . . I suppose it’s a positive sign that he can take this photo and pass it along to me thinking that I look good in it. Gives a whole new meaning to Robert Burns’ little couplet “O wad some power the giftie gie us / To see oursels as ithers see us” . . .
Some of you might be surprised to know that a (very) lightweight merino knit dress can be reasonably comfortable at 24C (higher temperature than that and I was looking for deep shade).
And some of you might be observant enough to note that I’ve brought along a more theft-resistant bag after an unfortunate incident in Rome this past Spring. In fact, I also brought the replacement of my backpack-bag, and used it in cities and/or circumstances where that felt comfortable. I’ll be evaluating whether I think the extra weight/volume was worth packing along. . .
I took some mirror-selfies in our room, and you can see how well my scarf and shoes matched my surroundings.
Again, a day for tights, a long lightweight wool dress, and a silk scarf . . .
which had been peeled off and tucked away by the time Paul snapped the shot (below) of me in front of Purgatorio ad Arco or Church of the Dead, Church of All Souls, in Naples. I’d just watched a well-dressed (tailored suit, smart tie, good shoes, etc.) man about our age pause to touch the bronze skull and make a quick sign of the cross. He must have noticed my interest because he stopped to explain and recommend the practice, commenting on what we owe to our ancestors and how they can still help us. Strangely, given the different ideologies / spiritualities / religions involved, I thought right away of art in my own neighbourhood where indigenous artist Sonny Assu designed a mural exhorting us to Dance As Though the Ancestors Are Watching (posted about that here).
I have so many more photos to show you and stories to tell and art to describe and meals to recall from our three very full days in Naples. But this post is aimed at showing you how my carry-on wardrobe worked for a month, spanning daytime temperatures from 8 Celsius to 26, in five cities.
So I’ll leave Napoli for now, everything neatly tucked back in my case except for the clothes I’m layering. Jeans, merino striped T, merino cardigan, light silk scarf (small square). Blundstones, of course, because they take up too much suitcase space.
We’d already decided to take a taxi to the train station (the 3.5-kilometre walk from Napoli Centrale to our B&B days earlier was less than enjoyable, thanks to bumpy, broken sidewalks and considerable traffic). So I didn’t have to ask Paul to carry my coat, just had to make sure I had a neck warmer handy for Siena’s anticipated cooler temperatures. And my umbrella at the ready.
I’m feeling quite pleased with myself that I’ve put a post together in between coughs and sneezes against the background of a low-grade fever and general achiness. Took us almost two years to contract Covid-19, and we’re both feeling very fortunate that we are experiencing it in the comfort of our own home, with helpful daughters and sons-in-law in town in case we need any support.
But my brain power and energy levels are flagging, and I sense coherence will desert me soon. Hope you’ve enjoyed the post! Leave me a comment below, if it pleases you — I’m always encouraged by knowing you’re out there 😉
xo,
f
I did carryon for 3 weeks during October in Berlin and Budapest and also noticed how well it worked and how judicious layering really coped with up and down temps. I also packed a merino dress ( cherry red) and like you found it was excellent even in hotter weather. I love your style and you do photograph well, really. I also really enjoy all the architectural shots – there’s a real sense of atmosphere. Thanks for sharing
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You’re welcome and thanks, Margaret! Glad the carryon approach worked well for you as well — and the merino dress!
Once again,Frances I’m very sorry to hear the news and hope that you’ll be well soon
The beautiful and warm weather in Italy in November can be very tricky to dress,but you were mastering it! You looked good and, as it seems, you felt good! Win,win!
Dottoresss
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Thanks, my friend!
Really don’t like this cough, but hoping it won’t last long.
You are very special to share your wonderful travel posts, sewing and knitting, as well as fashion which is very refreshing. I love your old school (compliment) travel wardrobe with lots of wool , knits and stripes, not to mention classy scarves. I guess my favorite thought is to Dance like our ancestors are watching. brought back wonderful memories of family members and made me feel close to them. take care of yourself. hope u are on the mend. Judy in Phoenix
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Thanks Judy! I really like that “Dance like our ancestors are watching” as well!
Point form! For ease of reading as you are ailing.
– I will say to you what I said to my daughter, who is ailing as well…’at least you are getting it over with before Christmas’…ha! If you ask her, she will likely hit me over the head on your behalf as well. Do hope you are feeling better soon though.
-You are not staring slack-mouthed, you are about to utter some words of wisdom to your beloved partner.
-The young woman in the background in the chiesa is wearing an outfit stolen from my grade-eight closet circa 1973.
-I chuckled at your comment about the piumini. Yes, as soon as the temperature drop below 20c.
-You did very very well with your wardrobe…I’m looking forward to the cooler weather installments. I am very interested in clothes just now (I lately found a good tailor to do some alterations and feel so at ease in my clothes, it’s just incredible).
-I bit the bullet and signed up for two weeks of Italian classes in Venice in March. If you see a news item about a woman whose head actually exploded from thinking too hard, that will be me.
-I’m making soup right now…I send you some, in spirit..:)
Author
All good points and ease of reading appreciated! Gasped at your two weeks of Italian classes in Venice — I’ll need to hear more! Also, how great you’ve got a personal tailor!
Oh, and I’ve heated a bowl. . . .
I love everything about your posts, Frances. What you wore, where you went, what you ate, what you read, what you saw- tutti! We spent almost 7 weeks in Italy Sept-November with carryon only and by the time we left I was thoroughly sick of everything I’d brought with me! But acknowledge the value of traveling light with a carefully chosen set of garments.Tricky, as you know, with temperature swings.
Hope you recover quickly from Covid- each case seems unique, in my case last Feb I was primarily just very fatigued. I am now rehabbing a knee replacement done 13 days after our return from Italy (to Oregon). Gotta get mobile fast before upcoming trips in 2023! Best wishes to you as we approach the holiday season.
Author
It makes travel so much easier . . . and, as you suggest, we’re so appreciative of our other clothes when we get home!
Best wishes for a speedy rehab!
So sorry to hear you are sick – at least you were spared feeling terrible while traveling, with the attendant quarantining and so on. Warm drinks and lots of naps helped when we had covid last summer – I was so worried that we had given it to our grandson, but he stayed well and in retrospect I feel lucky.
Cheers,
Ceci
Author
Thanks, and yes, it would have been so tough to be ill while away, especially since this was a trip with more moves than usual, different beds every so many days. Glad to be home where I can be better coddled!
I am sorry you are suffering through Covid after such a wonderful trip! Thank you for sharing your outfits and stories. We also spent a (pre-Covid) month-long trip to Italy with carryons. Very doable, but takes a lot of thought when deciding what to pack and what to leave behind. Looking forward to the continuation of your travel stories! Next best thing to being there in person. I hope you get well soon!
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Thanks, Marcie! Yes, it does take some careful planning — and also some discipline. I could have resisted one or two additions, but did well overall.
Like another poster, I primarily felt fatigued when I had Covid at the end of September. And that fatigue lasted for weeks, off and on. I took Paxlovid and I think that helped tamp down on the other symptoms.
Your posting is much appreciated – I do love to see the “what I wore” posts, and the travel posts – and these latest posts combine the two!
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Thanks for the kind words and encouragement!
I must ask…did your bag start life as a fanny pack worn in your photos as a crossbody? I like the way it seems so secure.
Author
It’s this one, currently on sale. It’s called the Half Moon Belt Bag which implies it could be worn at waist (like a fanny pack), but their photo of it worn shows it the way you see me wearing it which feels much more secure — and I like to think looks a bit “cool”er ;-). But the length of the belt can be adjusted easily so that when I’m eating in a restaurant, for example, I can wear it around my waist (instead of at my feet, which is what got me in trouble in Rome this spring!
Thanks so much. Feel better
I took the plunge and bought one on Ebay. I’m a larger woman than you so I hope it works. I dislike having a crossbody bumping and sliding around me. Great idea!
Author
Curious: when you say you bought one on Ebay, do you mean a similarly styled bag or the M0851 Half Moon? Whichever, I hope you find it as practical as I do. If the same one as mine, I think you’ll be impressed by how light that aniline leather is — I can’t bear extra weight on my shoulder / neck anymore!
Rebecca Minkoff Bree Leather Belt Bag – Grey Leather NWOT
US $74.00
It is the Bree rather than the Half Moon but it looks just the same as far as size and capacity.
Lovely to hear from you. This feels as if you are siting across the table from me, and we are chatting. Always love your style, just a bit of edge…
Sorry about the Covid invasion, and the weather. Ours was not quite as bad as yours. The south side of the island no snow, the north end about 5cm
Ali
Author
Thanks, Ali! How long ago was it now that we did just that, sit across a table and chat? The other side of Covid, at least, which feels like another era. . .
So sorry to hear you are ill, here’s to a speedy recovery to you both. Once again you prove you can travel and not look like everyone else, I really do like y our sense of style.
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Aw, such nice words, Darby! Thank you!
Really well done, Frances! I’m so sorry to hear you’ve come down with Covid, hope you are past the worst of it soon.
Packing for a broad range of temperatures is always challenging. From what I’ve seen here and on Instagram, I think you really nailed it. I love the striped dress.
Author
Thanks, Sue!
Thought of you two, of course, when we had dinner at Le Nemrod week before last — remembered our visit there last November. Hi to Le Monsieur from both of us.
The dullness of covid but the joys of having a photo cull! Sometimes it is pleasant just to stay in and stay cosy. I am always quietly delighted if I find my outfit is in some way harmonising with my environment, as though the universe and I have clicked. Time for a wardrobe cull in my gaff and I will be lugging things off to the charity shop today. Enough of the black!
Author
‘twould be more pleasant if I could stop this ghastly coughing, but definitely cosier here than if I’d been sick while away.
Have fun culling!
Hope you feel better soon! When we returned from our 3-week Sicily/Rome trip I came down with an awful cold, which fortunately was not COVID, but lasted almost as long as our trip. Very impressed that you managed this wonderful post! Maybe it will inspire me to go through my photos again, with an editorial eye. Love your merino pieces, would you share the source? I ordered a dress from Wool& and was underwhelmed with the quality, so I returned it. But it did have a nice feel, so I’d be willing to try again.
Author
Thanks, Adele. Those colds can really take us down — I think the over-exertion of travel leaves us more vulnerable.
As for the merino, I bought those pieces from Urbanity, here in Vancouver — they’re by a Danish company “By Basics”
You walked – uphill too! – in 25 deg in *tights*? Respect!
Love that last photo of you. It has a rather 1940s vibe I think (tho perhaps I’m being influenced by my current reading, Harald Jähner’s Aftermath, about post-war Germany).
While Covid is – mercifully – now more of a nuisance than a threat for most of us, it’s no fun. So best wishes for a rapid recovery.
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Thanks Rosemary! Yes, it was a bit of a slog by the end, I will admit, and not a very well-planned day, but it takes on a more appealing shape in retrospect 😉
Hope you’re feeling better soon, Frances! Enjoyed your post as always.
Author
Thanks Elaine!
Hi Frances. I really enjoyed this post and I love the red and white striped dress. Also I’m impressed with the way you match your outfit to your surroundings — and what gorgeous tiled floors. BUT I’m very sorry to hear that you’ve had Covid. I too had a lingering cough for a few weeks after testing negative and suffered with fatigue for quite a while. Take good care. I’m glad you are back in Vancouver now. The snow might keep you resting at home for a while longer which would be good. I look forward to meeting up in the new year sending love to you and the family
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Thanks Carol! It’s not so fun, is it, this virus! So I’m going to make some use of it, at least, as a reminder (and an excuse!?) to keep the Christmas season simple. We tend to do that as much as possible anyway, but this year I’m going to pay careful attention to the lingering cough and fatigue. Oh, I remember our quiet winter days and that view we shared. xoxo Love to you and yours also
Almost everyone I know who has traveled over the last two years has had Covid, picked up during travels. Some were sick and tested positive while away (a nightmare) and some upon return. I’m glad that you weren’t sick while away and that if you have to be sick, you are able to be at home. I hope that you feel better soon. Are you taking Paxlovid?
On a happier note, you are very clever to pack for a month’s travel in a carryon. I haven’t done that since I was very young. I should get back to that habit. You looked very well-dressed and very comfortable. Thank goodness for layering. It does help with temperature changes in the spring and fall.
I assume that your loafers are very comfortable. I have wanted to purchase loafers for years and haven’t done so. I do not like to break in shoes, not wanting foot discomfort for even an hour. I fear that loafers might take some breaking in. Did you have to break in your loafers? If not, I should look into the brand. I know that you mentioned the brand in one or more posts, so I will go back and look.
I particularly like your yellow scarf and it does blend in well with your room’s walls, which are a very cheerful color.
Feel better.
Author
We’ve been very lucky in avoiding Covid until now — and lucky to have managed three trips to Europe without getting sick. So it was time . . . No Paxlovid, but enough over-the-counter remedies to be reasonably comfortable. Symptoms gradually abating.
These loafers are comfortable — not as much foot support as an oxford or a sneaker, obviously, but I managed 12-kilometre days in them. Walked 5 kilometres in them one evening, the first week I got them, no blistering. They’re made in Italy by an Italian company, MOMA, although I bought them here in Vancouver.
Love the post on traveling out of carry on, and the realistically stylish and comfortable woman that emerges in these shots. Well, I have to say, slack-mouthed? no. I thought you were about to make a pithy observation. Oh well. Just managed my own two-week trip, although just across a couple of states, with a carry on. Layering is wonderful and I found both linen and wool could bridge more temperature changes than other fabrics, with temperatures ranging from 75°F to 28°F, occasionally it was a challenge.
Am loving your posts about recent trip. And I would definitely be comfortable in your chosen attire and accessories. Appreciate so much seeing your pictures of the various locations and sights. Love your stories about interactions with locals. Am so envious of your ability to converse in local language. Inspiring me to take hard look at my own travel clothing and accessories – what do I really need, what do I really wear.
Frances please take care. My husband and I had avoided Covid until September and then each were treated with Paxlovid. We are scheduled to have vaccine against latest omicron variant on December 12th. Am now debating if I should wear mask when we gather for celebration on December 18th as reports are infections are on the rise.
Author
Thanks, Roberta! Glad you’re enjoying these travel posts.