Summary

A couple's visit to Pompeii, marred by planning errors, led to an unexpected discovery of excellent local cuisine at La Bettola del Gusto.

Abstract

In August 2022, a husband and wife visited Naples and intended to explore the ancient ruins of Pompeii. However, a series of missteps, including taking the wrong train and visiting on an exceptionally hot day without a guide, made their initial experience challenging. Despite these setbacks, their visit to the historically significant site was still deemed worthwhile. The highlight of their trip came when hunger drove them to a nearby restaurant, La Bettola del Gusto, where they enjoyed an exceptional meal that included standout dishes like pizza fritta, gnocchi, and a memorable pork dish, salvaging their day and providing a delightful culinary experience.

Opinions

The author believes that visiting Pompeii without proper planning can lead to a less enjoyable experience.
They suggest that using a guide during the visit to Pompeii would be beneficial.
The couple initially felt their day was not going well due to the mistakes made during their visit to Pompeii.
The author highly recommends La Bettola del Gusto, emphasizing the quality of the food and service as exceptional.
They imply that the food experience at La Bettola del Gusto was a significant and positive turning point in their day.

Ruins Are Not The Only Reason To Visit Pompei

How a mistake led us to great food

Started from La Bettola del Gusto in Pompei (photo by author)

When my husband and I visited Naples in August 2022, Pompeii was a must-do on our list.

Unfortunately, we made a lot of mistakes when planning our day in Pompeii, which led us to have a less-than-enjoyable experience there.

We took the wrong train, ending up in the city of Pompei instead of the Pompeii ruins, which were a 40-minute walk away. We also chose the hottest day of the year to visit a huge site with barely any shade. And we chose to not use a guide, which was a mistake as there is a lot to see and it can be unclear what you are actually looking at.

I’ve highlighted our mistakes and what we should have done in the following article:

The Dos and Don’ts of Visiting Pompeii

A mindblowing experience that can be uncomfortable without proper planning

medium.com

However, our day was definitely not wasted. We are still glad we were able to visit this historically relevant site and to get a glimpse of life in Roman times.

And, one of our mistakes actually led us to an incredible discovery.

After a long morning of exploring the archeological site, we were both very warm, starving, and ready to head back to Naples.

So we made the long walk back towards the train station in the city of Pompei and decided to stop there for a late lunch. We didn’t put too much thought into it as we were starving. We, therefore, chose a restaurant close to the train station.

We ended up at La Bettola del Gusto, where we had a truly incredible meal.

We started by sharing a plate of fried starters (picture above), including pizza fritta, which was the best food we discovered while in the Naples region).

I then had a gnocchi dish, which was perfect after a long morning of walking.

Gnocchi dish from La Bettola del Gusto in Pompei (photo by author)

But the true star of our meal was my husband’s pork dish.

Pork dish from La Bettola del Gusto (photo by author)

The meat was tender and perfectly cooked and the sauces were incredible. I ate half of my pasta dipped in his dish’s sauce.

All the food was perfect and the service was also great. After having a somewhat disappointing morning, it was definitely a highlight to find this restaurant and share some beautiful food thoughtfully prepared.

Food may not be the main reason you go to Pompeii. And if you’ve actually taken the right train to the archeological site, you may not want to walk 40 minutes there and 40 minutes back for a restaurant.

But if you find yourself if the city of Pompei or looking for a delicious meal after long hours spent exploring the ruins, La Bettola del Gusto will not disappoint.