It’s really fun following this almost in real-time! Thanks for taking the time to post!
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did i mention that i’m jealous?
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Forgot to mention coffee. Have had cups at various places across the city, and after every meal. Despite the actually tasteless coffee at the place we had the desserts, it has all been good to great (as usual in Italy, I find). Despite resisting the reviews sending me there, the cups I have had at the two Mexico Caffé locations (sounded kinda touristy to me), have been outstanding. Heading now to the location near my hotel for a last macchiato before my ferry. Will start a new thread in Ischia.
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Lovely report! It almost feels like I’m there 
The green vegetables at Trattoria Da Peppino (which I first thought to be a mix of wild greens like the Greek horta) are simpli friggiarelle, a local name for broccoli rape or cime di rapa.
Looking forward to your Ischia thread. Have a safe, smooth crossing!
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Wify is not too keen on Naples. I’m not too keen on Amalfi Coast. So we compromise and avoid both. But I would like to figure out a way to do both and Calabria somehow
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was the pastry substantially different than what we have in nyc? it occurred to me that my chef friend doesnt have access to great sfog in his home town…
the pizzamaker from pepe in grani is going to be at razza in jc for a pop up, i set an alarm on my phone to grab tickets, was on resy when they went live, sold out before I could check out. sigh…
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Well that sucks. I still have to make it to Razza itself, though…
me too! shall we pick a date and see who wants to join?
i would like to be home before i make an actual plan, but YES on the idea!
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Sacrilege I know, but I’m not sure I have ever had a sfogliatelle before anywhere! I went solely on your recommendation! That said, the pastry was crispy and irresistible, and the creme not overly sweet. @Carmenere opined that it was flavored with lemon peel, but I could not identify the flavor beyond saying it definitely had a certain whiff of something beyond custard.
To be honest, I’m not a huge sweets fan (well, except for certain things at certain times and salty caramel anytime) especially at breakfast. I would probably be more tempted by an English “creme slice,” sort of a less sweet “mille feuille” made with whipped cream rather than custard.
Also, heads-up, I have barely wifi here in Ischia, so will have to depend on my memory and pictures once I am someplace else, unless sitting out in the dining area of my hotel give me better ability to write and upload pictures. I’ve already had rewrite this post twice! Enforced “vacation” I guess!
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Now I want a sfogliatelle. 
The filling is ricotta based and usually has some citrus. That helps with it not being overly sweet.
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As Tom says, the filling for sfogliatelle is ricotta-based, so it’s uncooked and is not a custard. It contains no flour, which makes it lighter than crème pâtissière. The flavorings include citrus peels and other preserved fruits, but lemon peel is the dominant aroma. There is also a drop of orange flower water, which probably explains the sensation you had.
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Many thanks for your tips on Naples and Ischia. Our favorite meal on the latter was at Cantinando, not only for the excellent food (the mussels! the pasta with sea bass!), but also for the genuinely friendly welcome and service from the owners (the wife is the server, the husband is the chef). And last night we ate at Zi Theresa, where the fried anchovies was perhaps the single best thing we ate during our two weeks in Italy and the views of Vesuvius, the fort, and the boats in the harbor were spectacular. The calm of the experience was a welcome respite from Naples’ hurly burly, which made NYC seem relatively calm.
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So glad you enjoyed! As it happened, I ate twice at both of those restaurants during my short stays in each place, I liked them both so much. I dream about that sea bass pasta. And you are right that the welcome at Cantinando was so warm. I don’t know if you saw this during your research for your trip, but Cantinando was buried in mud during the landslide in November 2022. I was able to somewhat follow the restaurant’s courageous clean-up via videos posted online, and that’s how I decided to go to Ischia last summer rather than one of the other islands. To try this little restaurant that had survived so much damage.
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