1. OK...you have arrived at the train station

A marvel of modern Italian design, this cavernous hall is a confusion of signs and shops. Simply "head for the light"... the far wall of glass opens out onto a concourse where taxi drivers fight with passengers and other drivers alike. Neapolitan drivers are aggressive and not always willing to yield to pedestrians. Be very, very careful when crossing streets, even at marked crossings.

 

2. Taxis ... the ride of your life

If you have had the thrill of being driven around Rome you will have had about half the experience of a taxi trip in Naples. Road rules?... you are kidding! It is basically a free-for-all on the roads.  I have been in a taxi where we were stopped (surprisingly) at traffic light intersection and being overtaken by the taxi behind us, who then turned hard right across our front at speed.  Just close your eyes and hold on!

 

3. Where to stay and eat

You probably have sorted this out already, but if you want a recommendation there is only one answer... at the Royal Continental Hotel on the waterfront promenade, Via Partenope.  This is a 4 star gem, straight out of the sixties. Not a small place, but not a multinational and it won't break the bank. The front rooms all have a balcony that looks out across the Bay of Naples, with Vesuvius off to your left and Isola di Capri straight ahead. Take the breakfast... you won't be disappointed.

 

Easy walking to the main streets and sights of downtown Naples plus a thousand bars and restaurants on the car-free promenade. Directly opposite is the island with the Castel dell'Ovo and several very good seafood restaurants. I recommend either the Trattoria O'Tabaccaro or the Trattoria Castel dell'Ovo.

 

Pizza. Of course, pizza. Eat it. Eat it all and don’t split it. It’s your obligation to Naples. Pizza originated in Naples and is taken very seriously here. There are even rules about what types of flour, tomatoes, cheese and olive oil can be used in authentic Neapolitan pizza. Be sure to seek out a restaurant with an authentic wood-burning oven – if you've never tried pizza cooked this way before, you're in for a life-changing experience!

 

Seafood in Naples restaurants is cheap, plentiful and excellent. Spaghetti alle vongole is a specialty, mixing pasta with clams, and the more adventurous can try purpetiello affogato – poached octopus.

4. Getting about in Naples

On foot is fine (particularly if staying down on the waterfront), but getting from district to district is best achieved on the Metro underground trains. Just getting into some of the stations is an experience in itself. The Dante Metro station is entered via a couple of long, deep escalators, with the coloured wall murals and tiles changing and getting darker as you descend... you feel like you are entering an underwater cavern. Other Metros have art installations. Overall the Metro is surprisingly efficient.

 

Investigate the "Visititalia Naples" Card or the "Naples Red Pass"... includes all public transport and entry to many (but not all) museums.

 

5. The main shopping street (not the main market street [item 6 below]) and a couple of important sights on the way.

I am going to set this as if you are approaching from the waterfront promenade. It is an easy and interesting walk if you head towards or start at the Piazza del Plebiscito.  On entering the Piazza you will get a surprise... this is not what you imagined Naples to be like! It is vast, with the Royal Palace (with I am told, a lovely viewing deck on the roof, although I have not been there) on one side (check out the statues in the niches) and the Pantheon-like Basilica Reale Pontificia San Francesco da Paola on the other.

 

You will doubtless now feel like a coffee or a snack.  A must visit is the Gran Cafe Gambrinus, located front left corner (with your back to the Basilica) of the Piazza. Established in 1860, Gran Caffé Gambrinus is one of oldest bars in Naples. Line up with the locals at the bar for a stand-up coffee, or treat yourself to the local speciality, Sfogliatelli (delicious Neapolitan pastry) in the salon.

 

Keep walking away from the Piazza, around the roundabout but straight ahead onto the Via Toledo. This opens up as the main shopping street of Naples and well worth a snoop all the way to the Dante Metro. Almost immediately on the right you come to the Galleria Umberto 1, one of the most architecturally impressive grand malls of Italy, rivaling the galleries of Milan and Rome for its elegance and style. All along the Toledo, to the left is the packed "Quartieri Spagnoli" residential area known for its roots in the Mafia. I am assured it is safe to venture in... maybe one day!

 

At No 185 Via Toledo (I think this is a bank) you find Caravaggio's The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula (More about this on the next page "Caravaggio in Naples" below).

 

It is quite a distance along The Toledo, but once at the wide open Piazza that is the Monumento a Dante (some nice open air cafes), cross the Piazza to the far-left corner, past all the open-air booksellers, and into the arcade/tunnel like Port'Alba, which is full of interesting book and knick-knack shops.

 

The arcade comes out at the via San Sebastiano... cross directly into the via S.Pietro a Maiella which will take you into the historical centre, The Spaccanapoli (below).

 

6. The most interesting street in Naples ... via Dei Tribunali, with some outstanding things to see     (... and there is a Caravaggio at the end of it!)

After a short dogleg, the via S.Pietro a Maiella turns into the via Dei Tribunali. This, and the streets surrounding, is the heart of the historical centre of Naples, The Spaccanapoli. This long, narrow, straight roman street will take a couple of hours to stroll as it is a wonder of shops selling all forms of authentic Neapolitan street-food (go on ... try the deep fried pizza), restaurants, local shops and churches. You want the best pizza in the world from the city that invented pizza... try to get into the Pizzeria Decumani about half way along.

 

Almost immediately into the via Tribunali, at the Piazza Luigi Miraglia, take a detour right onto the Via Raimondo de Sangro di Sansevero. At the end of this narrow lane, on the left, is the Church and Museum Sansevero (ticket office to the right), containing a number of extraordinary sculptures of a fineness that is astounding. The "Veiled Christ"  is ... well ... I don't know, just astounding.  How did the sculptor (Giuseppe Sanmartino, completed 1854) create such a wonderful face under a translucent veil of marble? I also love the marble fishing net in the right-hand corner. Return to the via Tribunali.

 

As you pass the church Santa Maria della Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco, see if you can join a tour of the crypt, where for centuries, local Neapolitans have been praying over and protecting the bones of relatives they believe to be still in a state of purgatory, in return for fortune and favours from the dead.

 

Continue your wandering along the via Tribunali, crossing over the wider Via Duomo (The Duomo [Cathedral] is just along this street and not overly inspiring) and in about 100 metres on the right you will encounter the dark entranceway to Pio Monte della Misericordia. The Church contains a number of interesting artworks, but the one you have come to see is the knockout Caravaggio The Seven Works of Mercy. (More about this on the next page "Caravaggio in Naples" below)

 

Having had your fill of this astonishing work, retrace your steps back along the via Tribunali to Via San Gregorio Armeno, which heads off Tribunali to your left at the Piazza SanGaetano (almost back at Pizzeria Decumani and also the place where the subterranean Naples tour goes from.  I have never been game for this tour ... not my thing ... but I digress).  Welcome to Christmas Alley.

 

Walking down Christmas Alley (also known as Via San Gregorio Armeno) is a must do when visiting the city. The pedestrian street is only about 200 metres long, but it’s filled with artisan workshops and hundreds of nativity scenes, known as presepe. Shops are open all year round. In December, it’s extra festive and feels like Naples’ version of a Christmas market. Christmas Alley is the ultimate place to find specialty figures for a nativity scene. Nativity scenes from Naples aren’t just about Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus though. They’re elaborate scenes that depict a whole village and are quite unique from your average manger. You’ll also find modern politicians and celebrities right along side biblical characters. Yes, Elvis was in Bethlehem and no nativity scene is complete without him. The cost of a presepe can vary greatly depending on quality and size. From miniature baskets to types of cheese, you can choose and customize every detail imaginable in the village. Some pieces can start at just a few euro, but a complete nativity scene with intricate figures could easily cost a few thousand dollars. Some presepe even have a water feature and electricity. Along with every piece imaginable to build a custom presepe, you’ll also find plenty of Pulcinella figures in the form of ornaments, statues, paintings, key-chains… you name it. Pulcinella is a puppet character that’s typically shown wearing a loose white outfit with a black mask. He was first introduced to the commedia dell’arte in 17thC. and is still a symbol of Naples today. If you can’t take a whole presepe home with you, a little corno (horn) will certainly fit in your suitcase. These red chilies are said to ward against the Evil Eye and bring good luck. At just a few euros, they also make an interesting gift or souvenir (or not... hey, I have always associated Naples with chili, haven't you?).

 

At the end of Via San Gregorio Armeno, turn right along via San Biagio dei Librai, another crowded street, but this with more shops selling religious artifacts mixed in with the bars and food shops.  Continue on to the Piazza S. Domenico Maggiore, with the famous Pasticceria Scaturchio, a Naples institution, where the Babà was invented. Babà is a moist, sweet fruitcake style dessert that everyone should experience at least once while visiting Napoli.

 

Continue along the Via Benedetto Croce until the via Santa Chiara, with the imposing tower and wall of the Church of Santa Chiara. Well worth a visit, especially the garden cloisters decorated with majolica tiles and frescoes ... see your guidebook. Almost opposite on via Benedotto Croce is the mighty facade of diamond shaped projections, some carved with strange runes, the Church of Gesu Nuova ... again, consult your guidebook. Originally a palace built in 1470 for the Prince of Salerno, then confiscated by the Jesuits in the 1580's, then the Franciscans in the 18thC., then back to the Jesuits in the 19thC.

 

Note the column in the piazza opposite... this is the Spire of the Immaculate Virgin, also known as a "Plague Column" erected to invoke the Virgin Mary's protection from the plague, rampant in the 17thC.  There are two others around Naples.

 

7. The best Museum in Naples... The National Archaeological Museum has one of the world's best collections of Greek and Roman antiquities, including mosaics, sculptures, gems, glass and silver, and a collection of Roman erotica from Pompeii. Many of the objects come from excavations at Pompeii and other nearby archaeological sites. One of the most interesting and most famous museums in the country. Given how much history, both Greek and Roman, has occurred on the grounds of the city, you’ll be unsurprised to learn that the Greek and Roman collections are some of the most extensive in the world. This includes the well-known Farnese Collection, which contains some of the most stunning examples of ancient sculpture that you’ll ever see. But for most, the museum’s main draw is the artifacts rescued from the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum and brought here for safekeeping. Check your guidebook.

 

8. The best art gallery in Naples...The Capodimonte Museum and Park, built as King Charles III's hunting lodge, houses one of Italy's richest museums with a great picture gallery and collection of majolica and porcelain. You can wander around the royal apartments and the surrounding park, too.  It is located about 20 mins. away on the hill to the north of the city, best reached by taxi. Here you will find Caravaggio's The Flagellation of Christ ... more details on my "Caravaggio in Naples" page (below). Not an easy place to return to Naples from either. There are buses. Sometimes.

 

9. Pompeii and Herculaneum ... of course you are here to see the big attractions.  I have spent days wandering about these in rain and shine. Best advice ... get a guide. Triples your appreciation of the scope of these sites and gets access into the best buildings and restorations. Also, take food with you.  The cafe inside the Pompeii site is awful, but the restaurants in the main car park are passable.

 

10. Caravaggio in Naples ... click here for the next page

 

Feedback, advice and additions welcome ... enjoy your time in Napoli.

Scott