This guest post is by Anna Luisa and Fabio, Naples (Napoli) locals, and authors of the Italian blog The Tastes of Travel.
It occurred to me that although I have talked many times in great detail and given advice about the places we have visited on our little trips, I have never actually written this kind of post about my own city, Naples. Of course I’ve mentioned it in the past and have even written a few words about it, but I have never spoken about it in the way that you would advise a friend: going into detail, suggesting itineraries, places to see or things to do. It is only thanks to the fact that one of my friends recently decided to visit Naples that I rediscovered the city and finally decided to bring my camera with me: reawakening the old places I had visited and pointing out the must-see aspects of the city. Of course just one day is not really enough to explore a big city like Naples, but I will tell you about the tour we took, highlighting area by area the places that are worth a visit.
Napoli. Photo by Tastes of Travel.
We started our tour in the heart of the old town center of Naples: from the main streets based on the organized ancient Greek street planning system of Decamanus Maximus and Cardo Maximus (where Naples was founded and named Neopolis). Once we arrived in the Vomero district, we took the Montesanto funicular that, in just a few minutes, takes you to the universally known Spaccanapoli. This immensely long road (just as the name suggests in Italian) literally splits Naples in two, which you notice when you turn around, or as you can also see from the panoramic terrace of San Martino at the summit of the Vomero - which is easily accessible by bus and foot (although it’s a bit of a climb). Here, there are many interesting places to see: for example, Castel Sant’Elmo or the National Museum of San Martino, where you can take in a beautiful panoramic view of the city below. Saying that, in my opinion the best panorama has to be from the terrace view in front of the church of Sant’Antonio in Posilippo, (it’s best to arrive here by car or with the public transport that passes through via Orazio in the direction from Mergellina).
Souveneirs- Napoli style! Photo by Tastes of Travel.
But let’s get back to the central alleys of Naples. Leaving the funicular behind, in a few minutes you arrive at piazza Gesù Nuovo, one of the most beautiful piazzas in the city. It gets it name from the spectacular antique church decorated with an “a bugnato” exterior and with an interior that is just as breathtaking. In the square there is a beautiful stone pillar (obelisk) representing the Immaculate Conception, and a few footsteps away there is the church of Santa Chiara with its amazingly beautiful courtyard, decorated “a maiolica”, which you simply can’t pass up! Continuing along the Spaccanapoli road you pass by the historic Scaturchio pastisserie- although it is recently under new management. Now we’re in the piazza San Domenico Maggiore, which is dominated by the beautiful obelisk and church of the same name. Here there are lots of little tables to sit around and take in the atmosphere as you watch locals and tourists alike pass by. This area is quite lively mostly because it is behind via Mezzocannone, the main campus of the University of Naples Federico II. Not far from here is the private chapel of Sansevero (Cappella Sansevero), which for me, holds one of the most beautiful pieces of art in Naples, il Cristo Velato (the Veiled Christ). You can’t help but remain bewildered in front of beauty of this magnitude.
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