If you love Italy, Naples is Italy at its most hard-core. While Naples has plenty of great monuments, its main sight is the city itself: its timeless Italian way of life – its lively markets, everyday shops, and exuberant people.
Naples Archaeological Museum – We just visited the inside… we’ll use this as the start of our rest of our wander around Naples.!
This palatial building captures the glory of Naples at its peak. It’s the year 1750. Naples is one of the richest and most sophisticated cities in all of Europe. With a population of 300,000, only Paris was bigger. This building epitomizes that golden age. Admire the warm pink facade fronted by palm trees… the ironwork balconies… the classical columns that flank the grand main entrance… the triangular Greek-style pediments and the round Roman-style arches.
Back in the 1700s, this impressive palazzo was just one of many that dotted the wealthy city of Naples. Naples was rich from sea trade. It had one of Europe’s top universities. And in 1750, this building opened its doors to display Europe’s first great collection of classical artifacts – including the artistic treasures newly excavated from Pompeii.
Naples of the 1700s was a melting pot of European high culture. It was home to sophisticated nobles from abroad: French-speaking Bourbons, German-speaking Hasburghs, and the monarchs of Spain. Back then, Naples was not an Italian city. It was a world unto itself – the proud and independent Kingdom of Naples.
The picture above shows the three flags flying outside the musuem. The blue one is the European Union Flag. The green and white and orange flag is the Italian Flag. The yellow and red one is Naples’ city flag – a leftover from the once-glorious Kingdom of Naples.
The Galleria Principe di Napoli – Just take in this elegant 19th-century shopping mall. There are soaring glass skylights overhead, and marble floors beneath our feet.
The intricately-carved woodwork is remarkable. Catch the elaborate ironwork lanterns… along with the balustrades and garlands… and the playful cupids up above.
It is also mostly empty. 🙁
The mall was begun with great expectations in the mid-1800s. It was named for the first male child of the Italian royal family, the Prince of Naples. Gallerias like this were popping up all over – in Paris… London. In the United States, we call this style of decoration Art Nouveau. In Italy it’s called “Liberty Style,” named for a British department store that was in vogue at the time. Back then, Naples was known as the “Paris of the South” for its high culture.
But it’s clear that the mall has suffered since then. Starting in the late-1800s, economic stagnation set it. With the unification of Italy, Naples was eclipsed by Rome as Italy’s first city. That trend has continued until today. And this galleria, despite several ambitious renovations, has still failed to attract much business.
From Via Bellini to the Teatro Bellini to Piazza Bellini – Strolling down Via Bellini, we pass through a pleasant urban scene. There are tropical palm trees, banana plants, and sidewalk cafe’s. The building above is a golden palazzo that houses the city’s Academy of Fine Arts. For centuries, university students from all across Europe have come here to study drawing, music, literary criticism, and the latest in graphic design. It’s helped make this neighborhood a magnet for students and artists to this day.
Naples go so rich because of its “Locale”. With its safe harbor in the center of the Mediterranean, it was always connected to the wider world. Naples was born 2,500 years ago as a Greek colony and a key trading port. Even when the Latin-speaking Romans took over, Naples remained Greek-speaking, highly cultured, and a busy trading center. After Rome fell, around the year 500, the city powered on as an independent kingdom. Around 1500, Naples became the crown jewel in a huge Spanish kingdom that stretched across Europe. Naples attracted artists like Caravaggio and Bernini, and composers like Scarlatti. By the 1700s, this neighborhood we’re walking through was a center of European culture.
Walking up Conte di Ruvo, we passed by an elegant yellow, white, and grey building on the right. It’s the Teatro Bellini. It’s decorated with statues of composers, Apollo, and the muses. It’s that same fanciful style of the 1800s called the Liberty Style.
Teatro Bellini was a center for a new and exciting art form that Naples helped invent – and that was opera. The theater’s named for the groundbreaking composer Vincenzo Bellini.
Bellini studied music here in Naples in the 1820s. He found his first fame here, and went on to help launch opera as a global phenomenon. Today, the Teatro Bellini carries on the tradition with both classical and contemporary concerts, as well as cutting-edge plays. And this neighborhood remains a center for Naples’ arts scene.
This is the 17th-century Church of the Sapienza. Across the street, there’s yet another impressive church. They’re just two of the many architectural wonders in this part of Naples.
It’s part of what made Naples the final stop on what was called the “Grand Tour” of Europe. Aristocrats made the pilgrimage here to soak up the grandeur of the buildings, to see an opera, and to schmooze with fellow sophisticates from across the continent.
Piazza Bellini – Just like that – we’re in neighborhood Napoli. It’s a pleasant little park, surrounded by apartment buildings and artsy cafes’. And our first sighting of what became the constant – graffiti.
But just as interesting is the square itself. It’s the neighborhood gathering place. Take a moment and survey the many balconies – and the people who use them. These tiny balconies serve as an apartment-dweller’s “backyard in this densely packed city. The apartment blocks were originally noble palaces. Above some of the grand doorways, you can still see some of the stately family crests.
Here we are looking down into the origins of this timeless city, 2,500 years ago. You’ll see blocks of a local volcanic stone called tufa. These blocks were part of a tower in the old city wall. So we’re standing on land that, back then, was right on the western edge of town. From here, ancient people headed into the city down the main street – the Decumanus Maggiore. That’s today’s Via Tribunali.
So back in the 5th century… the time of Socrates and Plato – was when Naples was founded – by Greek traders. It was a Greek colony named Neapolis – literally, “the new city.” It stayed a Greek-speaking enclave even after the Romans took over. Neapolitans never fully adopted the Latin language or Roman ways. In fact, it was Naples’ Greek culture that made the ancient Romans love the city, and want to vacation here. That set the tone for the next 2,000 years. Even when under foreign rule – and that was most of its history – Naples had an independent culture and followed a different path from the rest of Italy.
This ceramic tile plaque depicts Piazza Bellini circa 1890. not much different than today.. except the graffiti. The locals say they ignore the graffiti.. but it is hard to do. Jackie really struggled with it.
The Port-Alba Gate and Passageway – This gate was once part of that same old city wall. But this was from around the year 1600. That’s when the city began expanding and opening up a whole new area beyond the old town.
Via Port d’Alba is lined with bookstore after bookstore. The stalls spill out into the streets, filled with books old and new. Very appealing to a book snob like me. 🙂
It’s a very civilized atmosphere. Elsewhere, Naples can be a pretty intense urban jungle. It’s the third-largest city in Italy, and it’s one of Europe’s most densely populated. But, as we’ve seen, there are many calm and peaceful pockets like this. Naples has an underappreciated knack of living, loving, and raising children with good humor and decency.
Naples went through centuries of rule by foreigners. There were Ostrogoths, Byzantines, and Lombards. In late medieval times, it was the Germans and French Angevins. Nevertheless, Naples always maintained a measure of independence under the proud name of the “Kingdom of Naples.” In the 1500s, Naples came under the sway of what was then Europe’s greatest power – Spain.
In the Age of Discovery, Spain was rich with New World gold, and they married into Europe’s most powerful dynasties. The Spainiards transformed Naples from a medieval town into a world-class European capital.
Piazza Dante – This large square is marked by a statue of Dante Alighieri, the medieval poet.
Old Dante looks out over a busy boulevard. This is Via Toledo, named for the Spanish viceroy who ruled Naples and created this boulevard in the 1500s. Almost overnight, Senor Toledo made this part of the city the high-class part of town.
This impressive, grandiose orange and gray building dazzles with its facade of columns and statues. This was created in the late 1700s to honor the power of the Bourbon monarchy.
The Spanish rulers intermarried with both the Bourbons of France and the German Habsburgs. Needless to say, whatever the ruler, Naples just kept getting richer. At its peak around 1750, a statue of the King of Naples stood in this square, where Dante stands today.
What came next? The French Revolution. After they toppled the monarchy in France, Napoleon invaded Naples and toppled the royals here. The king’s statue on the piazza was replaced with this less politically-charged figure of Dante. And on the big facade, note the name that was added a few decades later – “Victor Emmanuel.” That was another ruler. It’s the next twist in the long and winding road of Naples’ history.
Today, Piazza Dante is a microcosm of Naples’ long history. It’s an urban area that was once small, then grand, then Chaotic, and is now slowly becoming grand again.
The Neapolitan people are survivors. They’ve had to live under the rule of many corrupt and greedy overlords – German, Norman, French, Austrian, Spanish, Napoleon, and on and on. It’s taught Neapolitans how to deal creatively with authority. They came up with their own creative forms of justice – like organized crime.
Via Toledo – It’s pretty obvious that we’ve left the genteel Naples of the 1700s and entered the crazy Naples of today. Via Toledo is the city’s main shopping drag. This particular stretch is pretty run-down – lots of cheap handbags and shoes. But the street gets ritzier as you go. Look how long this street is.
It stretches three-quarters of a mile down to the waterfront. It was laid out in the 1500s as a military road, under the Spanish viceroy, Senor Toledo. Back then, this area was outside the old town walls. Toledo built this road to connect the Spanish military headquarters – that was the museum where we started this amble – with the Royal Palace (down by the bay). Once it was built, this part of town became the trendy neighborhood, where nobles built their palazzos.
Notice the facades. Most have similar features – same height, five stories, with uniform shutters and iron-work balconies. It gives the street a pleasant symmetry. The style, first pioneered in the Baroque era, has been adopted by buildings constructed more recently. Peek into a few doorways – there are some lovely atriums inside, which provide a break from the big street.
This is the Piazza Sette Settembre. This square – and it’s name – mark the next phase of Naples’ history: its decline.
It’s the year 1860, and this palazzo was a government building for Naples’ rulers. Meanwhile, the spirit of revolution was brewing throughout Italy. The great Italian revolutionary, Giuseppe Garibaldi, swept in and conquered Naples. He drove out the government. Garibaldi appeared on the balcony of this impressive white marble building, and proclaimed victory to the cheering crowds below. The date? September 7th…
or “sette settembre” as the piazzacame to be known.
Within a decade, all of Italy was united under a constitutional monarch…Victor Emmanuel II.
This was the start of a glorious new era for Italy. But for Naples, the birth of modern Italy was the end of an era, and the start of its decline.
Italy was united. The city of Rome, rather than Naples, was declared the new capital. Naples was punished for resisting the revolution. The city’s scholars and bureaucrats were transferred to work in Rome. Naples’ treasury was confiscated to subsidize the industrial expansion of the north. Within a few decades, Naples went from being a thriving cultural and political capital to a provincial backwater. Its economy was left in shambles, and its once-sophisticated dialect was soon considered… well, Hicksville.
Spaccanapol– Look down Via Maddaloni. It’s a long, long straight and narrow street. It seems to go on forever. Via Maddaloni is the modern name for the ancient street that’s better known by its nickname – Spaccanapoli. The name “Spaccanapoli” literally translates as “split Naples.” Since ancient times, this thin street has bisected the city. The ancients laid out their streets in a perfect grid. There were streets running exactly east-west, like Spaccanapoli, crossed by streets running north-south. Even today, Spaccanapoli is one of the city’s main thoroughfares, cutting directly through the heart of downtown.
You do really get a sense of how Spaccanapoli divides, or “splits,” this urban jungle. You can see the street start to slant upwards, towards a church facade, as it climbs to San Martino hill. UP there you can visit the Carthusian monastery and an old castle. But the best part is the great views of Naples Bay and Mount Vesuvius.
We’re entering a more residential part of Naples. This is the upper tip of one of Naples’ most typical neighborhoods – the Spanish Quarter. It was named for the Spanish military barracks that were here back in the 16th century when the area was laid out.
Many streets here are narrow and flanked by tall buildings. This makes them pleasantly cool in the summer. The Spanish Quarter is known for the classic Neapolitan lifestyle that locals call basso – or “low living.
Basso homes were tiny apartments built close to ground level that had to house entire families. Everyday life spilled out onto the streets. Even today, life happens in the streets – flirting, fighting, playing, loving. This is the cliche’ of life in Naples that’s seen in so many movies. It makes the Spanish Quarter “Naples at it most Neapolitan.” The people are playful, the shopkeepers are friendly.
The Via Pignasecca Market – Naple’s fish market squirts and stinks just like it has here for centuries.
Along Via Pignasecca, you’ll pass by a variety of vendors. There’s fish stalls, tripe mongers, butchers, and produce stands.
Hungry? You could always just pop into a grocery store and ask the clerk to make you a sandwich. I had one that Rick Steve’s suggested – proscuitto and mozzarellla.
Piazza Carita – This spacious, modern square is quite a contrast to the close quarters of Naples’ traditional lanes. I’s crossed by busy Via Toledo. If you went downhill on Via Toledo, you’d reach the Piazza del Plebescito and a cluster of important sights – the Royal Palace, the Galleria Umberto, and views of the bay and Mount Vesuvius.
That big building was built in 1938, a time when Italy was dominated by the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. In fact, it was built for an official visit when Mussolini welcome Adolf Hitler. The building has the distinct fascist style of that erea – lots of severe stone, a grid-like pattern, and very little decoration style of elegant Baroque palazzos.
In the center of the square stands a modern statue. This celebrates a hometown hero named Salvador d’Acquino. He bravely saved 22 of his fellow Italian soldiers who stood up to the fascists. D’Acquino took the fall for their insurrection, and was executed in their place.
You may pass notice police cars parked along here. To the right is the local headquarters for the Carabinieri, a branch of the police. Carabinieri cars are generally black – the regular Italian polizia cars are blue. Carabinieri uniforms are also black with a distinctive red stripe down the pants. The Carainieri have a reputation for being a bit thick. Italians love to tell Carabinieri jokes, kind of like dumb blonde jokes.
Piazza Monteoliverto – The cute little church is Saint Anne of the Lombards. It was built in 1411. That’s about all that remains of once-huge convent that sprawled all across this little hill. The rest was either torn down or repurposed.
While the city of Rome has lots of gushing fountains, they’re not so common here in Naples. This one is a rare example, built in the late 1600s by the Spanish viceroy. Around the base are lions and eagles. At the top stands a statue of the viceroy’s boss – Charles II. He was king of both Spain and the Kingdom of Naples. The fountain was quite influential. Within its white stone, Baroque scrolls, and verticality, it set the tone for similar monuments.
Piazza Gesu’ Nuovo – This Piazza has quite a bit to take in. First, there’s the big pillar (above). Then there is the hard-to-miss Gesu’ Nuovo church. It’s the building with the waffle-iron facade made of pyramid-shaped stones. This daunting facade dates from the 1400s, when the building was not a church, but a fortified palace. There’s another church, the big brick Church of Santa Chiara, with its rectangular bell tower. Finally, slicing through the square is our old friend – the straight, narrow street called Spaccanapoli
Plague Column – The pillar rises nearly a hundred feet. It was begun in the 1600s to remember a horrific plague. This is the grandest of several similar obelisks erected in Naples around that time. The pillar is a virtual museum of Baroque sculpture – you’ll see scrolls, baby cherubs, balustrades, robed saints, and a spirit of exuberance. And it’s all organized neatly into five distinct stories.
On top stands a statue of Mary – the woman being celebrated by this impressive monument. It’s hard to get a picture of her since it is so tall. Around her head, she wears a diadem of stars. She stands on a globe of the earth and a crescent moon, supported by a cloud of cherubs. This is a typical depiction of Mary in her role symbolizing the immaculate Conception – as the perfect vessel to bear the Christ child.
Mary is the protector of Naples. In 1656, the bubonic plague clobbered Naples. More than a million people died in and around the city. This pillar was to thank Mary for finally driving the plague off. It’s similar to other plague pillars found all around in Europe. but by the time this pillar was completed a century later, it had take on a different purpose. It was to ask for Mary’s help against a different kind of plague – the Protestants. It was completed by the Jesuits, the religious order who spearheaded the anti-Protestant movement called the Counter-Reformation. The pillar came to symbolize the fierce tenacity of the Jesuits. Midway up the pillar, you can make out four proud statues – all Jesuits. One depicts the order’s founder – Saint Ignatius.
The Church of Gesu Nuovo– Entering the church, you’re greeted with a dazzling interior. There’s pink and grey marble, supporting a golden ceiling, capped with a dome. This decorative style – called Neapolitan Baroque – speaks to the wealth and the prestige of the Jesuits.
This second chapel has a much-adored statue. You’ll likely see a steady stream of Neapolitans filing by to pay their respects. This is a beloved local saint – St. Giuseppe Moscati. In the early 20th century, Doctor Moscati was famous for using his medical skills to help the poor. In 1987, he was the first modern doctor to be made a saint. Now his fellow Neapolitans pass by and kiss the good doctor’s hand.
This long room is a virtual shrine to Doctor Moscati. High on the walls there are hundreds of tiny red and silver plaques. These are called “ex-votos.” They’re offerings given in thanks by people whose prayers were answered with the help of Saint Moscati. Each plaque has a symbol. This indicates which ailment he helped cure. Naples’ practice of using ex-votos is very old. Though it’s part of Catholic rituals, similar practices go back even farther, to Naples’ pagan and Greek roots.
There’s more Moscati memorabilia on display. There are some reconstructed rooms from Moscati’s apartment that was located not far from here. There’s a glass case showing his possessions and photos of the good doctor.
Just before leaving the Moscati room, see the bomb casing. During World War II, this bomb fell through the church’s dome. But it never exploded and caused almost no damage… yet another miracle.
This church has a rich decor – the ceiling frescoes, the gilding, and the fine statues. As the church’s name suggests, this was the “New,” or “Nuovo,” church. The Jesuits had outgrown their “Old” church, which was nearby. They moved here in the 1580s. By the 1700s, they were a powerful force in Naples – even in politics. And though their influence waned in later centuries, this church remains a testament to the glory days of the Jesuit order.
the Church of Santa Chiara – The church was the center of a monastery. It was a huge complex of buildings and gardens, where devotees could meditate in peace behind the safety of strong walls. Stepping inside the church, it’s a very different experience from the Gesu Nuovo church. Where the Gesu’ was extravagant Baroque, this one is simple Gothic.
Santa Chiara dates from the early 1300s, the era of the Angevins from France. The church was built by the man who’s buried at the far end, behind the altar. This elaborate multi-story tomb honors Robert of Anjou, King of Naples. He was known as “Robert the Wise,” and the tomb shows him high above, seated like Solomon, wisely dispensing justice. During his reign, Robert beautified Naples, and made it a major medieval capital. The Angevins brought the architectural style popular in their native France- Gothic.
This church and monastery were dedicated to the order called the Poor Clares. It was founded in the 1200s by Clare, the good friend of St. Francis of Assisi. Many noble women, including Mrs. Robert the Wise, withdrew here to meditate and live a simpler Christ-like life. Not the grilled windows in the altar wall. Nuns cloistered themselves on the other side of the wall. They could look through the windows and observe Mass without interacting with the public.
This church became a kind of Westminster Abbey, where Naples royalty wanted to be buried. The carved tombs near Robert’s tomb are other Angevin rulers. To the right of the altar, there’s a chapel stacked with more royal tombs. Most of these blue-bloods came later in Naples’ history, when Naples was ruled by the Bourbons, and then the Italian Savoys. The paintings in the chapel depicts Maria Christina of Savoy. In the 1800s, this beautiful woman married the King of Naples. She died young, but her reputation for piety lived on. In the year 2014 she was beautified by the Catholic Church – that’s one step from sainthood. The ceremony was held right here in this church. There’s also a tomb to someone we’ve encountered before – Salvador d’Acquino. He’s the brave man during World War II who gave his own life to save 22 others.
During World War II, Naples was heavily bombed by the Allies, as they liberated Italy. Some 20,000 Neapolitans were killed. In 1943, this church was obliterated.
As they rebuilt, they stripped away the gaudy 1700s Baroque decor to reveal the pure Gothic we enjoyed today. Before exiting, check out a good example of this. Find the faded fresco – it depicts the Trinity – a dove representing the Holy Spirit between the heads of God the Father and Christ. Painted around 1400, it’s a reminder of the tender souls who worshipped here in medieval times.
Spaccanapoli – Entering the Old Town – Ancient Neapolis was typical of many Greek and Roman cities – laid out on a grid plan. Spaccanapoli was one of three east-west thoroughfares called a “decumanus.” They were crossed with north-south streets called the “cardis.” The whole thing was circled with a wall, creating a town of about one square mile.
We’re now entering the confines of ancient Neapolis. Some things have changed greatly in 2,000 years, and others haven’t. The street names are different – it’s called Via Benedetto Croce, Via San Biagio, and so on. But the free-wheeling Naples lifestyle lives on as it has for centuries. The street is just packed by day and night with people, people, people.
This street is some of the world’s best people-watching. Since this is a university district, you’re likely to see students and bookstores. The neighborhood is also famously superstitious, and you may see good-luck charms for sale. You’ll pass shops selling snack foods, coffee, gifts, souvenirs. It’s certainly not a street for functional items. You won’t see housewives doing their daily shopping.
This is the Palazzo Venezia. It was the embassy of the Republic of Venice to the Kingdom of Naples – back before the unification of Italy, when both were independent powers.
Piazza San Domenico Maggiore – This is one of the most atmospheric spots in the old town.
In the center stands another Naples plague column. It was also built after that disastrous 1656 epidemic. This one was erected by the Dominican order, who had their monastery here.
Saint Dominic is on top, since he was the order’s founder. The pillar is shaped like an Egyptian obelisk. But it’s slathered in typical Baroque decoration – there’s scrolls, coats of arms, garlands, and pudgy angel babies.
This is the Church of San Domenico. It looks more like a castle, with crenellations along the roofline. This is actually the back end, or apse of the church – you actually enter at the far end. The church was begun a thousand years ago, and parts of that original church still stand, even after it was incorporated into a larger church. In the 1200s it became a Dominican church, surrounded by a large monastery.
The University of Naples was founded right here, in 1224, where this palazzo now stands. Back then, it was part of the Dominican monastery. The University of Naples was one of the very first universities in Europe. It was especially groundbreaking for the time because its curriculum wsa largely secular. It was a place to train bureaucrats and lawyers for the Naples government. The great Thomas Aquinas – my vote for the greatest mind of the medieval world – graduated from here in the 1200s. He also taught here, before moving on to Europe-wide fame in Paris.
In the 1700s, this square was the place to live. The red palazzo was once the palace of the Corigliano family. You can see their family crest over the main doorway. On the opposite side of the square is the Petrucci family palace. Eh – it’s not so impressive today, because it’s been modernized. Finally, on the Spaccanapoli side, is the Palazzo Casacelenda. It’s notable for the white-marble columns that flank the entrances. Back in the 1700s, there was one more rich family that lived here on the square, and they left the biggest mark of all.
From Piazza San Domenico to The Statue of the Nile – This is the very heart of ancient Naples, back when it was called Neapolis. As an international seaport, it was packed with people from every Mediterranean culture – Greeks, Romans, Etruscans, Phoenicians. and, of course, the greatest ancient civilization – Egypt. Each of these ethnic groups was assigned a different neighborhood where their traders could live and set up shop. We’re now entering the Egyptian quarter.
The focal point for the neighborhood was something that would make Egyptian traders feel right at home – a statue of the Nile.
This intersection in old Naples was where the east-west axis of Spaccanapoli was bisected by a north-south street called Via Nilo – the “Street of the Nile.” Naples has the most intact street plan of any surviving ancient Greek or Roman city. Then as now, there were shop fronts at street level, and private homes on upper floors.
The Nile statue – of course under renovation – depicts a traditional river god in ancient style. He’s an old beared man, reclining across his pedestal. Look at his armrest – it’s a sphinx. He carries a cornucopia. That symbolizes how the waters of the Nile brought abundance to the deserts of Egypt.
For 2,000 years, this statue has been an integral part of this neighborhood. It was erected here in ancient Roman times by Egyptian merchants. They copied a statue they knew from their hometown of Alexandria. The statue gave the neighborhood its name – “Nilo” or Nile. After ancient times, the statue was lost for several centuries. But the neighborhood still kept its name – Nilo.
In medieval times, the lost statues was found again, but without its head. it was housed nearby in the town hall. Then in the 1600s, the beloved statue was placed here on this public square. A sculptor was hired to give poor Nilo the head we see today. No one knows whether this bearded head is accurate or not.
But that’s not the end of Mister Nile’s story. In the 1950s, thieves broke off some fragments and made off with the face of the Nile’s companion – the sphinx. Decades later, the sphinx’s face was discovered in far-off Austria. A grassroots campaign rose up here in Naples to restore the much-loved statue. Thousands of shops and locals donated. And in 2014, the newly-restored sphinx statue was unveiled. The importance of this statue to the people who live here can’t be underestimated. You can see it in the nickname they’ve given the statue: “IlCorpo di Napoli” – The Body of Naples.
This is Bar Nilo. This bar is an integral part of another vital aspect of local culture – soccer. Inside the bar is a venerated shrine dedicated to Naples’ most famous soccer star.
I got this picture very early in the AM. Be warned – if you want to take a picture, you need to buy something. Even a little expresso.
The tiny shrine inside is dedicated to football star Diego Maradona. He played fo rNaples during its heyday in the 1980s. Locals consider soccer almost a religion, and this guy was practically a diety. You’ll see his picture surrounded by the sky-blue colors of the Napoli football club. This gives them their nickname – the “azzurri” – the “blues”. You can even see a venerated lock of Diego’s hair. You’ll also see a little vial… containing teardrops. These were shed by heartbroken fans when Diego moved on to another team.
From the Nile Statue to Via San Gregorio Armeno, and Naples Presepi – we are in the thick of the streets most typical businesses.
There are a bunch of gold and silver shops in this area. Some have signs saying “compro oro” – “I buy gold.” Locals say they buy stolen jewelry, melt it down immediately, and its get resold in some other form as soon as it cools. It’s an enduring sign of Naples’ rough-and-tumble economic reality.
Another popular item on sale here are little Christmas creches. These are nativity scenes, with little figurines of Mary and the baby Jesus. Italians call these manager scenes “presepi.”
At Christmas time, most Italian families have a small creche in their home. It’s the centerpiece of their holiday decorations, the way Americans have a Christmas tree. As Christmas approaches, every day they add another figure to the scene – shepherds, Wise Men, Joseph, Mary… The anticipation builds until finally, the baby Jesus makes his grand appearance on Christmas Eve.
This little street – the picture you see above – Via San Gregorio Armeno – is a little bit of Christmas all year long. Italians flock here to buy presepi and figurines. It’s like Americans are always keeping an eye out for Christmas tree ornaments.
See the fanciful pink tower that arches over the street. On this particular day I’m out too early in the morning to see the shops open. But if they were… we’d see more and more shops
To Via Duomo – Here the main “sights” are just the vibrant street life. As one walks along, it gets a little grittier… a little less touristy. There are fewer cafes, crafts, and jewelry stores, and more panty hose, shampoo and toilet paper.
It’s not glamorous. But this is kind of what you come to Naples for. The rhythm of everyday street life.
The area is said to be the center of the Camorra. That’s the organized crime family in Naples – the local version of the Mafia, which is from Sicily. But as a tourist, we won’t notice… unless you need to park your car. 🙂
Naples is changing. One in five locals is under age 14. It’s crowded and expensive to live here, even in a cramped apartment. many flee to the sanity of the suburbs. But other’s choose to remain right here where the action is. They pay for the privilege of basso living. And that’s what we see today – just one more page in the 2,000-year-old story of a city.
This circular fence protects another chunk of that ancient Green wall of Neapolis. It’s another reminder that we visitors today enjoy a city that’s been continuously inhabited for 2,500 years.
Finally… a city wander is not complete until one gets something to eat. 🙂
Some Typical Neapolitan Eateries –
Above is Pizzeria Trianon da Ciro. Trianon has been serving pizza hot and fast for almost a century. Naples is the birthplace o pizza. Naples-style pizza uses fresh dough, so the crust is soft and chewy.
As opposed to Roman-style, which is thin and crispy.
The classic Naples pizza is topped with only mozzarella and tomatoes. And it has to be cooked in a traditional wood-burning oven.
Trianon is old, but the oldest pizzeria is a half-block further. Some say this restaurant – da Michele – is where pizza was born. A disclaimer: various breads with toppings have been eaten since the beginning of time. but it was in Naples in the late 1800s that pizza as we know it debuted. From here, it spread to the rest of Italy and beyond. Some say it originated right here at Michele’s.
Michele’s has pizza for purists. It serves just two classic varieties. There’s Marinara – topped with tomato sauce, oregano, and garlic – with no cheese. The other is Pizza Margherita. This was supposedly invented for Margaret, the Queen of Italy. It comes with the three patriotic colors of the Italian flag; red- the tomato sauce; white – mozzarella cheese; and green – garnished with a sprig of green basil.