Introduction |  |
Naples is different. Visitors seduced by the elegance of the rest of Italy come to Napoli and find its stark juxtaposition of the beautiful and the grotesque either a slap in the face or, for others, a head-spinning party. Explanations as to why Naples is like this vary. It may be the effect of sitting under Mount Vesuvius, Europe’s largest active volcano. It may be the mix of Greeks, Romans, Normans, Saracens, Angevins, Napoleonic French and Bourbon Spanish that went into the city of today. One way or another, history has made Naples a highly singular place.
The city’s vibrancy does have its downsides. Directly behind the swanky shops of the via Toledo loom the Quartieri Spagnoli, where the camorra (local mafia) lurk. Don’t be put off, however. The gangs are not interested in tourists, and a programme of restoration of the city’s landmarks, pedestrianisation of the centre and improved public transport have changed the face and feel of Naples.
Crossing old Naples, Spaccanapoli is the Roman main street, branching into a series of narrow 13th- and 14th-century streets. Piazza del Gesù displays the split personality of local architecture with the lush baroque interior of Gesù Nuovo opposite the austere Santa Chiara. Piazza San Domenico Maggiore lies further along, with relaxed cafés set around its baroque church. San Gregorio Armeno, filled with artisans’ workshops, leads up to via Tribunali, the main road of Greek Neapolis. At one end is the Duomo, dedicated to San Gennaro, Naples’ patron saint and where three times a year San Gennaro’s solidified blood liquefies before a packed congregation. Back towards the centre lies the mysterious church of San Lorenzo (with a Roman street beneath) and the church of the Anime in Purgatorio (‘Souls in Purgatory’). Touch the brass skulls outside or leave flowers for luck. Underground tours (081 296 944, 081 400256, www.lanapolisotterranea.it, entrance by San Paolo Maggiore) can be taken.
The mainly pedestrianised via Toledo (known also as via Roma) links the old and new centres. Anchoring one end of the street, the National Archaeological Museum (piazza Museo Nazionale 19, 081 440 166, 081 564 8941, closed Tue) houses mosaics and statues from Pompeii and the Gabinetto Segreto, an adults-only collection of Roman erotica. The Capodimonte museum (Porta Grande, via Capodimonte, 081 749 9111, closed Wed), surrounded by a huge park and containing works by Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian and Breugel, lies at the far end.
Piazza Plebiscito is a large semicircle, flanked by the church of San Francesco di Paola and the old royal palace. The palace is connected to the San Carlo opera house, which in turn faces the glass dome of the Galleria Umberto arcade and the Castel Nuovo. From the terrace stretches the wide blue Bay of Naples, the ferry port for Capri and the ancient Castel dell’Ovo (via Partenope, 081 240 0055).
The only city beach (‘Mappatella Beach’ in Mergellina) is fun, but the water isn’t very clean, and the atmosphere is Napoli-meets-Margate. If it’s a suntan you’re after, best head out to the Amalfi Coast or the islands.
• Tourist information: EPT piazza dei Martiri 58 (081 410 7211).
|
|
