Tag along as I return once again to the amazing city of Naples, Italy.
Naples, Italy, is often a city neglected by tourists. Honestly, I’m okay with that. Most foreign tourists wouldn’t be able to survive Naples. It really isn’t for the faint of heart. Scooters shoot up narrow streets. Cars barely miss you on crosswalks. Traffic lights don’t mean anything. Every time I go, I see at least one car accident. It’s dingy, dank and full of graffiti. Honestly, I love it.
Food is awesome and cheap. They have an awesome tourist pass for the entire province. And the whole place really reminds me of New York City, because nothing works, things are randomly closed, and the metro randomly shuts down for no reason.
Most tourists just pass through Naples’ train station on the way to Pompeii (my last post). Truthfully, I did that my first time I visited from Rome. (It was a college trip.) I vowed to come back and check out the Archaeological Museum of Naples where many of the Pompeiian artifacts are kept. When I was researching my return trip over my Christmas break during Grad School, I found out that Naples had a ton to offer. I fell in love with Naples during that trip and have been back two more times. This is some of what I found during my latest visit.
Naples, of course, grew up in the shadow of Vesuvius, so why not make a Vesuvius out of bread. Those rolls, which I shamefully don’t know the name of, are a local staple.
First stop was Santa Chiara, one of my favorite churches of Naples (I say that a lot.). It was built in the 14th century and heavily bombed, with the rest of Naples, during WWII.
One of the reasons I like Santa Chiara so much is because during the reconstruction after WWII, they removed all the Baroque additions from the 17th century and returned the church to its 14th century appearance. I guess they figured there were enough Baroque churches in Naples.
Santa Chiara’s bell tower, which now blocks off a good portion of the street. There is a reason this street is mostly pedestrian.
Nearby is the very interesting Gesù Nuovo. The church was originally a palace built in 1470 for the Prince of Salerno, hence the weird façade.
The Jesuits were given the property to build a very fancy church. They succeeded.
The central dome is just wow!
Back out on the streets. Central Naples is known for its very narrow streets. Here is the year-round Christmas market. Italians aren’t big on Christmas trees (tiny apartments and all) but they are really into Nativity scenes. You can find all sorts of handcrafted pieces in this market, especially when I visited since it was December.
Nativity Scene displays are big draw throughout Italy. Parishes compete against parishes. This weird statue is advertising for the Presepe (Nativity Scene) down the alley way.
The Duomo of Naples was built in the 14th century with many later additions.
This duomo’s claim to fame is the world’s largest nativity scene. Yeah, these statues are not only huge, they are also creepy. Ten feet at least tall at least.
Other than the creepy Nativity Scene, it is a pretty church.
The Treasury of San Gennaro is a very pretty chapel. There are many statue reliquaries.
The ceiling is just stunning.
The day got a little weird after that. We ended up on an Underground Naples tour where they take you through the ancient aqueducts and wells of the city that later became the air raid shelters of WWII. It was really cool the first time I took it, but it has certainly become a lot more popular since then.
Here is one of the rooms used as an air raid shelter. It would have been a large, cavernous room, but it filled with garbage over the centuries. When they constructed the shelters, they just poured concrete over the garbage.
One of the ancient cisterns that was fed by an underground aqueduct.
Part of the tour visits the basement of the Ancient Roman Theater of Naples. It was built in the Greek style, but it was all roman. Much of the theater remains, but it has been incorporated into more modern buildings over the centuries.
This bit of the ancient theater sticks out over a street and is the most visible portion without going on a tour.
A peak at San Paolo Maggiore, a church that was heavily damaged by bombing during WWII.
The next church I stopped into was San Lorenzo Maggiore, part of a large complex featuring a former monastery turned excellent museum.
The fairly plain San Lorenzo’s chapels are lined with these awesome tombs.
Okay, not all of them are plain. If you head to the very back of the church behind the altar, you can find some really cool medieval frescoes.
I feel like I have a lot in common with this monk.
The cloister of San Lorenzo Maggiore, part of the museum.
Underneath San Lorenzo, they found an actual Ancient Roman ruin, the Macellum of Naples (market). It was covered by a mudslide in the 5th century CE and the church complex was built on top of it.
Not something you would expect to find so intact under a church.
We ended the day at the National Museum of Archaeology. You really can spend an entire day at this museum.
The second day of Naples was split between the morning at Caserta (next post) and Naples’ harbor area. We didn’t get to see much that afternoon because a torrential downpour hit as we got out of the metro station. We got a late lunch and then went out see a bit before it poured again. It always downpours when I’m in this area of Naples. It never fails.
The city is redoing much of the area since putting in a new metro line. Found some interesting statues.
One of Naples’ castles, the Castel Nuovo. It was of course closed due to the weather. I don’t blame them.
A very colorful and busy round-about.
The Piazza del Plebiscito and the Basilica Reale Pontificia San Francesco de Paola, two of Naples’ biggest landmarks.
Directly across the piazza, is the Palazzo Reale di Napoli, the Royal Palace of Naples. I didn’t have time to stop in during this visit but did last time. It is very lovely.
Last but not least, my favorite shopping mall, the Galleria Umberto I. It is currently undergoing restoration and cleaning and I have to say, they are doing a wonderful job. It looks wonderful.
Naples is one of my favorite Italian cities to visit for its vibrancy and wonderful museums and churches. What I presented here is just a small portion of what Naples has to offer. The entire region of Campania is full of wonders. Check some of those out in my Naples guide.
Check out my next update where I visit the Royal Palace of Caserta!
