Naples
Orientation to Naples -Naples is set deep inside the large,curving Bay of Naples,with Mount Vesuvius looming just five miles away.Although Naples is a sprawling city,its fairly compac core contains the most interesting sights.The tourist's Naples is a trianglewith its points at the Centrale train station in the eas ,the Archaeological Musem to the west,and the Piazza Plebiscito( with the Royal Palace)nd the port to the south.Steep hills rise above this historic core,including San Martino,capped whit a mighty fortress.
Tourist Information Central Naples -Just grab a map and browse the brochures.There are TIs in the Centrale train station (daily 9:00-18:00,near track 23,operated by a private agency,tel.081-268 779);by the entrance to the Galleria Umberto I shopping mall,across from Teatro di San Carlo( Mon-Sat 9:00-17:00,Sun 9:00-13:00,tel.081-402-394;and along Spaccanapoli,across from Church of Gesu' Nuovo ( Mon-Sat 9:00-17:00,Sun 9:00-13:00,tel.081-551-2701).For information online,the best overall website is www.inaples.it.At www.inaples.it/eng/quinapoli.htm,you can downloadthe PDF version of the mon thly Qui Napoli booklet,which lists museum hours,events,and transportation info.A print version is occasionally available as TIs.
Arrivals in Naples By Train -There are several Naples train stations,but all trais coming into town stop at either Napoli Centrale or Garibaldi.Central is the slick,modern main station.It has a small TI ( near track 23),an ATM (at Banco di Napoli near track24),a bookstore ( La Feltrinelli,near track 24),and baggage check (deposito bagagli,near track 5).Pay WCs are down the stairsacross from track 13.Shops and eateriesare concentrated in the underground level.
Archaeological Museum - Naples' Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico) ,worth offers the best possible peek at the art decorations of Pompei and Herculaneum,the two ancient burgs that were buried in ash by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D.79.For loves of antiquity,this museum alone makes Naples a worthwhile stop.When Pompei was excavated in the late 1700s,Naples' Bourbon king bellowed,Bring me the best of what you find.The finest art and artifacts ended up here,and today,the ancient sites themselves are impressive.
Cost and Hours: euro 8,sometimes more for temporary exhibits,free first Sun of the month,Wed-Mond 9:00-19:30,closed Tue.Early and temporary closures are noted on a board near the ticket office.In July and August,expect many rooms to be closed due tolack of staff.Getting There - To take the Metro ( Metropolitana)from Centrale Station,follow the signs to the Garibaldi subway station (down the stairs in front of track 13 ).Buy a single transit ticket at thje newsstand or a tobacco shop ( unless you're getting a pass ),and validate it in the small yellow boxes near the escalator going down to the tracks.You're looking for line 2 (Linea 2 ) trains heading in the directions of Pozzuoli (generally depart from track 4).Ride one stop to Cavour .Walk five minutesd uphill through the park along the busy steet.Look for a grand old red building located up a flight of stairs at the top of the block.
If taking the Metro back to Centrale Station,it's faster to catch a train in the Cavour station,rather than at the connected Museo stop ( which is on a different line). Euo 12 for a taxi from the train station to the museum. Informatin:The shop sells a worthwhile National Archaeological Museum of Naples guidebook foe euro 12.Tel.+39 081 442 2149 Baggage Check:Bag check is obbligatory and free Photography:Photos are allowed without a flash Eating:The museum has no cafe',but vending machines sell drinks and snacks at reasonable prices.There are several good places to grab a meal within a few blocks. Overview:Entering the museum stand at the base of the grand staircase.To your right,on the groung floor,are the larger-thsan -life statues of the Farnese Collectioin,starring the Toro Farnese and the Farnese Hercules.Up the stairs of the mezzanine level are mosaics and frescoes ftrom Pompei,including the Secret Room of erotic art.On the top floor are more frescoes,a scale model of Pompei,and bronze statues fro m Herculaneum.WCs are behind the staircase
From the base of the grand staircase,turn right through the door marked Collezione Farnese and head to the far end-walking through a rich collection of idealistic and realistic ancieent portrait busts -to reach the farthest room Sala XIII
Naples Walk
From the Archaeological Museum to Piazza Bellini and Piazza Dante.The first two parts of this walk are a mostly straight one-mile ramble down a fine boiuldevard (with a few colorful detours) to the waterfront at Piazza Plebiscito.Your starting point is the Archaeological Museum ( at the top of Piazza Cavour,Metro:Cavour or Museo.As you stroll,remember that here in Naples,red traffic lights are considered decorations.watch out crossing the street.From the door of the Archaeological Museum,cross the street,veer rightand enter the fancy mall.Galleria Principe di Napoli.This was named for the first male child of the royal Savoia family,the Prince of Naples.Walk directly through it,enjoying this fine shopping gallery from the late 19th century,similar to those popular in Paris and London.Leaving the gallery trhrough the opposite end,walk one block downhill.At via Conte di Ruvo,head left,passing the fine Bellini Theater.After one block,turn right on via Costantinopoli,continuing directly downhill to Piazza Bellini.As you walk ,look up to enjoy architecture built in the late 19th century,when Naples was the last stop on Romantic Age travelers' Grand Tour of Europe.
Piazza Bellini Walking between columns of two grand churches,,suddenly you're in neighborhood Napoli.A statue of Sicilian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini,who worked in Naples in the early 1800s,marks the center of the park.At the downhill ends of the square ,peer down into the sunken area to see the ruined Greek walls:tuff blocks without mortar.
Walk 30 yards downhill ,stop at the horsshoe-shaped Port'Alba gate (on the right).Spin slowly 360 degrees and take in the scene.
Piazza Dante This square is marked by a statue of Dante,the medieval poet.Old Dante looks out over an urban area that was once grand,then chaotic,and is now slowly becoming grand again.Across the street,Caffe' Messico is an institution Known for its espresso,which is served already sweetened ask for senza zucchero if you don't want sugar( pay first,then take receipt to the counter and hand it over). Most Italians agree that Neapolitan coffee is the best anywhere.Walk downhill on...Via Toledo.
Via Toledo the long,straight street heading downhill from Piazza Dante in Naples'principal shopping drag.It originated as a military road build under Spanish rule (hence de name) in the 16th century.Via Toledo skirted the old town wall to connect the Spanish military headquarters ( now the museum where you started this walk).Continue straight on Via Toledo.About three blocks below piazza Dante and a block past Piazza Sette Settembre ,you wi'll come to Via Maddaloni,which marks the start of the long ,straight,narrow street nickamed...Spaccanapoli.
Spaccanapoli Before crossing the street-whose name translates as split Naples-look left (toward the train station).Then look right( to see San Martino hill rising steeply above the center).Since ancient time ,this thin street has bisected the city.It changes names several times:Via Maddaloni (as it's called here),Via B.Croce,Via S.Biagio dei Librai,and Via Vicaria Vecchia.If you want to abbreviate this walk goes ahead to described next
Monumental Naples ( Via Toledo,the Spanish Quarter,and Piazza del Plebiscito)
We'll detour off Via Toledo for Just a couple of blocks(rejoining it later).At the Spaccanapoli intersection,go right (toward the church facade on the hill ,up Via Pasquale Scura).After about 100 yards, you hit a busy intersection.Stop.You're on one of Naples' most colorful open-air market streets..Pignasecca
Via Pignasecca Market, Snoop around from here if you are so inclined.Then,turn left down Via Pignasecca and stroll this colorful strips.Youìll pass meat and fish stalls ,produce stands,street food vendors,and much more.This is a taste of Naples'famous Spanish Quarter,which we'll experience more of later in this walk.Via Pignasecca meets back up with Via Toledo at the square called Piazza Carita'
Piazza Carita' This square ,built for an official visit by Hitler to Mussolini in 1938, is full of stern,straight,obedient lines.From Piazza Caritacontinue south down Via Toledo for a few blocks,looking to your left ,Fascist Architecture (Bank)'You can't miss the two big ,blocky bank buildings.
Spanish Quarter This is a classic world of basso (low) living.The streets which were laid out in the 16th century for the Spanish military barracks outside the city walls are unbelievably narrow(and cool in summer),and the buildings rise five stories high..In such tight quarters,life flirting,fighting,playing,and loving happens in the road,his is the cliche' of life in Naplesas shown in so many movies.The Spanish Quarter is Naples at its most characterustic.The shopkeepers are friendly,and the mopeds are bold (watch out).Concerned locals wil tug on their lower eyelids,warning you to be wary.Hungry?Pop into a grocry shop and ask the clerk to make you hois best prosciutto-and-mozzarella sandwich( the price should be around euro 4).Return to Via Toledo and work your way down.Near the bottom of the street,on the right at # 275,is Pintauro,a takeaway bakery famous foe its sfogliatelle.these classic ,ricotta-filledNeapolitan pastries are often served warm from the oven and make a tasty euro 2 treat.Just beyond on the right,notice the station for the Centrale funicular.If you have extra time and enjoy city views,this can take you sweat-freeup to the top San Martino,the hill with a fortress and a monastery/museum looming over town..Across the street is the impressive Galleria Umberto I but don't go in now,as you will see it in a minute from the other side.For now,just keep heading down the main drag and through the smaller Piazza Trieste e Trento to the immense... Piazza del Plebiscito
Piazza del Plebiscito This square celebrates the 1861 vote ( Plebiscito,Plebiscite) in which Naples chose to join Italy.Dominating the top of the square is the church of San Francesco di Paola,with its Pantheon -insipred dome and broad,arcing colonnades..If it's open,step inside to ogle the vast interior a Neoclessical re creation
Royal Palace( Palazzo Reale). Having housed Spanish,French,and even Italian royalty,this building displays statues of nall those who stayed here.Continue 50 yards past of the Royal Palace ( toward the ttrees ) to enjoy a Fine Harbor View.While boats busily serve Capri and Sorrento,Mount Vesuvius smolders ominously in the distance.Look back to see the vast Bourbon red palace its color inspired by Pompei.The hilltopabove Piazza del Plebiscito is San Martino,with its Carthusian monastery-turned museum and Castle of St.Elmo (remember,the Centrale funicular to the top is just across the square and up Via Toledo).The promenade you're on continues to Naples'romantic harborfront the fisherman quarter (Borgo Marinaroi) a fortified island connected tomthe mainland by a stout causeway,with its fanciful ancient Castel dell'Ovo( Egg Castle) and trendy harborside restaurants.Farther along thr harborfront stretches the Lungomare promenade and Santa Lucia district.( The long harborfront promenade,Via Francesco Caracciolo,is a delightful people watching scene on balmy night ).
Gran Caffe' Gambrinus This coffee house,facing the piazza,,takes ytou back to the elegance of 1860.It's a classic place to sample a crispy sfogliatella pastry,or perhaps the mushroom shaped,rumsoaked bread like cakes called baba',which come in a huge variety.Stand at the bar (banco) pay double to sit (tavola)or just wander around as you imagine the cafe' buzzing with the ritzy intellectuals,journalist,and artsy bohemian types who munched an baba' here during Naples' 19th- century heyday.( daily 7:00 -24:00,Piazza del Plebiscito1,tel +39 081 417 582 ).
Teatro di San Carlo
Built in 1737 ,41 years before Milan's La Scala,this is Europe's oldest opera house and Italy's second -most respected(after La Scala)The theater burned down in 1816,and was rebuilt within the year.Beyond Teatro di San Carlo and the Royal Palace is the huge,harborfront Castel Nuovo,which houses governament bureaucrats and the Civic Museum.Cross the street fro Teatro di San Carlo and go through the tall yellow arch into the Victorian iron and glass of the 100-year old shoping mall,Galleria Umberto I.It was built in 1892 to reinvigorate the district after a devastating cholera epidemic occurred here.Gawk up,then walk left to bring you back out on Via Toledo.This walk,double back up Via Toledo to Piazza Carita'veering right( just above the first big fascist -sryle building we saw earlier).On Via Morgantini through Piazza Monteoliveto.Cross the busy street,then angle up Calata Trinita' Magggiore To the fancy column at the top of the hill.(To avoid the backtracking and uphill walk,catch a euro 10 taxi to the Church of Gesu' Nuovo.
Piazza Gesu' Nuovo
This square is marked by a towering 18th-century Baroque monument.The Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, located on the lower decumano, is the symbolic square of the historic center of Naples. Entirely pedestrian, it is dominated by the imposing marble obelisk of the Immaculate and is enclosed by Church of the Gesù Nuovo, from the monastery of Santa Chiara and from historic noble palaces such as, for example, Palazzo Pandola, the Palazzo Pignatelli di Monteleone, the Palazzo Professa (current high school "Eleonora Pimentel Fonseca") and the building of the Congregations (current "Genovesi" high school).After touring the churches,continue alon the main drag.Since this is a university district, you'll see lots of students and bookstores.This neighborhood is also famously superstitious.
Look for incense-burning women with carts full of good -lucky charms for sale.Farther down Spaccanapoli passing Palazzo Venezia,the embassy of Venice to Naples when both were independent powers -you'll see the next square.Piazza San Domenico Maggiore
Piazza San Domenico Maggiore
This square is marked by an ornate 17th-century monument built to thank God foe ending the plague.From this square ,detour left along the right side of the castle-like church,then follow yellow signs,taking the first right and ewalking one block to the remarkable Cappella San Severo.This Baroque chapel is well worth visiting.After touring the chapel,return to Via B.Croce turn left and continue your cultural scavenger hunt..At the intersection of Via Nilo ,find the Statue of the Nile(on the left):A reminder of the multiethnic makeup of Greek Neapolis
Cappella Sansevero
Timetables
Every day: 09.00-19.00
Last admission allowed up to 30 min. before closing. Ticket 8,00 € uro FAI members: 6.00 € uro Children from 10 to 25 years: 5,00 € uro Children up to 9 years: free
This small chapel is a Baroque explosion mourning the body of Christ,who lies on a soft piòllow under an incredibly realistic veil.It's also the personal chapel of Raimondo de Sangro,an eccentric Freemason,containing his tomb and tombs of his family.no photos,Via De Sanctis 19,tel.081-551-8470 https://www.museosansevero.it/
Good English Eexplanations are posted throughours;when,you buy your ticketpick up the free floor plain which identifies each of the statues lining the nave.
Visiting the Chapel:Study the incredible Veiled Christ in the center.Carved out of marble ,it's like no other statue I've seen ( by Giiuseppe Howdeedoodat Sammartino,1753 ).The Christian message
( Jesus died for our salvation) is accompanied by a Freemason message (the veil rapresents how the body and egoare obstacles to real spiritual freedom).
Where is the monument of Maradona in Naples?
The monument to the Pibe de Oro was placed in front of the gates of the Fuorigrotta sports ( stadio Diego Armando Maradona ) facility during an initiative organized by the Municipality of Naples to remember Maradona exactly one year after his death.
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Where is the mural of Maradona in Naples?
In Naples, 700 meters from Piazza del Plebiscito, in Via Emanuele de Deo, the gigantic mural in honor of the footballer Diego Armando Maradona who led the Napoli team to victory in various football events.
Where is the Maradona chapel in Naples?
Quartirei Spagnoli -via Emanuele De Deo, not far from the Murales dedicated to the Pibe de Oro
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