Naples

After an early start and a 30 minute walk to the train station, we were on our way to Naples. The train, although not fast, stopped only a couple of times and we were there in about 35 minutes. We quickly found the tourist information desk, where we received a warm welcome, plus a street map....so armed with the map and Donatello’s itinerary, we entered the streets of Naples.
Our first sight after leaving the train station was an area of construction, streets full of seedy markets....and lots of overflowing garbage cans. Although areas around train-stations are not always the best, we made allowances for that and continued on with optimism. Having previously decided that unless we found something indoors to see that we didn’t know about, we would make this strictly an outside day, in order to get a full overview of the city. We do know that Naples has some wonderful museums, churches with magnificent architecture plus numerous art galleries.....but with our mantra - “we can’t see everything” firmly in place we started what was to be a long day of walking the city streets.
First we went in search of one street that Donatello had recommended - Via San Gregorio Armeno - where his fellow artisans make and sell nativity scenes. The street is in one of the oldest parts of Naples and for centuries elaborate hand-crafted and painted nativity scenes have been created. Although work continues throughout the year, during the Christmas season more than half a million tourists come to see these shops and stalls - on this Saturday, I think most of them were there! Undoubtedly there are still some beautiful nativity scenes here - but for the most part they’ve been crowded out with cheap replicas. Religious figures have given way to a host of other characters - from fishmongers to exotic animals, Lady Gaga to Donald Trump - even a few famous soccer players can be seen around the crib. Call me a traditionalist - but it looks weird...and tacky! One unlikely scene, which we didn’t see (fortunately?!) is an annual extravaganza made out of pizza dough!
Oh.....and If you don’t see anything you like, thousands of accessories can be purchased for a “DIY” project. Along with a ready made “presepe” (crib), there’s everything from cork, moss, pre-made houses, trees, figurines and waterfalls with electric engines....so go for it! You probably get the picture - we were bitterly disappointed (sorry Donatello). Making our way through the crowds we left this ancient street, slipped down an even narrower alleyway and followed the Christmas music. Here it was actually calmer - there were stalls full of cheap, shiny Christmas ornaments and tinsel....we had to laugh! We also had fun when one happy vendor joined us in singing along with the music - Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You!”
Not too far away is “Sorbillo” - a famed Neapolitan pizzeria. Under renovation the front was covered in scaffolding, but at 11.30 that morning it had not deterred the crowds. Although not open until noon, a line-up was already in place to taste their renowned pizza. Founded in 1935 they’ve now opened another branch in New York, and we heard plenty of American accents as we passed by. Not yet hungry, we resisted and kept going....along the way passing a church whose rich interior also beckoned. We again resisted- especially when we found out this particular church specialized in helping people assist their loved ones to leave purgatory! Close by a smaller and less rich-looking church was holding an exhibition of Andy Warhol paintings. We also had a quick peek inside a lovely small chapel that dated back to 1492.
Following these narrow streets eventually brought us out onto Via Toledo and Piazza Dante. This large square which prior to the late 1700s was a market area, is known as a popular gathering place for families - especially during hot summer evenings. One whole side is dominated by the Convitto Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele - the National Boarding School. This imposing curved building has a large clock over its entrance and across the top are 26 statues representing the virtues of Charles VII of Bourbon. A large white statue of Dante (built in 1871) stands at the front of the piazza.
Before continuing down Via Toledo, we took a detour to the top of the city by way of a funicular, which can be found just a couple of streets away from Piazza Dante. Opened in 1891, it takes just a few minutes to get to the top, runs every 15 mins or so, and is the price of a metro ticket (€1.20). Exiting at the top there’s an area of attractive cafés and restaurants which are noticeably more up-scale than the ones at the bottom. We followed street signs to Castel Sant’Elmo, about a 10 minute walk away....here is where magnificent views of the city can be found.
This medieval star-shaped fortress takes its name from a 10th century church Sant’Erasmo. The name was altered and shortened when it was turned into a castle in 1349. Further fortified in 1538, it was later used as a military prison until the mid 20th century. Inside there is now an art museum plus a great view of the city below - which can also be taken in from a large terrace area just beyond its gates. We opted for the latter, which seemed to be what most people were doing. The whole city and port is spread out below and with Vesuvius in the background, it’s an impressive sight! The surrounding square also has the monastery of St. Martin, which was founded in 1325. Housing an Order of Carthusian Monks, it was considered an ideal place for contemplation and prayer. We found this to be one of the more tempting places of the day and although we would loved to have seen both the art work and architecture inside and the cloisters outside - we enjoyed the views, took our photos and retraced our steps back to the funicular station in order to continue our Naples walk-a-thon.
Our way back down turned out to be via a different route, due to a funicular breakdown. Along with a fair-sized group of agitated Italian tourists, we were told to go the the nearest metro station where we would be able to use our tickets.....so we followed the crowd and took the metro back to Plaza Dante station.
Via Toledo was named for the Spanish Viceroy who created the road in the 16th century when he ruled Naples. This long street is the main shopping area of Naples and although an attractive wide boulevard, parts of it are grubby....but it has some interesting architecture. Stretching for almost a mile down to the water it was originally used as a military road, but now the attractive Baroque style facades of former palazzos line the upper sections of this street. Most of are of equal height, with iron balconies and window shutters that are very similar to each other, giving the whole area a neat and interesting look.
On this Saturday, the street was packed full of people as both shoppers and tourists made their way up and down what are actually very narrow sidewalks for such a wide street. Any attempt to walk across the street is a life-threatening experience!
While pausing for a few minutes to stand at an outside counter to eat a slice of pizza, we had a good opportunity to people watch and enjoy the loud and bustling atmosphere surrounding us.
Close to the end of the street we took a look inside Galleria Umberto - a huge glass-roofed arcade with shops and cafés. Built in the late 1800s, the floor has a zodiac mosaic in the centre, the glass dome is 184 feet high and the arcade has some lovely Renaissance style arches. Apparently not favoured too much by Neapolitan shoppers, the large McDonalds there certainly seemed popular...and we did hear rumours that the marble floor is perfect for casual indoor soccer games in the evenings!
Via Toledo ends at Piazza Plebiscito - an enormous space that gets its name from the plebiscite held there in October 1860, when the country was officially united. It was previously named Largo del Palazzo for the Royal Palace, home of the Bourbons. The palace still remains there, along with some of the city’s main monuments, including the domed Basilica of San Francesco della Paola, which was built to resemble the Pantheon in Rome. The curving colonnade is similar to one also in Rome - St. Peter’s Square....in the same way, it gives a wonderful feeling of space where the citizens of this densely populated city can spread out a little, take a stroll and enjoy the lovely surroundings. In the centre are 2 large bronze equestrian statues. The whole piazza is slightly slanted - again like St Peter’s - which is used to advantage as many concerts are held there.
We wanted to see the waterfront, and we were very close, but to reach it we had to take an elevator down to another street level as we couldn’t see or find any other alternate way to get there! We passed the huge Maschio Angioino - built in 1285 - a fortress and one time Royal Palace. Re-named Castel Nuovo when it became city property in the mid 1800s, it’s now the home of the Civic Museum and historic archives, with over 30,000 volumes of books, prints and drawings. Right now the castle has some parts covered in scaffolding and is the sight of an archaeological dig. While working on the metro, workers found Medieval boats buried around the castle - the area was formerly the Port until the 16th century. All work was stopped until this discovery could be investigated....and the controversy still continues - how to move these very large ships? Some of the smaller artifacts that were found are on permanent display at the metro stop for the museum.
We’d planned to walk the waterfront until we were back in the general area of the train station - expecting to find some kind of waterfront park or promenade. It was a bit disappointing to find only an industrial area of docks and ferries.
In the large train station of Naples, we somehow ended up on a metro route back to Salerno (who knew?), which with a stop every few minutes, took well over an hour, mostly underground. It was dark outside anyway, and we had time during the journey to doze a little and reflect on the day.
Upon visiting Naples, did we make the right decision? Yes and no...but firstly with apologies to those who love this city (including Donatello), we unfortunately did not love Naples - and we really wanted to! If we were to do it again, knowing what we now know, I believe we would concentrate more on what can be found inside the city’s lovely churches, impressive castles, world class museums and art galleries.
We’d more than managed to meet our target of seeing the city of Naples, having walked 20km during our time there...and although the weather forecast had called for a day of rain, we actually had a dry, blustery day that reached a comfortable walking temperature of 20C. Any regrets on doing it “our way?” - not at all....although Naples failed to capture our hearts, we can see how others could love it. The city has a lot of great buildings and some wonderful architecture - but it does have the overall appearance of having seen better days (which it certainly has!). It’s grubby, down at heels - and dirty....garbage is everywhere...all the bins are overflowing and the mess spreads out around them. It’s also a bit seedy, even in the main tourist areas - which for most cities is unusual...but it is a lively place! A city of contradictions - it’s overcrowded and it has drivers who are determined to kill a few pedestrians each day. The subway cars are dirty and strange sounds and vibrations can be heard and felt when riding in them - but there is some marvellous art work and historic artifacts in many of the metro stations.
Our advice....go and check it our for yourselves.- do it your way....you may love it!