Naples 🌋

The straight street that divides the ancient center in two, seen from above like a clean cut between buildings. Shops, churches, friggitorie, and street life without interruption.

Eighteenth-century noble chapel with the Cristo Velato at the center: the marble veil is carved from a single block and is considered a technical limit of sculpture.

The city's cathedral and the chapel of the patron saint, where three times a year the ritual of the liquefaction of the blood is repeated before a huge crowd.

The street of nativity scenes, with artisan shops open all year carving shepherds and figurines — in December it becomes practically impassable for the crowd.

The majolica cloister of the Poor Clares, with pillars and benches covered in eighteenth-century ceramics: an island of silence in the middle of the chaos.

One of the most important archaeological collections in the world: mosaics and frescoes removed from Pompeii and Herculaneum, the Farnese collection, and the famous Secret Cabinet.

Route at forty meters depth among Greek cisterns, Roman aqueducts, and World War II shelters. Some passages are very narrow.

Bourbon palace with a top-level art gallery — Caravaggio, Titian, Masaccio — and a huge public park behind.

On the Vomero hill, a Carthusian monastery with Baroque cloisters, a collection of historic nativity scenes, and the most beautiful view over the gulf.

The Toledo station and other stops on Line 1 are contemporary art works in their own right, visitable with a regular metro ticket.

Kilometers of pedestrian walkway on the gulf, with Vesuvius ahead and Castel dell'Ovo in the background — beautiful at sunset.

The oldest castle in the city on an islet connected to the mainland, with a small port of restaurants at the foot of the walls. Entry to the terraces is free.

Naples's elegant neighborhood: boutiques, historic tailors, aperitif bars, and the Villa Comunale by the sea.

The hill that closes the gulf to the west, with villas, coves, and panoramic points from which you see all of Naples.

The great monumental square with the colonnade of the basilica of San Francesco di Paola, the Royal Palace, and, a stone's throw away, the Galleria Umberto I.

High and soft crust, thin base, ninety-second baking in a wood-fired oven. The two classics are marinara and margherita — and in the historic pizzerias they're still the best.

Pasta frittatine, crocchè, zeppoline, and fried pizza, bought at the counter and eaten walking — the most Neapolitan lunch that exists.

The sfogliatella riccia, crunchy and layered, and the rum-soaked babà: the two pastries that define Neapolitan pastry-making.

In Naples, coffee is drunk standing, short and very hot, and costs a few cents. The suspended coffee still exists: you pay for two, leave one for someone who can't afford it.

Spaghetti alle vongole, pasta and potatoes with provola, octopus, and fried gulf seafood — the trattorias of the center and Santa Lucia remain very affordable.

The Roman city buried by the eruption of 79 AD and brought to light almost intact: streets, houses, baths, and frescoes. You need at least three or four hours.

Smaller than Pompeii but better preserved, with two-story buildings and surviving wooden structures — easily visited in two hours.

You go up by bus to the square and then on foot to the crater, in a half-hour path. View over the gulf and the spectacular cone on clear days.

Faraglioni, Blue Grotto, and the Gardens of Augustus: frequent hydrofoils leave from the port of Naples, but in a day the island is crowded.

Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello along the road perched over the sea. Doable in a day but tight: better with a night in the area.

Sorrento on the peninsula, with its lemons and terraces over the gulf; Procida, the smallest and most colorful of the Phlegraean islands, much less touristy than Capri.

Naples is not dangerous for an attentive visitor, but in crowded areas the rules of any big city apply: bag in front, phone not in hand while walking, no valuables in sight.

It's the local train connecting Naples to the excavations and Sorrento: cheap and frequent, but often crowded and with no space for large suitcases.

Four funiculars connect the lower city to the Vomero hill: they're part of the urban ticket and save a very long climb.

Crossing the street in Naples requires decisiveness: you look at the driver, walk at a steady pace, and avoid turning back halfway. By car, the center is to be avoided altogether.

In mid-August many trattorias and historic shops close for holidays and the heat is intense: if you can choose, prefer May, June, or September.