A Day in Naples

It’s impossible to see Naples in a day, but that’s all the time our busy schedule allowed. I’d actually thought about spending a day there on my own before the Grand Circle tour started. From Sorrento it’s only a one-hour trip by train or ferry, but ultimately, I decided against it. In my mind, Naples was associated with organized crime and I was familiar with city’s unsavory reputation, whether or not it’s deserved. While I was eager to see Naples, I was willing to wait until I would be visiting with our group, in the company of an expert guide.  

 

As usual, I’d done some research at home before the trip. Naples has a long and varied history. It began as a small Greek colony in the 8^th century BCE. In fact, its original name, Neapolis, is Greek for “new city.” For several centuries, it was an important center of Greek and later Roman culture. after the fall of the western Roman Empire. It then became an independent duchy and remained independent until the 12^th century. 

 

With its strategic location, wonderful climate, fertile soil (oh, and excellent food!), Naples was obviously a desirable piece of real estate. So it’s no wonder various European powers constantly fought wars to take control of it. As a result, over the centuries, Naples had a variety of rulers, including:

 

·      Normans, rulers of NW France and parts of England, in the 12^th century – Naples became part of the Norman ruled Kingdom of Sicily.

·      Swabians, rulers of SW Germany, in the 13^th century – took over Naples via marriage; Frederick II (Holy Roman Emperor) established a university in Naples.

·      French Angevins, rulers of a large part of western, central and southwest France, from the mid-13^th century to the mid 15^th century – Naples became capital of the Kingdom of Naples and grew wealthy; “Golden Age” in the mid-14^th century when Naples was a center of early Renaissance culture (Giotto, Boccaccio)

·      Spanish Aragonese, rulers of the entire eastern third of the Iberian Peninsula, in the   second half of 15^th century – established Kingdom of Two Sicilies; Naples attracted many Renaissance artists.

·      Spanish Empire, rulers of a massive world-wide empire, from the 16^th through early 18^th century – Naples was a center for Baroque art and architecture (Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi)

·      Austrian Habsburgs, rulers of large European empire, in the early to mid-18^th century

·      Spanish Bourbons, rulers of a massive global empire, from the mid-18^th century to 1860 – Charles of Bourbon reigned as king of independent Naples for 25 years; period of cultural, architectural, economic revival 

 

Thus, it’s easy to see that there was a wide range of influences on Naples prior to 1860, when Garibaldi invaded and the city was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of Italy.

 

Once Italy was unified, Naples went into a period of decline. The new king, Victor Emmanuel II, hailed from Savoy in northwestern Italy. His government took little interest in the agrarian South. Their focus was on developing industry and infrastructure in the North. With few resources devoted to the South, poverty increased and lawlessness spread. In this environment, it was relatively easy for organized crime to take hold. Meanwhile, the people clung to their centuries-old traditions, superstitions, and distinctive Neapolitan language (which differs from Italian). Some found life so difficult that they decided to leave their homes and emigrate to the United States. 

 

Today, Naples is a city of contrasts. In addition to being the capital of the Campania region, it is Italy’s third largest city, after Rome and Milan, with a population of close to one million within the city limits and close to three million in the metro area. Its port is one of the Mediterranean’s largest and busiest commercial ports. Its rich heritage attracts tourists who contribute a significant amount of revenue to the city’s economy. However, Naples is still plagued by corruption and organized crime. 

 

Of course, it would be impossible to sample all that Naples has to offer in a single day. With its long and varied history and multiple influences, Naples has a wealth of sights to attract visitors. In fact, I came to Italy with a long list of places in Naples that I wanted to see: its many castles, its cathedral, several of its museums, the palace of Caserta (Europe’s largest 18^th century palace) 22 miles outside the city, the parks and gardens, the catacombs (not really), and of course, the main sights in the city center. 

 

I’d have to spend at least a week in Naples to get through my list, and I had mere hours. Read on to see how our day in the city transpired.  

 

Our private bus ride from Sorrento brought us along the Gulf of Naples, past jacaranda trees that were starting to bloom, and dropped us off in the San Ferdinando neighborhood. Here, in the heart of the downtown area, we met up with Viviana, our local guide and a Neapolitan native. Right away, we noticed several examples of Naples’ monumental architecture. The large long building was the Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace), a residence for the Spanish viceroys and the Bourbon kings. Its construction began in 1600. 

 

Just beyond the palace, we could see the towers of the medieval castle, the Castel Nuovo, located right on the waterfront. Built in the late 13^th century and popularly known as the Maschio Angioino, it served as a defensive structure and residence for the Angevin, Aragonese, and Spanish rulers of southern Italy.

 

Viviana then directed our gaze to a hill in the distance, where the Castel Sant’Elmo, a medieval fortress stands (on the left in the photo below).

 

One long side of the Royal Palace faces the main public square of Naples, the Piazza del Plebiscito. This is a vast semi-circular space that dates back to the first half of the 19^th century. I was pleased to see that it wasn’t mobbed with tourists on this beautiful Saturday morning. 

The façade of the Royal Palace is decorated with eight marble statues portraying the rulers of Naples from eight different dynasties beginning in the 12^th century. 

Also facing the Piazza is the Basilica of San Francesco di Paola, a neoclassical church built in the early 19^th century. Its dome recalls the Pantheon in Rome and its semicircular colonnade of 38 columns was inspired by the design of St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.  

After we crossed the Piazza del Plebiscito, we walked towards the Galleria Umberto I with its immense glass dome. This indoor shopping arcade was built between 1887 and 1890. Directly under the dome, the famous mosaic floor features the twelve signs of the Zodiac. 

The Teatro San Carlo is located right across from the Galleria. It opened in 1737, and is the oldest continuously active opera house in the world. After its original Late Baroque façade was destroyed by fire in 1816, the façade was restored in neoclassical style. 

We continued up Via Toledo, the city’s main shopping street that runs for a little over a kilometer. It’s a very old street (dating back to the early 1500s) that started to be enlarged in the 1600s. Viviana explained that at one time, whole buildings were occupied by very aristocratic families. Today, it’s a street of great contrasts. 

To give us an even broader view of Naples, Viviana led us into the historic Quartieri Spagnoli (literally, Spanish Quarter). These are the little streets that run perpendicular to the Via Toledo. This quarter is where soldiers lived, and of course it was the red-light district, too. In earlier times, it was filled with bars and gambling establishments. Later, working class families, many from the countryside, moved into apartment buildings that lined the cramped streets. Until recently, the district wasn’t considered safe for tourists but nowadays, it has become a popular destination. 

This is where we found many shops selling souvenirs, including cornos, the ubiquitous red ceramic horns that ranged in size from tiny to enormous. Viviana told us that the people of Naples are very superstitious about these ancient symbols of good luck and prosperity. According to tradition, you can’t buy a corno for yourself. The phallic-looking horn, which must be made of breakable material, has to be given to you. And there’s even a ritual way of presenting it. I actually bought a few to give to friends and family. 

Lunchtime was approaching, and the smell of pizza pervaded the Quartieri Spagnoli. On our way to a restaurant near the waterfront, we got a view of the Castel Nuovo from a different angle.

Of course, since we were in Naples, we had to have pizza for lunch. But first, there were typical starters of grilled vegetables, tomato bruschetta, and fried bread balls.

 

The pizzas arrived next; servers brought several varieties to our tables. These included Margarita (tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil), Neapolitan (crushed tomato sauce and basil - no cheese), and White with veggies. 

Dessert was a baba, another staple of traditional Neapolitan cuisine. And this one was not only delicious but also enormous.

 

Once we were finished with lunch, we were on our own for the rest of the afternoon. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Since we were scheduled to visit Pompeii the following day, I was going to visit the Naples National Archaeological Museum, which contains a wealth of treasures (sculptures, furniture, mosaics, frescoes, etc.) from both Pompeii and Herculaneum. It turned out that there was so much to see in the museum that it’s going to be the subject of a separate blog post, A Preview of Pompeii.