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NAPLES Winding cobblestone streets, authentic pizza and real Italian flavour

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The food, the art, the coffe, the amazing views are just few reasons to visit Naples and you will literally fall in love.. Naples is an incredibly lively, vibrant city...

What's In This Article

things to do in naples

1. OVO CASTLE

This old castle can be visited for free and you will get spectacular view of the city from the top. I suggest going just before sunset so you can see the beautiful change in colour of the sky.

Located on the former island of Megaride (now a peninsula) the castle’s name comes from a legend about the Roman poet Virgil, who had a reputation in the Middle Ages as a great sorcerer and predictor of the future.

Ovo Castle

2. CASTEL NUOVO

This beautiful 13th century castle offers great pictures and history of old Naples. Castel Nuovo, often called Maschio Angioino, is a medieval castle located in front of Piazza Municipio and the city hall in central Naples. Inside you will find an interesting collection of art, plus the glass floor excavation is really cool!

Castel Nuovo

3. VICO DEL FICO AL PURGATORIO – Pulcinella

The Vico del Fico al Purgatorio is a narrow alley in the historic center : the entrance to such alleys often looks highly disreputable and dangerous with loose brickwork and masonry. You don’t feel encouraged to walk down them – even in broad daylight- nevertheless you should, because those alleys are the heart beating of this ancient city.

4. NAPLES UNDERGROUND

You will truly enjoy it as it takes you back in time (even to Ancient Greek and Roman days).

The surrounding area is an underground geometrical zone, made up from several tunnels dug during the ages, a kind of labyrinth hidden below the city holds the ruins of 2,500 years of history.

The 280-mile (450-kilometer) subterranean network was formed by the Greeks in the fourth century BC to build what was then named Neapolis, or “New City.” The Romans later used the chambers and pathways to build aqueducts that provided water for many centuries of Neapolitans. As the centuries passed, buildings were constructed on top of previous ancient infrastructure, and the remains of these structures are were hidden deep below the city.

Today, Napoli Sotterranea (Naples Underground) offers a chance to explore this Italian city from a different point of view. Down a long stairway descending some 120 feet (40 meters) below the earth, aqueducts, sewer tunnels, rainwater cisterns, caverns, catacombs, and pre-Christian hypogea can be found in the tuffaceous cavities, along with roadway and rail tunnels. Some caves that were part of the reservoir are still full of water today. One highlight of the subterranean network is the remains of the Greco-Roman theatre of Neapolis, where the Roman emperor Nero also had his private dressing room.

Important: Some tunnels are very narrow and it is necessary to use a candle to see, for this reason some passages of the route are optional.

5. PIAZZA DEL PLEBISCITO

Piazza del Plebiscito is one of the most important squares of the city, rich in history and art, and surrounded by buildings of great historical and artistic importance: the Royal Palace, the Basilica of St. Francis of Paola, and the two symmetrical buildings that are the Prefecture and the Palace of Salerno.

6. GALLERIA UMBERTO I

The Galleria Umberto I (named for Umberto I, King of Italy at the time of construction) is a public shopping gallery.

The arcade is cross-shaped, with a pretty mosaic of the zodiac on the floor at the centre, and its arching dome is 184ft tall. The Neapolitans do not seem to like it as much as they once did: even at high noon, you are likely to find its vast spaces deserted but for a few small clouds of forceful, grey-suited men arguing politics around the entrances.

7. FOOD? PIZZA

There are more than 800 pizzerias in the birthplace of pizza, but only 100 can boast certification by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN), the regulatory body that protects and ensures that the art of pizza-making and the ingredients used are in accordance with Neapolitan tradition.

WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT NEAPOLITAN PIZZA?

Well it’s the original one! People from South of Italy are very proud of it, and actually it is true that the pizza in Naples tastes different from everyone else. Some will say that is due to water, some other that is thanks to the climate…most probably it is a mix of all the factors plus the magic of this city!
Neapolitan pizza consists of a base of thin dough with high borders, topped with tomatoes and mozzarella. This kind of pizza is also known as a pizza Margherita. A pizza without cheese but a good drizzle of oregano and garlic is known as a pizza Marinara. A common street food, on the other hand, is the pizza Fritta, a deep-fried pizza reminiscent of a calzone (but better 😉 ).

Here the best pizzerias:

  • Sorbillo
  • L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele
  • Pizzeria Trianon da Ciro
  • I Decumani
  • Antica Pizzeria al 22
  • Pizzeria di Matteo

 

The most famous are in “Via dei Tribunali” , a street in the historic centre of the city , and close to one of the many entrance of Napoli Sotterranea ( my picture at the point n.4 it is exactly  that entrance).

QUARTIERI SPAGNOLI

8. QUARTIERI SPAGNOLI

Spanish Neighborhood (Quartieri Spagnoli) have been painted for many years as a place to avoid, one of the most dangerous areas of Naples. Fortunately, in recent years, the Quartieri Spagnoli have been re-evaluated and have become one of the main tourist attractions of the city, a place made of narrow alleys, clothes hanging in the sun, small taverns, elements that best represent the soul of Naples and the Neapolitans.

Located close to the historic center of Naples, the Spanish Neighborhood arise in the 16th century as an area used by the Spanish soldiers during the occupation, the Spanish Neighborhood presented crime and especially prostitution, linked to the bad habits of the soldiers who lived there . Today the Spanish Neighborhood extend over three areas: San Ferdinando, Avvocata and Montecalvario.

9. SAN GREGORIO ARMENO

San Gregorio Armeno street is the Neapolitan street of cribs. It is one of the most famous places in the world, and every year, the destination of thousands of tourists abducted by the timeless charm of the shops of master craftsmen of crib art.

The street takes its name from the religious complex dedicated to San Gregorio Armeno: an authentic jewel of Neapolitan Baroque architecture, which includes the church (inside of which stands the coffered ceiling, made in 1580 by the painter Teodoro d’Errico), the convent with its extraordinary cloister, considered among the most beautiful of all the city, where, among the fragrant citrus trees, stands a large marble fountain with the eighteenth-century statues of Christ and the Good Samaritan.

10. LUNGOMARE DI NAPOLI

The Lungomare di Napoli is one of the most beautiful walks in the world and one of the most loved and frequented places by citizens and tourists and constantly animated by events of all kinds but also by the numerous bars, restaurants and pizzerias that follow one another along the entire route.

The Lungomare di Napoli is a route of about 3 km that runs along the sea and that starts from Santa Lucia, from Via Nazario Sauro, and goes up to Mergellina, where it ends via Caracciolo, skirting one of the most beautiful “views” in the world, able to fascinate tourists but also the inhabitants themselves who crowd the splendid promenade during the whole year.

The Waterfront of Naples It includes four ways:

  • via Nazario Sauro
    which runs along the Santa Lucia pier to Castel dell’Ovo, crossing the most famous luxury hotels of the city such as the Grand Hotel Santa Lucia and the Hotel Miramare, but also famous restaurants such as La Bersagliera and Zi Teresa.
  • via Partenope
    where there are the most famous “seafront” restaurants in the city, and renowned pizzerias such as Sorbillo Lievito Madre al Mare and Vesi Pizzagourmet, and the other important hotels along the seafront, such as the Royal Continental Hotel and the Grand Hotel Vesuvio.
  • via Caracciolo
    the longest part that flanks the Villa Comunale, where you can walk along the sea and where, halfway through, is the Rotonda Diaz with the equestrian monument to General Armando Diaz. From via Caracciolo you can also admire the Posillipo and Vomero hills.
  • via Mergellina
    it is the road that extends from Caracciolo to Piedigrotta, at the foot of the Posillipo hill. In this “piece” of waterfront it seems to be in close contact with the most “true” Naples, between fishing nets and moored boats. This is where the Port of Mergellina is located, where ferries leave for the islands, the lighthouse, to be reached with a walk along the sea, and here are the famous chalets where you can have a coffee, eat an ice cream and eat based on fish sea view.

Stroll along the waterfront of Naples means to admire at a glance most of the beauties that characterize the city: the Vesuvius, the island of Capri, Castel dell’Ovo and the promontory of Posillipo, while on the other side of the street you can attend, at any time of the day, the lively life of the city, made up of bars, restaurants of various kinds and pizzerias.

WHERE TO STAY IN NAPLES?

Centro Storico – If it’s your first time in Naples!

Quartieri Spagnoli – Where to stay in Naples on a budget.

Vomero – Best area to stay in Naples for nightlife.

Chiaia – Coolest place to stay in Naples.

Piazza del Plebiscito – Best neighbourhood in Naples for families.

THINGS TO DO IN CAPRI

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