Things to Do in Naples

Located between Europe’s second-largest active volcano (Vesuvius), the blue bay of Naples and the warm springs of the Campi Flegrei (Phlegrean Fields) to the west of the city, Naples has it all in terms of geography and climate. The city itself is chaotic, loud, lawless and poverty-ridden in parts, but it also vaunts a rich history, friendly locals, a chic shopping and vibrant world-class dining scene, and the aforementioned mesmerizingly beautiful natural backdrop of sea, lush hills and sky.

Naples Then and Now

Under mayor Antonio Bassolino in the 1990s, the city was cleaned up and the transport system and infrastructure improved. The renaissance was short-lived, however, and more recently, organized crime and Naples’ protracted trash crisis in 2008 has dominated the news agenda again, blighting the city’s economic prospects and hurting tourism.

But the city is fighting back in small but significant ways, and aside from gorgeous monuments, churches and palazzi, it also offers a lively and groundbreaking contemporary art scene and puts on an ever-expanding array of cultural festivals. The popular Maggio dei Monumenti festival is held in May, during which many of the monuments and palazzi that are usually closed to the public fling open their doors; the Napoli Teatro Festival, which runs from early June to mid-July, hosts performances in unusual indoor and outdoor venues around town.

Though Naples is not a touristy city in the same sense as Venice, Florence or Rome, it should be. This is a city teeming with grandiose monuments, piazzas, churches and museums, and some of Italy’s finest and best-value-for-money cuisine.

 

• Castel dell’Ovo offers great views of the Naples waterfront and the rest of the city.

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Sights and Landmarks

Some of the most memorable and iconic monuments in Naples are the late 19th-century Galleria Umberto I (Via San Carlo), a cross-shaped arcade with a 60-meter (200-foot) high glass-and-iron dome and four glass-vaulted wings; the monumental Castel dell’Ovo (Borgo Marinari, tel. +39-081-246-4334); and the grand and iconic Piazza del Plebiscito, is enclosed on one side by the 17th-century royal palace (designed by architect Domenico Fontana) and on the other by the monumental neo-classical church of San Francesco di Paola, built on the model of the domed Pantheon in Rome and prolonged by a curving colonnade.

Two attractive palaces form the other two sides of the piazza, one of which houses the legendary Caffè Gambrinus (Piazza Trieste e Trento, tel. +39-081-41-7582), the city’s oldest café featuring marble, antiques and mirrors and waistcoated waiters serving up delectable coffees and pastries.

Offbeat Attractions

Other must-see attractions in Naples, and places where you can get away from the traffic and hubbub of the city, include the 18th-century Teatro San Carlo (Via San Carlo 93/f, tel. +39-081-797-2412), the oldest working theater in Europe which is renowned for its near-perfect acoustics, and the vast network of underground caves known as Napoli Sotterranea (Vico Sant’Anna di Palazzo 52, tel. +39-081-400-256). Napoli Sotterranea began life as quarries dug by the Greeks (who used the stone to build the city walls and temples), were transformed by the Romans into aqueducts and streets, and, much later, were used as air-raid bomb shelters during World War II.

 

• Tourists look over Naples from Castel Sant’Elmo.

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See also the stunningly situated Certosa di San Martino and Castel Sant’Elmo (Via Tito Angelini 20, tel. +39-081-578-4030), which stand atop the highest part of the Vomero hill and afford views of the Sorrentine peninsula, the Vesuvius, Ischia and Procida.

World-Class Museums and Memorable Churches

The Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Piazza Museo 19, tel. +39-081-440-166), and its collection of Egyptian, Greek and Roman artifacts, mosaics and frescoes are a must-see, as is the Museo Nazionale di Capodimont). [Read more about Naples’ Museums and Art Scene.]

The 12th-century Duomo (Via Duomo 147, tel. +39-081-449-097) contains the relics of the city’s patron saint San Gennaro; the Church of San Gregorio Armeno (Via San Gregorio Armeno 1, tel. +39-081-552-0186) is a good example of the Neapolitan Baroque style; and the opulent Church of Gesù Nuovo (Piazza del Gesù 2, tel. +39-081-551-8613) is filled with multi-colored marble and altars inlaid with semi-precious stones.

 

• The coisters of Santa Chiara are meticulously decorated with majolica tiles.

Giovanna Dunmall

The Gothic Church of Santa Chiara (Via Santa Chiara 49, tel. +39-081-957-5915) boasts a majolica-tiled cloister transformed into its present-day appearance by Domenico Vaccaro in 1742. Octagonal pillars, vine-covered pergolas and seats show Neapolitan landscapes and mythological scenes; two octagonal fountains add to the luxuriant, tranquil ambiance.

A five-minute walk northwards is the haunting and macabre Cappella di San Severo (Via F. De Sanctis 17-21, tel. +39-081-551-8470), a spectacular example of the Neapolitan late-baroque. An array of trompe l’oeil frescoes and marble sculptures are on display here that will remain etched in your mind for their technical brilliance and sheer over-the-top theatricality. Highlights are Antonio Corradini’s “Modesty,” Francesco Queirolo’s allegory of “Disillusion” and Giuseppe Sanmartino’s “Veiled Christ,” a work that has aroused superlative reactions since its creation in 1753 (Italian neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova is supposed to have said he would have given 10 years of his life to have been the author of such a masterpiece).

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