Napoli: Sole, pizza e fantasia

You have many motto about Napoli like "you love or hate it, see Napoli and die" but for me Napoli is unique, an Italy inside Italy, lots of contradictions, beauty and troubles but come on it's Napoli..

SATURDAY

Easter 2012 was another occasion to visit the city with old and new friends and time to meet our great host and friend Giovanni. The weather was not the best but right people and place warmed up the atmosphere. My friend lives in a traditional area of Napoli not far away from Porta San Gennaro and the well-known "rione" Sanità. If you like walking in max 45 mins you can reach all the main spots of Napoli and train station too where you can get bus or train to discover all area around like Vesuvio, Pompei, Amalfi, Sorrento, Capri and more..
The right welcome was to try different kind of pizza some typical from Napoli like pizza fritta, panuozzo, piazza ripiena and more, have a look ;)

After this light lunch, we just had time to make shopping for Easter lunch before a thunderstorm made us come back home and enjoy a yummy dinner with other delicatessen like scamorza, mozzarella di bufala and different kind of local salami. The night was the time to discover the city by night, walking in a group made this safer and nice. First stop was Piazza Bellini and the nearby Piazza Dante but we ended up at the famous piazza san giovanni maggiore pignatelli known as Piazza Kestè where all young people meet to have a drink and a chat just in front of Palazzo Giusso, part of the L'Orientale

EASTER

Early wake up for me as we forgot to buy seafood for pasta and i have to manage to find some before their early close around 10 am. I go time to eat a yummy sfogliatella before having a traditional easter breakfast looking more as a lunch hehehe.. Don't forget to taste traditional tortano and the sweet Pastiera

Just time to breathe and it was time for a long and delicious Easter lunch were main dishes were Linguine al sugo di Vongole and capretto al forno con patate and still sweets and we managed to finish around 5pm. Finally we had a walk in Napoli as weather was fine: our friend lives almost at the top of Salita dei Miradois and from there you can go down crossing narrow and typical streets full of life and reach the heart of this area where it is full of shops, stalls and you reach Piazza Cavour. Just in front you have Porta San Gennaro and on the right side looking at the gate you have the National Archaeological Museum .

Porta San Gennaro

If you move a bit on the left side of the Piazza Cavour you have Via Duomo, on this way you can visit the Cathedral that t is widely known as the Cattedrale di San Gennaro. The church houses a vial of the blood of Saint Januarius which is brought out twice a year, on the first Saturday in May and on 19 September, when the dried blood usually liquefies. If the blood fails to liquefy, then legend has it that disaster will befall Naples. Keep going you reach the train station but we decided to follow the route through Porta San Gennaro till the heart of Napoli.

Duomo

It is an adventure walking in these streets, getting lost and find the way again and reach the main street that crosses the old center of napoli called Spaccanapoli. From there you can reach many famous squares like Piazza Gesù Nuovo,  Piazza San Domenico Maggiore where you can find the famous bas Scaturchio. You can also visit Piazza Nilo and on via Tribunali you have the entrance of Napoli Sotteranea and nearby the famous Via San Gregorio Armeno that is a street in the historic center of Naples, famous for tourist craft shops of cribs.

We had a nice stop nearby Piazza Gesù Nuovo in a cosy and cheap bar where we had a lovely chat and listened to music from a famous neapolitan singer Pino Daniele, song like Napule è. Time went by fast so we move toward the main commercial road called Via Toledo where you have Piazza Dante and on the way you can visit Galleria Umberto I where there's another well-know bar to taste sfogliatelle and babà.

Galleria Umberto I

The weather changed so we hurried up going back home and spent a great nite at Gio's place, drinking, talking, having fun  till dawn, last night before saying good bye Napoli

BYE BYE NAPOLI

Last day was just chill out and a nice walk in rione Sanità to visit some famous houses built on a bridge ( Ponte della Sanità) but pity the famous Fontanelle cemetery or  the Catacombs of San Gennaro were closed cause we spent too much eating the last yummy pizza nearby Porta San Gennaro.

We didn't have the right weather to enjoy Napoli cause there's a lot to do and see so I wanna give you some tips as you can't miss if you come first time here. I suggest to take funicular Montesanto to reach the top of the hill Sant'Elmo where you can visit the fortress and the Certosa di Martino, great place with amazing view of Napoli and surroundings.

You have two other wonderful castles to visit: Castel Nuovo often called Maschio Angioino and Castel dell'Ovo. Nearby Maschio Angioino you can't skip the main square of Napoli Piazza del Plebiscito  or walks along the seaside till Castel dell'Ovo and over till Mergellina. In that area called Chiaia, it was the week of America's cup too.

Piazza del Plebiscito

Is it enough? Uhm still two must: Teatro di San Carlo and Cappella Sansevero amazing chapel with the famous Veiled Christ. I can keep writing but i think now its time to come for you, discover yoru Napoli, fal, in love or hate but breathe the spirit of the city and I never get bored to come back again and again... Iammèèèè