Trailing Off....: Napoli: Three Days of History and Pizza

Chaotic tiny streets with wash hanging above, 27 centuries of history above and below the ground, the sea and islands, and pizza. I was sceptical about dividing our holiday between two places, but I am so glad we decided to spend three days in the fascinating city of Naples.

The 6 hour bus ride from Lecce was through countryside that gradually became more mountainous. It was a bright sunny day and we arrived in the central station in the heart of Naples just after noon. Luckily, our accommodation was only a 10 minute walk away. Again, a dodgy looking building in an old neighbourhood that had within a modern and cosy apartment. Ciro greeted us warmly and insisted on taking us for a coffee and pastry. Strangely enough, this was the only time I had coffee outside the stuff I made in the morning. I just don’t get the concept of taking a shot of coffee and moving on in the space of two minutes.

view from our balcony

Ciro gave us a map and pointed out some main sights we should see. We were only a 5 minute walk from the National Archaeology Museum considered one of the best in Italy. But history could wait. We needed to get pizza and after days and days of drinking wine, a nice cold beer. Pizza was invented in Naples and the most popular, the Margherita is the cheapest and most delicious. We went to de Michel’s because it is considered to be the best in the city but didn’t want to be part of the insane queue outside.

everyone is waiting for a pizza!

sauce, mozzarella cheese, basil. wood fire oven. 3 euros. divine.

We ate a lot of pizza for the next three days but also found time to actually see the city. Here are some highlights.

Christmas Alley (Via San Gregorio Armeno)

This area is actually full of Christmas kitsch year round but is over the top at Christmas time, full of mass produced and handmade props for nativity scenes, football souvenirs, pastries, and culinary paraphernalia. Though I had been warned by an Italian student about pickpockets in this area, it seemed to be a safe place full of festive spirits.

Catacombs of San Gennaro

We arrived one minute before a guided tour in English. This was one of my favourite activities of the entire holiday. The catacombs are underground paleo-Christian burial sites. There are two layers that have been renovated and the earlier/lower one is from the 3^rd century. During the renovation the bones were moved to the nearby Fontanelle Cemetery but sadly it was closed the day we went there.

Teatro di San Carlo

This opera house was built in 1737 and for a while was the largest in the world. Neapolitan opera was ground-breaking in the 19^th century. There was originally a secret passage to the Royal Palace next door. The boxes were originally for the families closest to the royals. Each one has a mirror so the king could see what people were up to from his central seat. For the first few decades the theatre was more of a social event than a place of music appreciation. People would have parties in their boxes and ignore the performers or worse yet, throw food at them if they weren’t good enough. The lower classes sat at the ground level and were apparently rowdy as well.

Walking Around

In between eating pizza and visiting historical and cultural sites, we just wandered in and out of the narrow streets of the historical district and watched and listened as the Neapolitans shouted, laughed, negotiated, and just lived everyday life. Though I still prefer my quiet and green Puglia, I could have spent weeks exploring this huge, beautiful, scruffy, treasure-filled city.