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The line between club and bar and café (and even between bar and restaurant) is fairly blurred in Naples. There’s no tradition of drinking without eating, and many vini e cucina (wine and cooking) places open for dinner and then stay open until the early hours. Good examples of this are La Cantina di Albi Cocca and Vinarium, both in Chiaia. There are more straightforward bars around the university though, and others are starting to spring up. The emphasis, however, is on socializing rather than raucous drinking, and much of this happens outside in the street. The scene is generally young and energetic: loud and grungy in the Centro Storico, better-dressed and more chic in Chiaia. Cafés sell alcohol and many stay open late and take on the atmosphere of bars. An excellent example of this is café Intra Moenia in piazza Bellini. Areas which buzz until late are: around piazza Bellini and via Benedetto Croce in the Centro Storico; borgo Marinari, by the Castel dell’Ovo; Chiaia, mainly to the west of piazza dei Martiri; and Mergellina. Many places do not get busy until after midnight.
Most of the city’s big clubs are out of town, particularly in Pozzuoli, and are hard to get to and from without a car. Many of the city centre’s clubs are small affairs where you may be required to become a member (you will probably be asked for a tessera at the door, this is a membership card). This is a way of getting around licensing requirements and will rarely be expensive (and occasionally free).
Nothing gets going much before midnight, though places generally open around 2200 or 2300. Closing times vary from place to place and from night to night but are rarely before 0300. Many clubs move to the beach in summer – check the local press for details.
Cafés thankfully usually open early enough for a well-earned sfogliatella and cappuccino at the end of the night.
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