The oldest part of the city is also the most hectic. Scooters, students and street sellers vie for attention with enormous numbers of churches and grand old palazzi. But between the noisy streets a few beautiful cloisters provide some welcome respite. The university area is just to the south and in the evenings here, and between piazza del Gesù Nuovo and porta Nilo the scene is boisterous and chaotic. Piazza Vincenzo Bellini, just to the north, is a haven of cafés and intellect. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the area still follows the ancient Greek and Roman layout of Neapolis, with three main east-west streets, or decumani. Long, straight Spaccanapoli (’Break Naples’), which is made up of via Benedetto Croce, via San Biagio dei Librai and via Vicaria Vecchia, was once the decumanus inferior of the Greek city, while via dei Tribunali was the decumanus major. Most of the best sites are on or around these two streets. The ancient decumanus superior of modern-day via Sapienza, via Anticaglia and via Santissimi Apostoli is quieter, plainer and more residential but is still worth a wander. SightsGesù Nuovo piazza del Gesù, T 081-5518613. Mon-Sun 0630-1300, 1600-1900. Mass is held in English in the nearby St Francis De Geronimo Hall every Sun and feast day at 1645. Little hint is given of the spectacular interior of this church from its ugly armoured exterior on piazza del Gesù, covered with forbidding grey, pointed, diamond-shaped stones. Indeed the front was originally part of an older 15th-century palazzo on the same site. This grand Jesuit construction was designed at the end of the 16th century by Giuseppe Valeriano, and painted and decorated by the best Neapolitan artists of the next 100 years or so, including Solimena, Vaccaro and Fanzago. It continues to be one of the city’s most popular and well-used churches. There is such a bewildering collection of beautiful art on the barrel-vaulted ceilings that there is a risk that you may be converted to Catholicism by it, or at least get a cricked neck. The inlaid marble floor and intarsia altars are also worth a good look. To the right there is a side-chapel dedicated to the local 20th- century doctor and saint Giuseppe Moscati, canonized in 1987, who dedicated himself to the area’s poor. Hundreds of ex-votos (including golden syringes) and messages of thanks fill the walls and testify to his enduring popularity. Santa Chiara via Santa Chiara 49/c. Church: T 081-7971235, http://www.santachiara.org Mon-Sun 0700-1230, 1600-1900. Museum/cloister: T 081-7971256, http://www.oltreilchiostro.org Mon-Sat 0930-1300, 1430-1730, Sun and holidays 0930-1300, €4. Originally built for Robert of Anjou’s wife Sancia di Maiorca in the early 14th century, this complex on the south side of piazza del Gesù suffered a direct hit in the Second World War, and this and the subsequent fire destroyed almost the entire Baroque- decorated interior of the church. It has since been reconstructed in its original Gothic style and it is a rather stark, serious space. Some original features remain, however, notably remnants of a fresco and a tomb from the early 15th century just to the left of the entrance and, in a chapel on the right, the tombs of the Bourbon sovereigns of the city, from Ferdinando I to Francesco II. However, the 14th-century cloisters are what most come here to see, and rightly so. A beautiful and exceptionally quiet oasis in the midst of all the pandemonium of the Centro Storico, these cloisters are decorated with majolica-tiled seats and columns. Frescoes cover the four walls around the edge while the colourful decorated walkways, with peaceful scenes of rural life, form a cross which divides up the grass and orange trees. Don’t sit on the majolica seats though, unless you want a walkie-talkie-wielding attendant bearing down on you rather severely. In the museum is a well-laid out display of interesting remains salvaged from the bombed-out church as well as some excavations of a Roman swimming pool. Information is only in Italian, however. To the east along Spaccanapoli is Palazzo Filomarino, via Benedetto Croce 12, which was the house of the famous Neapolitan philosopher Croce himself. Cappella Sansevero via de Sanctis 19, T 081-5518470. Mon-Sat 1000-1700 (winter), 1000-1900 summer, Christmas and Easter. Sun 1000-1330. Closed Tue. €5. Built originally around 1590, it is the remodelling of the chapel by the eccentric alchemist and keen experimenter Prince Raimondo di Sangro in the 18th century that makes this chapel worth a visit. Hidden away to the north of piazzetta Nilo, the real highlights of this small but extraordinarily ornate chapel are the allegorical marble sculptures, notably a virtuoso piece, Disillusion, by Francisco Queirolo with a figure extricating himself from a net, Antonio Corradini’s Modesty (a rather immodest nude, but for a particularly thin veil), and an amazingly lifelike Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sanmartino in the centre of the chapel. (The veil on this sculpture seems so life-like and thin that some Neapolitans believe it to be a real body somehow turned to stone by the macabre experiments of Raimondo.) Further evidence of Raimondo’s bizarre experiments into preserving human remains can be found downstairs in the chapel, where the petrified veins of two human bodies are conserved in glass cases. Cappella e Museo del Monte di Pietà via San Biagio dei Librai 114. Weekends only. Sat 0900-1900, Sun 0900-1400. Built between 1597 and 1605 this was originally a Counter- Reformation institution and it has extraordinarily beautiful frescoes to prove it. Rooms to the right of the chapel as you enter the courtyard contain some of the Banco di Napoli’s large art collection, but it’s the frescoed chapel itself that is more impressive, particularly the ambitious works on a grand scale in the barrel-vaulted nave by Belisario Corenzio illustrating the Misteri della Passione. Via San Gregorio Armeno On via San Gregorio Armeno, running north perpendicular to Spaccanapoli, all year round, shops spill their wares out onto the pavements: thousands upon thousands of figures, some tinier than others, vie for space with models of baskets of fruit, mini electrically pumped water-features and the occasional mechanized man-drinking-beer, or butcher-chopping-meat. Above you angels, suspended from ceilings and doorways, stare down lovingly. This is the strange world of Naples’ Nativity scenes, or presepi. In the months leading up to Christmas tens of thousands of people come here from all over Italy to stock up for their home cribs, often including pizza-sellers and occasionally politicians and celebrities. If you actually want to be able to walk up and down the street, come at another time of year and take home a very Neapolitan souvenir. Chiesa e Chiostro di San Gregorio Armeno via San Gregorio Armeno 1, T 081-5520186. Mon and Wed-Fri 0900-1200, Tue 0900-1300, Sat and Sun 0900-1230. The cloisters have a separate entrance to the church, up the hill and first left onto via Maffei (the gates at the bottom of the steps are kept locked, ring the bell on the right and someone will let you in). This very baroque little church, complete with a beautiful cloister, is famous in Naples primarily for the remains and the congealed blood of Santa Patrizia, which, more generously than her counterpart San Gennaro, miraculously liquefies every Tuesday. The drawback being that whereas San Gennaro’s miracle prevents catastrophes and wins scudettos (football champion- ships), this weekly occurrence brings about only babies. Much of the interior is a little grimy these days, although some of the chapel paintings are superb examples of Neapolitan Baroque, notably those in the first and third chapels on the right, by Pacecco De Rosa and Cesare Fracanzano respectively. The San Gregorio Armeno Cloisters, though similar in peacefulness to those of Santa Chiara, are perhaps not quite as picturesque. What they lack in prettiness, however, they make up for in authenticity – these feel very much like cloisters still in use, from the smiling nun who greets you at the door to the chanting of children from the primary school upstairs which occasionally echoes around the arches (”Ow old are you? Ow old are you?”). Crumbling yellow paint, heavily laden orange trees, and a view of the majolica-tiled dome of the church all add to the atmosphere of the place. Pio Monte della Misericordia via dei Tribunali 253, T 081-446944. 0930-1230 Mon-Sat. Just to the east of via Duomo, this octagonal church, with its grubby exterior, is famous for its extraordinary Caravaggio altarpiece, possibly the city’s single most important work of art. The Seven Acts of Mercy is an ambitious work on three levels: angels reach down from above while in the middle various Neapolitans engage in merciful acts. At the bottom a sprawled beggar grasps the end of a cloak offered to him by a knight. The scene is typically dark and dramatic and is credited with having done much to enliven Naples’ tired mannerist traditions at the beginning of the 17th century. The influence of the work is visible on the left inside the door, where Caracciolo’s Liberation of St Peter is remarkably similar in composition and style, down to the prostrate figure at the base of the painting, the bare sole of his dirty foot facing out of the painting. Il Duomo Duomo: Mon-Fri 0800-1230, 1630-1900, Sat 0800-1230, 1630-1930, Sun 0800-1330, 1700-1930. Santa Restituta, Excavations and Baptistery: Mon-Sat 0900-1200, 1630-1830, Sun 0900-1300. Excavations and Baptistery €2.58. With such an excess of large spectacular churches in the city, the Duomo is slightly less of a focus here than it might be in other Italian cities. It is still an exceptionally grand building though, and most of the present structure dates from the 13th century. Its chapels are especially interesting, one holding the famous remains of San Gennaro, another being one of the city’s oldest buildings. Under the building, in the Scavi del Duomo, some fascinating ancient remains have been unearthed. The Cappella del Tesoro di San Gennaro (Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro, painted by artists specially imported from Rome such as Guido Reni, is filled with pictures of various miraculous events in his life, and people’s stupefied reactions to them (”See Gennaro fly! See Gennaro escape unscathed from a furnace!” etc). Also here are a number of silver busts of saints, and, hidden behind the altar for most of the year, a silver bust of the man himself, containing his skull, and phials holding his congealed blood. The Cripta di San Gennaro (Crypt) under the altar is an atmospheric place of columns and a kneeling statue of Cardinal Carafa, who rebuilt some of the Duomo destroyed by the 1456 earthquake. The altar contains more of San Gennaro’s remains. The Cappella di Santa Restituta, opposite the Chapel of San Gennaro, is actually Naples’ oldest surviving basilica. Originally a 4th-century Paleo-Christian structure, it was incorporated into the Duomo when the latter was built. Though transformed after damage suffered in the 1688 earthquake, original columns are still in place, and some excellent ancient frescoes and mosaics remain, especially in the Baptistery. Note that the hours for the chapel match those of the archaeological remains, not the Duomo itself. As the handout will tell you, the Scavi del Duomo (Excavations) are a “hodgepodge” of styles and structures, from Greek times onwards. It’s well worth a look though, and in places, especially in the Itinerario Sinistra (left-hand itinerary), is quite spectacular. Highlights down here on Greek and Roman streets include some good bits of Roman mosaic, enormous Greek flagstones, an exceptionally well-constructed and well-preserved rainwater-canal, and, best of all, an intact length of Roman lead pipe running along a drain, with the clearly embossed name “Aurelie Utician”. Presumably Mr Utician thought he was advertising his product by stamping his name on it. If he could have proved that 2000 years later his piping would still appear entirely modern and new, he might have had even more success. The ticket for the excavations also allows you into the Baptistery. Pinacoteca di Girolamini via Duomo 142, T 081-449139. Mon-Fri 0930-1250. Free. A door opposite the Duomo leads to the church of Girolamini, largely unremarkable except that it contains the tomb of Neapolitan philosopher Giambattista Vico. To find the much more interesting Pinacoteca di Girolamini, go through the next door up via Duomo. This takes you into a courtyard, from which stairs on the right-hand side lead up to the Pinacoteca. One of Naples’ lesser-known attractions, the Pinacoteca contains an excellent collection of Neapolitan Renaissance paintings. Highlights are three portraits of saints by Jusepe de Ribera (San Pietro, San Paolo and San Giacomo Maggiore) in the end room, a pair of heads (Testa di Santa and Testa del Battista), one by Massimo Stanzione, one unknown, and, best of all, a beautiful Sacra Famiglia by Antonio Viviani. Niccolò de Simone’s Madonna col Bambino may be the only Madonna you’ll see with a moustache. Note that the hours of the Pinacoteca are more flexible than most. San Paolo Maggiore piazza San Gaetano, T 081-454048. 0900-1300. The steps up to the church of San Paolo Maggiore provide a good view of the piazza and via dei Tribunali below. Inside, an enormous and very grand space opens up. The church was hit by a bomb in the Second World War and despite some attractive frescoes, some of the restoration of the 1603 structure is a little too clean and modern-looking and detracts from the atmosphere of the place. Don’t miss the Sacrestia (Sacristy) though – a small room to the right of the altar leads to this beautifully decorated space with two 1689-90 works by Francesco Solimena. The two pillars at the front of the church date from the Roman temple of Castor and Pollux, which stood on the same site. San Lorenzo Maggiore via dei Tribunali 316, T 081-454948. Mon-Sun 0900-1200, 1700-1900. The slightly severe church is notable for an impressive Gothic chancel, with unusually dense arches and pillars, at the end of the contrastingly plain main apse. The third chapel on the right, with intricate inlaid marble, was built by Fanzago, while the Madonna del Rosario over the alter is by Stanzione. Frescoes in the sixth ambulatory chapel are from the Neapolitan school of Giotto, from around 1334. But perhaps of more interest than the church itself are the excavations underneath (see below). Boccaccio first saw and fell in love with Maria d'Aquino here in 1334 and almost certainly based the character of Fiammetta on her. Fiammetta recurs in many of his works, such as The Filocolo, L'Elegia di Madonna Fiammetta and The Decameron. Scavi di San Lorenzo Maggiore piazza San Gaetano 316, T 081-2110860. Mon-Sat 0900-1700, Sun 1000-1330. €4. Under San Lorenzo, an extraordinary and under-appreciated site is still very much work in progress. After buying a ticket and following some photocopied signs (”Scavi”) through a maze of scaffolding, you descend into a kind of mini-Pompeii under the centre of Naples. At quiet times you may find yourself completely alone down here, in a remarkably intact cobbled street of ancient Neapolis. As fluorescent lamps flicker on and off above, adding to the slightly unreal atmos- phere, you can wander in and out of a bakery, a place for the washing and drying of clothes, and an aerearium (where the city’s treasure would have been kept). In a covered market at the far end of the excavations, shafts lead up to what would have been the street above. In places, where the excavations have gone a little lower, distinctive Greek tufa bricks are visible from even longer ago. Occasionally the lamps flicker more off than on, and it can be a bit on the gloomy side, but it’s no less fascinating for that. A sheet with a This tour of Naples’ ancient aqueducts, some 30-40 metres under the city, is a fascinating way to appreciate the different layers of history in the city. Originally started by the Greeks, and continued by the Romans, these aqueducts form a web of tunnels under the city, and only a small proportion of the entire network is open to the public. The system was in use up until the cholera epidemic of 1884, and you can see the private supplies of particularly rich families. During the Second World War, thousands of Neapolitans sheltered down here, and uniforms and various wartime finds are on show in one of the caverns you pass through. An extra tour of the ancient Roman theatre, undergoing excavation nearby, is available for payment of a supplement. Slightly bizarrely, you go into somebody’s garage, and a bed is pulled aside to reveal a trapdoor leading down to the excavations. Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco via dei Tribunali, 39. Mon-Sun 0900-1300. This 17th-century church contains an altar painting by Massimo Stanzione somewhat reminiscent of Caravaggio’s Seven Acts of Mercy (in nearby Pio Monte della Misericordia) which has been impressively restored. A board by the altar shows the various stages of the cleaning and restoration, from brown to vivid. Stairs lead down to catacombs below and Napoli Sotterranea do occasional tours. The skulls on stone pillars outside this little church are a sign of the supposedly extinct ‘cult of the dead’, a very Neapolitan tradition, whereby the living would shower gifts onto somebody’s bones in exchange for good fortune. The shininess of the skulls’ heads, and the number of times they are touched by passers-by suggest the superstitions associated with the cult, if not the cult itself, may be more alive than the church would have you believe. Piazza Bellini Café life buzzes late into the night in this mostly pedestrianized focus of the city’s vaguely alternative community. Piazza Bellini has Naples’ only vegetarian restaurant, its best internet café and its most famous literary café. It also has a sunken area containing some of the original Greek city walls.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||
 |
 |
Naples - £5.99
|
|
||||||||
 |
|||||||||||
 |
||||
|
| ||||
|
||||
 |
||||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
||||||||
