Piazza del Plebiscito forms the grand centrepiece of the city. It’s flanked on its east side by the Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) and by a semi- circular colonnade and the church of San Francesco di Paola on the other. Behind the church on the hill of Monte di Dio, tightly packed housing is stacked on the area where the original Parthenope was founded in around 680BC by Greeks from nearby Cuma. The grandiose theme is continued throughout the rest of this area: the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples' great opera house, is on the busy adjoining piazza Trieste e Trento, as are some of the city's best cafés. The city's two castles are also here, the honey-coloured Castel dell'Ovo to the south, and the towering Castel Nuovo (better known as the Maschio Angioino) behind the port to the east. SightsPiazza del Plebiscito Chiesa San Francesco di Paola: Mon-Fri 0800-1200, 1530-1800; Sat and Sun 0800-1300. A chaotic microcosm of Naples’ traffic problems until 1994, when it was pedestrianized, if not quite the heart of the city, the piazza has at least become a good place to wander in one’s finest clothes on a Sunday afternoon. It’s also used for concerts, events and demonstrations and is as good a location as any to start a Neapolitan holiday. The neoclassical Colonnade (1809) with its Doric columns dominates the piazza and predates the Chiesa di San Francesco di Paola in its centre, which was added in 1817. It’s a good, though dirty, place to sit and watch the world go by. The church, modelled on the Pantheon in Rome, is not held in great esteem by Neapolitans, perhaps because of its ostentatious Roman derivation, and seems a little under-used, despite its prestigious position and an impressive domed interior. The statues along the front of the Royal Palace are various past rulers of the city. Added in 1888 they are, chronologically and from left to right, Roger II, Emperor Frederick II, Charles of Anjou, Alfonso of Aragon, Emperor Charles V, Charles III of Bourbon, Joachim Murat and Victor Emmanuel II. The two statues on horseback (by Antonio Canova) in the centre of the piazza are Charles III of Bourbon (on the left) and his son and successor Ferdinando, who built the church behind him. Monte Echia To orientate yourself and to get a great view of the city (indeed the whole bay on a clear day), head up the hill to the right of the colonnade and turn left along via Egiziaca a Pizzofalcone to reach the top of the ex-volcano Monte Echia, dominated to the west by the Nunziatella military academy. At the summit of the hill there are some rather indistinct remains of the original Greek city. To see another side of Naples from the grandiosity of the piazza del Plebiscito, continue south down the Rampa di Pizzofalcone, a zig-zagging set of steps which pass tiny houses chiselled out of the mountain, before coming out on Chiatamone near Castel dell’Ovo. A short walk to the left will take you back into the heart of Santa Lucia. L'Archivio Fotografico Parisio piazza del Plebiscito/largo Carolina, T 081-7645122. Mon-Sun 0930-1330 but to 1800 from largo Carolina. Free. The Parisio Photographic Archive is the only good use of space in the piazza del Plebiscito colonnade. A small but interesting collection of photographs of Naples past is exhibited around the walls and there is a decent collection of photographic books for sale. Palazzo Reale T 081-7944021. Daily except Wed, 0900-2000. Ticket office closes at 1900. Entrance to Royal Apartments €4, courtyard and gardens of the palace are free. The ticket office is well-hidden at the far end of the bookshop near to the piazza del Plebiscito entrance, which is often closed (in which case enter from piazza Trieste e Trento). Information on each room is posted in Italian and English. The Royal Palace, opposite the colonnade on piazza del Plebiscito, includes gardens, the grand but fusty national library, and the Royal Apartments, used by the Spanish and Austrian viceroys and the Bourbon kings and queens. Designed by Neapolitan architect Domenico Fontana the palace was built at the beginning of the 17th century for the Spanish viceroys and extended by the Bourbons in the 18th century. It’s easy to imagine royalty making their way up the suitably grand Scalone Monumentale (Grand Staircase, renovated after a fire in 1837), which you climb in order to reach the Royal Apartments. Once there, highlights include the ornate Court Theatre, dramatic ceiling frescoes by Belisario Corenzio (c1622) in both the Second Anteroom and the Ambassadors’ Hall, and also those of Giovanni Battista Caracciolo in the Sala del Gran Capitano. One in the latter is a picture of Caravaggio. In the Throne Room, a proper fairytale throne, complete with lions on the arms and an eagle at the back, is almost too tempting not to sit on. The golden female figures on the ceiling represent the 14 districts of the Sicilian Kingdom in the early 19th century. Foremost among an impressive collection of clocks is an elaborate piece of engineering in the Flemish Hall made in London by Charles Clay in 1730 which doubles as a music box. What appears to be a waterwheel in room XXIII is actually a rotating desk which allowed Queen Maria Carolina to look at several books at the same time without moving from her seat. Leave some energy for the Cappella Reale (Palatine Chapel), even grander than the rest of the palace. Pride of place here is given not to the sparkling altar or the bright frescoes but il Presepe del Banco di Napoli (The Nativity of the Bank of Napoli), an extreme version of a very Neapolitan obsession: the nativity scene. Started in the 15th century, and added to and changed continuously over the next 300 years, it is packed full of figures ranging from angels to a fishmonger, a chestnut seller and a knife grinder. Baby Jesus looks rather non-plussed by all the fuss. Walk through to the end of the gardens for a good view of Castel Nuovo or to the right for an excellent view of the Bay, especially spectacular in the glow of the setting sun. Napoli nella Raccolta de Mura piazza Trieste e Trento. Mon-Sat 0900-1900, Sun 0900-1300. Free. Underground in front of the cafés in piazza Trieste e Trento, this little museum has a collection of posters and other memorabilia from the golden age of Neapolitan song (mostly 1880-1930) as well as some photographs of ‘Neapolitan types’ from times gone by, such as the macaroni vendor and the straw-bottomed chair mender. Neapolitan songs are constantly piped through the speakers to accompany your visit. If you like this there’s more of the same in the Museo dell’Attore Napoletano in piazza Municipio. Teatro di San Carlo piazza Trieste e Trento, T 081-7972331/412, http://www.teatrosancarlo.it Tours run on Sat and Sun at 1400, 1430, 1500 and 1530. €2.50. Pick up a leaflet at the box office to see the month's programme and prices. Built in eight months in 1737 by Carlo III and partly rebuilt after a fire 79 years later, the luxurious San Carlo Theatre, one of Italy’s most prestigious venues, has an interior that’s much more magnificent than its slightly anonymous exterior. Opera, ballet and concerts take place here throughout the year and many seats are booked for the entire season by well-off and well-dressed Neapolitans, for whom the place remains the centre of social life. Take a half-hour tour or save up for a performance, and an unashamedly stylish evening. Galleria Umberto An enormous palatial cavern of a shopping arcade, the spectacular iron- and glass-domed Galleria is the twin of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. Built in the 1880s, it is probably a better place to wander through than to shop. A few designer clothes outlets rub shoulders with cheap electrical stores and smart cafés. Acquedotto Carmignano From piazza Trieste e Trento, http://www.lanapolisotterranea.it Tours last about an hour and a half and run Thu at 2100; Sat 1000, 1200 and 1800; Sun 1000, 1100, 1200 and 1800. €6. From Bar Gambrinus (probably Naples’ most famous café) on piazza Trieste e Trento you can take a fascinating underground guided tour of the Acquedotto Carmignano, a part of Naples’ antique aqueduct network, organized by Napoli Sotterranea (Underground Naples). The aqueducts date back to Greek and Roman times and remained in use up until a cholera outbreak in the 19th century. Signs point out the exact number of via Chiaia you are under as you pass the private wells of these grand old palazzi. Various drawings, poems and other graffiti still cover many of the walls from the time when many of the tunnels were widened, the floors concreted, and thousands of Neapolitans sheltered (and married and gave birth) down here during the Second World War. Tours are in Italian but it’s atmospheric enough to still get a lot out of it without understanding a word. Castel Nuovo piazza Municipio, T 081-7952003. Mon-Sat 0900-1930, €5.15. Known locally as the Maschio Angioino, the Angevin Stronghold, both Boccaccio and Petrarch stayed in this sturdy fairytale building. Originally built from stone imported from Mallorca, in the 13th century, it once contained frescoes by Giotto. It was extensively remodelled by the Aragonese in the 15th century, however, and now much of its magic has gone. The Museo Civico is on the first and second floors. Guglielmo Monaco’s ornate bronze doors, complete with a couple of holes and an embedded cannonball, are worth a look but the collection of Neapolitan paintings is a bit of a mixed bag. More interesting are the chapels downstairs. The tiny Baroque Cappella delle Anime del Purgatorio has some slightly alarming frescoes. By way of contrast, the Cappella Palatina next door is stark, but has some tantalizing remnants of frescoes by Niccolò Tommaso, and some frustratingly small pieces of Giotto’s work next to the tall windows. The Sala dei Baroni next door gets its name from the barons murdered here by King Ferrante of Aragon in 1486. Under the pretence of a banquet to settle a dispute, Ferrante lured his victims here and had them arrested and executed. The room was another once frescoed by Giotto, but its only colour now comes from City Council meetings. Without buying a ticket you can still have a look at the impressive Renaissance triumphal arch, built at the entrance to the castle to celebrate the arrival of Alfonso I of Aragon in 1443. Castel dell’Ovo There are also occasional exhibitions held here, especially during Maggio dei Monumenti. But a good proportion of the castle is either undergoing restoration or given over to office space and may be difficult to gain access to. Built on a volcanic outcrop into the bay, Castel dell’Ovo is a more intimidating building than its more modern counterpart. The egg of its name was, according to legend, buried on the site by Virgil, who prophesied that when the egg broke Naples would fall. If you like castles it’s worth a wander round, and there are some good views in both directions over Naples and the bay. Borgo Marinari, the collection of houses and (mainly) restaurants surrounded by jetties beside the castle, is a popular location that heaves with life on summer evenings but can seem a little deserted out of season.
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