Napoli – Naples – The Educated Traveller

This city is an absolute must!

Dynamic, exciting, full of life, laughter and chaos. Tooting horns, thousands of scooters, a charming disregard for traffic lights…..

The historic centre of Naples is a labyrinth of narrow streets, all paved in the characteristic black volcanic stone of the area. Shops, bars, cafes and restaurants jostle for position with street vendors, tourists and locals. It’s a diverse and jolly band of Neapolitans and visitors.

There are literally hundreds of huge 19th century palaces. All with private courtyards, crazy lifts (elevators) and often a wooden porter’s lodge (portineria) for the door man or woman who supervises deliveries, visitors and people coming in and out of the building. Life in Naples is full on, loud, raucous and fun.

Naples was originally a Greek city – Neo-polis meaning New City. Neapolitan people are the people of the Neo-polis. The Greeks established their new city here in the 4th century BCE. After the Greeks came the Romans. Then the Normans, French and Spanish. Naples was the Capital City of the Kingdom of Naples. A city of art, culture and drama. Especially drama, often closely related to the activities of the church. There’s more than 500 churches in Naples.

Then on the threshold of the city is Mount Vesuvius, a massive volcano, which dominates the Bay of Naples and erupts every so often to keep everyone on their toes.

Naples also has three castles, not one, not two but three, reminding us how strategically important the city and the Bay of Naples have been over the centuries.