Mark on one of countless colorful streets in the historic center of Naples
It’s hard to imagine anything further from Capri’s elegance, beauty, and wealth than Naples’ grit, garbage, and poverty. But here we are and – though we are a distinct minority among travelers – we love Naples. If Capri is the most beautiful place on earth, Naples might well be the most flavorful place, at least in Europe. Capri is just a few miles offshore from here, but it might as well be on a different continent. At one point when Mark was just out wandering he had the sense – more from the surroundings than the people – that he had somehow turned up in West Africa. It’s a beguiling and fascinating city.
Mt. Vesuvius looming over millions of people. There’s no reason to believe that it couldn’t erupt again. That new downtown area, by the way, is far from the old town that we hang out in. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been there.
Naples is Italy’s third largest city, after Rome & Milan. And while today it’s a gritty, dirty city with an ugly organized crime presence (though nothing a tourist would encounter), it was once one of the great cities of Europe. In the 17th century, in fact, it was the second biggest city in all of Europe after only Paris. It had the first secular University on the continent, founded by Frederick II in 1224 – then the Holy Roman Emperor – so its history is not trivial. Going back further Naples – then called Neopolis, or New City – was one of Greece’s first Mediterranean colonies and was later a favored vacation spot for Rome’s elites.
Spaccanapoli (Splitting Naples, literally) is a street originally laid out by the Greeks. You genuinely get a sense of an old city here.
Reflecting that history we had two attractions we wanted to see: the Royal Palace in Caserta, about 40 minutes by train out of Naples, built by the Bourbon kings of Naples in the 18th century to rival Versailles; and the National Archeological Museum. We had two full days and two big destinations so no problem, right? Except that we were there on a Tuesday and a Wednesday and both sites were closed on Tuesday. We had to choose one, and as the temperatures were in the mid- and upper-90s – it was scorching hot – we decided to forgo the Royal Palace. The idea of getting in a potentially crowded train with no AC, definitely a possibility in Naples, was just too intimidating.
The Archeological Museum, though, is a stunner, considered the most important archeological museum in all of Italy. Massive and masterful statues from Rome’s Baths of Caracalla and more grand statuary from the Farnese collection, started by Cardinal Farnese who later became Pope Paul III. A huge part of the collection is made up of excavations from Pompeii and Herculaneum. I’ve been to both sites but never remotely appreciated them until seeing the stuff here; you get a sense of how wealthy some people, at least, were before that Mt. Vesuvius messed up their lives. And then there’s still just lots and lots of other good things in the museum. I was disappointed to have missed the Palace at Caserta but this was a great day.
Mark and Hercules, a massive statue recovered from Rome’s Baths of Caracalla
The Farnese Bull, sculpted from a single piece of rock and thought to be the largest single statue recovered from antiquity, tells of the torture of Dirce. Dirce was mean to Antiope and treated her cruelly. When Antiope’s boys learned of it, they captured Dirce and tied her to the various legs of the bull, which then proceeded to tear her apart. They were mean back then, but it makes for a nice statue.
It’s a little embarrassing to say that the Museo di Capodimonte, atop the big hill that overlooks downtown Naples, is almost an oversight compared to the Archeological Museum. I walked up there (in the blazing heat, I might add) after our first lunch in Naples as I remember the parks around it one of my favorite places back in the 1970s when I was stationed in Naples. At 160,000 square feet, it’s the second-largest museum in all of Italy and includes masterpieces by Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, El Greco, and so on. And on top of that the descriptions were often in English, which was helpful.
Caravaggio’s The Flagellation, Capodimonte’s premier holding
Otherwise, Naples is all about walking through the UNESCO certified historic center, particularly the three main streets, collectively called the Decumani, which were actually laid out by the Greeks when Rome was just a little baby. Part of what’s fun about these streets – besides knowing you’re walking on streets that were ancient when Julius Caesar walked on them – is the way people live their lives out in the open there. These are narrow streets used only by scooters and pedestrians. Apartments on the first floor just open right onto those little streets, whether it’s the kitchen, living room, or even a bedroom – or a combination of all three, as happens not infrequently. It all just adds to the flavor that is Naples.
A long, narrow street in Naples with washing hanging everywhere. You could take this picture just about anywhere in the old city.
And it’s worth adding that besides the sights and sounds and smells of Naples, the food can be fantastic. Naples is the original home of pizza, and they still make the best in the world (though we usually have to avoid it or we’d be a lot bigger than you see in these pictures). And the bread is the best in the world, too, in my opinion at least. Dense and crusty and really tasty; I’ve never had bread I like as much as the Neapolitan variety. Add to that all the great seafood and wine and we’re in cuisine heaven here, all at a fraction of the cost of Capri or the Amalfi Coast.
So we’re done with Italy, for now at least. It’s early August and way, way too hot to enjoy. So from here we fly up to Sweden for a couple weeks where the forecast is for temperatures that are 30 degrees less than in Naples. We’re OK with that.
By the time we caught the boat from Capri, walked to our hotel, and checked in it was getting late for lunch. We stopped at practically the first place we saw in the old town that had air conditioning and I had this dish of mussels and clams and god knows what else. It was amazing – a world-class dish I just stumbled on. And yes, we went back.
Naples has lots of good, hearty, basic food but there are some that are a little more modern, too. This was a little tuna dish that was wonderful.
And at yet another restaurant Mark had these grilled fishies with colorful and flavorful sauces. We did good in finding restaurants!
Street art in Naples can be pretty darned good
Pulcinella is a Neapolitan original, and we stumbled onto this statue on one of the old, crumbling streets
Speaking of streets, here’s me
An old, tiny church just a block from our hotel
Now, on to the Archeological Museum. Part of what I liked about it was that it often had great descriptions of the pieces. This one, for instance, has had all sorts of changes made from the original. It was originally a statue of Pathos, Greed god of unrequited love. During restoration long ago, though, a lyre was placed in his hands making him instead Apollo. Oh, and the head wasn’t on the original, either; this is a stylized head of Alexander the Great that just happened to fit perfectly on a body that was found headless.
I love this statue of the regicides Harmodius and Aristogeiton, who died after killing the Greek tyrant Hipparchus. His death led to the establishment of Athenian democracy. It was amusing that in the audio guide they were described as great forerunners of democracy. In fact, they were lovers who were pissed at Hipparchus because he wanted Aristogeiton, the young one on the right, and wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. So when they killed Hipparchus it wasn’t about democracy, it was about getting rid of some old guy who was a little too aggressive. Hah!
There I was, taking a selfie, and I find this guy photo bombing me!
The Archeological Museum has amazing stuff from Pompeii. This is a portrait of Terentius Neo, a baker, and his wife in the pose of intellectuals. It is thought to be the only true portrait recovered from Pompeii.
There were also big rooms full of mosaics from Pompeii. Mark liked this doggie.
While I was partial to these musicians
Meanwhile, back up at Capodimonte, the quiet park seems like a million miles from Naples. Of course, in part it was quiet because it was so damned hot no one wanted to be outside.
Capodimonte includes small exhibits of modern art, too, along with their permanent collection. This piece by Dutchman Jan Fabre is titled Railway Tracks to Death. Made entirely of beetle wing cases, it evokes the horror of the Belgian Congo experience. Strong stuff.