Naples
On our free day we negotiated through the Exodus contacts a taxi to take Ann & myself to Naples. We ended up with a very brief visit to Italy’s 3rd largest city – so we just had a few hours to see a small part of this special city. What do you do with so much to see & so little time?
Just walking through the narrow streets in the old quarter with its densely populated tenement housing was fascinating. However in terms of tourist attractions, we started off underground with a guided tour of the ancient labyrinth of tunnels, the Napoli Sotterranea. Next I wanted to see Caravaggio’s innovative “The Seven Works of Mercy” in the Pio Monte della Misericordia. From here we crossed a small piazza to the enormous baroque Duomo. Finally it was a dash to the splendid National Archaeological Museum where we saw treasures from Herculaneum & Pompeii.
Ann was reading the appropriate Elena Ferrante’s “My Beautiful Friend” on this holiday.
Amalfi Coast 2025 Photos:
The old Spanish Quarter of Naples is known for its complex of alleyways. Easy to get lost in.
The Napoli Sotterranea
The underground tunnels were formed by the quarries for building materials by the early Greeks in the area, some 2,400 years ago. Then the Romans used the system for storing and supplying water for the city. Finally in WWII they were used as underground shelters for the general population.
Pio Monte della Misericordia
Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta
Why is the façade covered with these photo images? We never did find out.
Perugino’s Assumption of the Virgin
Royal Chapel of the Treasure of St. Januarius
National Archaeological Museum
What a fabulous museum. The Bourbons didn’t stint with this building – or their own art collection. I was impressed with the presentation of the works, this is a superb museum deserving its place on the world stage. Of course a lot of the collection is from Herculaneum & Pompeii making a good follow-up to the visits we made earlier in the week.
The Sundial Hall
The Grand Staircase with the Farnese Lion
Ann in front of the marble statue of Marcus Nonius Balbus from Herculaneum
Cavallo Mazzocchi
