Naples

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16 April 2008

A long, tiring but unexpectedly good day in Naples.

We set off early to catch the train and were serenaded by our first violinist of the day on the journey. Alighting at Piazza Garibaldi we navigate our way through the constant traffic and busy local street market to find the long narrow main street of the old town, Via Dei Tribulani. The street had shops either side whose goods spilt onto the pavement. Thankfully bollards protected us from the many scooters.

Our first stop was the Duomo, set slightly back. Although originally gothic from the early thirteenth century, it has been ornately decorated by subsequent generations. It has a large and heavily frescoed chapel dedicated to its patron saint, San Gennaro.

We next visited a much more interesting Gothic Church, St Lorenzo Maggiore, which is built on the site of Greek and Roman buildings whose excavations we explored.

Pizzas were invented in Naples and we sampled a delicious one for an early lunch.

The afternoon was spent visiting the Museo Archeologico Nazionale which houses most of the treasures excavated form the Vesuvian towns we had been round on previous days. We were most impressed by the mosaics and frescoes. But the statuary was also very fine.

Part of Naples is built on a 500 ft hill and to complete the day we used one of the funiculars to get a magnificent view over the city in the evening sunlight. On our way back down we were serenaded with O Solo Mio and Funiculi Funicular.

A day to remember in a vibrant city.

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