Naples is Italy's most intense, most chaotic and most divisive city — those who love it put it among Italy's top five, those who hate it never return. The historic centre (UNESCO Heritage 1995, medieval Europe's largest) is one of the few places in the world where 2,500 years of inhabited history are still legible in the urban topography: the Greek Decumanus, Christian churches on pagan temple foundations, 17th-century Spanish quarters, the Bourbon Royal Palace. Neapolitan pizza (born here in 1889 with the Margherita) is the world's most copied dish — in Naples it is still eaten in the only original version. Capodichino airport (NAP) 7km from the centre — Alibus €5, 20 min, or taxi fixed rate €25 from the centre.
Spaccanapoli and the UNESCO Historic Centre
Spaccanapoli (the street that 'splits' Naples in two, following the original Greek decumanus) crosses the historic centre from Porta Nolana to Piazza del Gesù Nuovo — 2km of churches, artisan shops, nativity scenes, cafes. Mandatory stops: Gesù Nuovo (1584, piperno diamond-rusticated facade — Naples's most unusual), Santa Chiara (1310, the Poor Clares' cloister with Donato and Giuseppe Massa's majolica tiles is Naples's most beautiful courtyard), San Gregorio Armeno (the nativity scene street — artisans producing shepherds year-round, not just at Christmas), Cappella Sansevero (€8, mandatory booking, Giuseppe Sanmartino's Veiled Christ 1753 — the greatest sculptural illusion of 18th-century Europe). MANN — National Archaeological Museum (€15, the world's most important collection of Roman artefacts, including Pompeii's mosaics and Secret Cabinet) is unmissable.
Neapolitan Pizza: Rules and Addresses
Neapolitan pizza STG (Traditional Speciality Guaranteed) has precise rules: dough with 00 and semolina flour, minimum 8h leavening, cooked in a wood-fired oven at 485°C for 60-90 seconds, tall soft border (the cornicione), soft foldable centre (not crispy). Historic pizzerias: Da Michele (Via Cesare Sersale 1, only Margherita and Marinara, always queued, €5-6 per pizza — the world's most famous since Eat Pray Love mentioned it), Sorbillo (Via dei Tribunali 32, more variety, always queued, €7-9), Di Matteo (Via dei Tribunali 94, also Neapolitan frying), Starita (Via Materdei 27, the Vomero's finest, shorter queue). The fritta (fried pizza, not baked) is the original poor version — filled with ricotta, salami, cicoli and pepper, invented during post-war poverty when wood for ovens was scarce.
Castel dell'Ovo, Posillipo and the Sea
Castel dell'Ovo (free, on the Borgo Marinari) is Naples's oldest castle — built by the Normans in the 12th century on the island of Megaride where the Greeks founded the first colony in the 7th century BC. The terrace offers the most complete view over the Gulf of Naples and Vesuvius. The Naples Seafront (Via Caracciolo, 3km, pedestrianised at weekends) is the Neapolitans' evening promenade — Vesuvius at sunset over the water is one of Italy's most beautiful urban scenes. Posillipo (hill to the west) is the neighbourhood of noble seafront palaces — the Gaiola (protected marine area, free snorkelling) has submerged Roman remains. Capodimonte Museum (€12, 20 min by bus from centre) has Italy's third most important painting collection — Masaccio, Titian, Caravaggio, El Greco, Bruegel, Goya. Rarely as crowded as the Uffizi or Vatican Museums.
Practical tips
Cappella Sansevero must be booked online — the Veiled Christ is among Italy's most extraordinary things
Da Michele only makes Margherita and Marinara — for variety go to Sorbillo or Starita
MANN (Archaeological Museum) should be visited before going to Pompeii — it explains what you will see in the excavations
Capodimonte (Italy's third picture gallery) is almost always empty — one of Italy's finest museum experiences
Fried pizza (not baked) is the original poor version — try it from Di Matteo in Via dei Tribunali
