You can understand the beauty of Napoli while walking among its streets, but you can only have a glimpse of the importance of the city: it hides a millennial history, a result of different traditions, archeology, excellent cuisine, and natural beauties. For this reason, you can understand it only if you choose the right attractions to visit, those who hide the real soul of Napoli.

In this article, you will find a brief guide on Napoli, with the attractions to visit and the food to try if it’s the first time you’re in this city.

The historical center of Napoli

The historical center of Napoli is the part that best preserves the true identity of the city, hiding in the various monuments present in this area, survived throughout the centuries.

Spaccanapoli

Spaccanapoli is the main street of the historical center, and it’s called this way because it literally splits the city into two parts. It is the decumano inferiore, one of the two main streets of the ancient Greek city, stretching from Forcella to the Spanish Quarters.

You will find here many artisan shops and typical Neapolitan restaurants, the result of centuries of traditions. On Spaccanapoli you will find the whole Neapolitan history, from the Greek era to the Borbonic one, until the Kingdom of Italy.

Royal Palace and Piazza del Plebiscito

The Royal Palace, the residence of kings and queens, is located in Piazza del Plebiscito, one of the symbols of the city. It’s one of the biggest squares in Italy, used during the Middle Ages for tournaments, and an important place for the Italian Risorgimento.

So, it is characterized by a long arcade, starting from the Church of San Francesco di Paola and reaching the Royal Palace, on the opposite side of the square.

Near Piazza del Plebiscito you can also find Galleria Umberto I, an important place during Enlightenment, as well as Teatro San Carlo, the oldest Opera House in the world.

San Gregorio Armeno

San Gregorio Armeno is a little street near Spaccanapoli, famous for its artisan shops. In fact, it is the core of the Neapolitan crib tradition, the oldest in the world. On this street, it’s always Christmas, as the artisans work in order to produce the little statues during the whole year and show them outside their shops.

Duomo and the Treasure of San Gennaro

The Duomo is the most important Church in Napoli, as it’s the biggest one and it also hosts the relics of San Gennaro, the patron saint of the city. Every year, on the day of San Gennaro, one of the relics, the blood of the saint, is brought in procession, while people wait for it to melt. In fact, there is a tradition: if the blood melts, everything is going to be fine, but if it doesn’t, it’s considered a bad fate.

The seafront in Napoli

The seafront is one of Napoli’s most famous views, as it shows the Gulf and the Vesuvio overlooking it. It’s also the most suggestive promenade in the city, where there are some important monuments of the city.

Maschio Angioino

Maschio Angioino is a Renaissance castle, one of the symbols of Napoli. It was built during the Angiò period, and it’s one of the best-preserved monuments in the world. It played an important role in the history of the city, and it’s also surrounded by many legends.

Castel dell’Ovo

Even though it might seem a recent building, Castel dell’Ovo is the oldest castle in Napoli, as it was built in the I century B.C. Its name comes from a legend saying that the Latin poet Virgilius hid an egg in its basement, which sustains the whole castle.

Castel dell’Ovo is one of the most noticeable elements in the Neapolitan landscape, because it is located on the island of Megaride, considered the point from which Napoli originated.

Pompei

If it’s the first time visiting Napoli, you absolutely must go to Pompeii and visit the ruins, as they are not that far. The ancient city of Pompeii was destroyed after the eruption of Vesuvius and had been covered in lava for thousands of years. For this reason, it was kept intact and it represents one of the most important archeological sites in the world.

Neapolitan Cuisine

Neapolitan cuisine is among the most famous all over the world, boasting delicious food such as pizza. The ingredients for the excellence of Neapolitan cuisine are two: the influence of the many dominations ruling on the city, and the good ingredients of the territory.

The best dish is obviously pizza, which was born in Napoli between 1500 and 1600: the most famous one is Margherita, but there are surely other types.

You also have to try pasta with mussels, an excellent dish that uses the ingredients offered by the territory. Among the best cheese and cold cuts, you have to try mozzarella, provola and Neapolitan salami.

Another excellence is represented by the Neapolitan patisserie: it offers delicacies such as babà, sfogliatella and pastiera.

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May 17th, 2021