Welcome!
It is not easy to prepare a guide about Naples, because there would be too many things to say! Anyway, since I am Neapolitan, and I have spent all of my life in Naples, I think I can give you some good suggestions!

What you can see in Naples - Living my city
The surroundings of Naples
What to eat, where you can have a lunch or a dinner
Shopping areas
Tips and tricks to always find your way out

What you can see in Naples

In Naples there are so many things to see, so much to do or to have fun that a whole life-time wouldn't be enough. For a first-time visitor I can suggest to try to see as much as possible, but you should try to "feel" the beautiful atmosphere that animates my city. I think that travelling isn't only going to museums or making some sightseeing tours, but travelling for me means LIVING the city where you are. Talking about monuments and cultural places I can suggest to you some places that are definitely worth a visit:

The "Museo Nazionale", one of the most important museums in the world for ancient art, where you can find almost everything about Greeks, Romans and other ancient civilizations.

The "Maschio Angioino" (there's a photo on my page), a beautiful medieval fortress located in the city centre.

The "Museo di Capodimonte", an incredible collection of paintings, where you can find some world-famous pictures.

The "Palazzo Reale" (where the G-7 meeting was held in July 1994) located in the renovated Piazza Plebiscito, the symbol of the "new" Naples. It is a beautiful palace of the ancient sovereigns of Naples: the Borboni family.

The "Castel dell'Ovo", another beautiful fortress on the island of Megaride, linked to the land with a small bridge, near the most important hotels of Naples in Via Partenope.

The "Castel Sant'Elmo", a real castle in the Vomero, where you can have a breath-taking panorama of Naples.

The "Centro Storico", that is the Greek and Roman city, with the beautiful churches of Gesù Nuovo, San Lorenzo, Santa Chiara (beautiful cloister -photo).

You can have further information about opening hours, entrance fees etc. just clicking here

Living my city

The first thing that fascinates of my city is the beauty of the atmosphere and the bustle that animates it. Almost everywhere you can find people coming and going, and I think this side is very interesting, though it frequently produces some car traffic or some pollution. However, Neapolitan people are famous in Italy and abroad for their spontaneity, and you can find them almost always nice with you. There are many places in Naples (like the "Tribunali" zone, in the Centro Storico), where you can try to live the atmosphere of Naples. Walking in the "Centro Storico" you can really immerse yourself in the city.

The surroundings of Naples

Naples is as famous as its surroundings are. That is why near Naples, in a quite short range, there are some of the most important places in the world, like Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, Ischia, Sorrento, the Vesuvius, Amalfi...
Each of these places is really wonderful, and each of them is worth a visit.

About Pompeii and Herculaneum, these are two Roman cities, still intact today as 2000 years ago, and you can walk through Roman roads, forums, insulae (houses), visit the amphitheatre, trying to live a day like a Roman 2000 years ago. These two cities are very well preserved thanks to the eruption of the Vesuvius in 79AD which devastated the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabia, saving them from human destruction, so that at the end of the eighteenth century archaeologists could find them, beginning the not yet completed digging of the sites.

Capri and Ischia are the two main islands of the Bay of Naples: Capri is probably the most famous island in the world, with some natural beauties like the Blue Grotto (the Grotta Azzurra) or the Faraglioni, some rocks in the sea, and you can pass through them by boat - what an experience! Capri is famous for its worldliness too, for its principal square, the Piazzetta, and for many other things that make this island a real jewel of the world. Ischia is a thermal volcanic island and you can still see the Mount Epomeo, a volcano that is not active since many centuries; in Ischia you can have magnificent thermal baths or go to the seaside at some beautiful beaches or walk in the beautiful nature of this island whose nickname is "Isola verde" (Green island).

Sorrento is a very important touristic resort too: from there you can make many excursions to Naples, to Pompeii or Herculaneum by train, the "Circumvesuviana", which links these places with a run every 15-20 minutes. Sorrento is a quiet location on the Bay of Naples, with a beautiful coast, that is the "Costiera Sorrentina", as famous as the "Costiera Amalfitana", the one where there are Amalfi and Positano. The Costiera Amalfitana and Sorrentina are divided by Punta Campanella, a place that you can reach with a very beautiful walk between flowers few kilometres away from Sorrento.

I do suggest to you to visit the Borboni's Royal Palace in Caserta (the Reggia), the most visited Italian monument (even more than the Uffizi in Florence and Pompeii): it is one of the best royal palaces in the world, with an incredible park with fountains, water and trees! Here there was a G-7 dinner in July 1994 - even U.S. President Bill Clinton was impressed by the beauty of the palace! And if you are a fan of Star Wars, you can see with your eyes the locations of "Episode I: The Phantom Menace" that was shot right here!

Last but not least....the Vesuvius (photo)!! The most famous volcano in the world MUST be visited! You can get to the top of the volcano by car until the nearness of the crater and then with a magnificent 20 min. walk to the top of the volcano. It's a unique experience getting to the top of this wonderful volcano! From the top you can enjoy a magnificent view of the bay. The Vesuvius is now part of Naples and its bay and its frightful but relaxing mould gives this zone a unique charm.

What to eat, where you can have a lunch or a dinner

If you are coming to Naples, expect to eat lots and lots and lots of pasta and pizza! Naples is world-famous for pasta and pizza and you can find them almost everywhere, in every restaurant or pizzeria. Here the pizza is the "cult" and we all Neapolitans are proud to be the inventors of such a tasty food! In every way you like it, in every size you want it, you MUST try it. Don't expect to find the pizza you normally eat abroad, here it is completely different, but, believe me, it is much better! But pizza and pasta here are not the only food: here you can eat fish and seafood (simply great!), but, of course, don't forget to taste our juicy fruit (lemons, oranges, apricots, peaches, cherries... - here, thanks to the fertility of the land near the Vesuvius, the fruit is great). In this zone there are more restaurants than you could ever imagine and you can eat better than you have ever done. You can choose every kind of restaurants, from the cheapest to the most expensive and, I hope, you will always eat very well. In Naples I can suggest a restaurant like "Zi' Teresa", at the Borgo Marinaro, an animated place close to Castel dell'Ovo, in a beautiful atmosphere; if you want to have the best pizza in the city, and then in the world, you must try the one you eat at "Da Michele", close to Corso Umberto, between the Maschio Angioino and the Railway Station: the pizza you eat there is something you can't believe it if you don't taste it! You can have a very large pizza and a beer for just 8000 Lire (less than 5 $) and I think it's the cheapest, but probably the best, way to "feel" Naples. In other places like the Costiera Amalfitana or Costiera Sorrentina there are some unique restaurants too like " 'O Parrocchiano" in the centre of Sorrento, or "Franceschiello" in Massa Lubrense and "Gigino pizza a metro" in Vico Equense where you can have a pizza, choosing its type and its length too! Other things you must try in Naples are mozzarella, fiordilatte, provola (traditional cheeses), some pastries and pies such as "Sfogliatella", "Pastiera", "Babà", "Delizie al limone" in Sorrento, but some other dishes as well like "Parmigiana di melenzane", a dish with aubergines, mozzarella, tomatoes, cheese (simply great!) or "Pizze fritte" and "Calzoni" (a fried dough), very cheap indeed, and you can find them in the Friggitorias. Don't forget to eat a pizza while walking in the Centro Storico!!

Shopping areas

In Naples things are very cheap if compared to other cities in Italy and abroad. There are many shopping areas and the main ones are:
1) Via Roma and the centro storico. Most of that is a pedestrian area with many shops of every different kind. If you go to Via San Gregorio Armeno in downtown Naples you will find the famous Neapolitan creches. You can't miss it, particularly at Christmas time.
2) the Via Dei Mille and Piazza Dei Martiri area, with the most expensive and exclusive shops, such as the jewels of Cartier and Bulgari, for example.
3) the residential area of Vomero, especially Via Luca Giordano and Via Scarlatti. Shops sell every kind of things, a very good place to walk and buy.

Tips and tricks to always find your way out

Taxis
The first thing you must know is that taxis in service from the airport to the city have an extra charge of about LIT.5000 (3 $). But don't worry: taxis are quite cheap, so the fare is not so high. Please note that when leaving from the airport there are also some fixed fares for the taxi rides. In the Naples "Capodichino" airport you can read the prices for the predetermined rides. For example, going to the main hotels costs approx. LIT.30,000 (about 18 $). If you take a taxi to make an excursion away from Naples decide the price with the taxi-driver before you leave or just use the predetermined fares.

The bus ticket costs LIT.1500 (approx. 0.80 $) and with it you can take, in 90 minutes, every bus you want and make only one ride by cable cars and one by metro. You can buy the daily ticket at LIT.4500 (about 2 $): you can take every bus, metro, cable cars. It's a cheap way to get around Naples. Bus service is quite good, the only problem is the heavy traffic (metro lines and railways are better). Another good service is the one between Naples and the islands: there are many runs almost every 45 minutes from Naples to Ischia, Capri and Sorrento (you can choose the fast way - the "aliscafo"- or the slow and cheaper one -the "traghetto": choose the one you like!). I do suggest to you to go to Piazza del Gesù in the Centro Storico in Naples, because there you can find the tourist office and you can get every information you want.

For information about opening hours, entrance fees, phone numbers etc. take a look at this page!

Waiting for your comments....

Enjoy your visit!!!!!!!!!!

For any further information contact me at my e-mail address mgiaquin@tin.it

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Last updated on March 10, 2000