Naples
We didn’t have any plans when Grace and I went to Naples. All I knew about Naples was Pizza and the archaeological museum. Both things that this city is famous for.
Naples isn’t one of those cities that you fly halfway around the world to see. It’s not Rome. Naples is a stop you make along the way to Pompeii, Amalfi, or Capri. So even though Naples isn’t the most beautiful city in Italy (it’s a little dirty & rundown), I was still pleasantly surprised by some of the things it had to offer. Every place I visited in Naples, I would recommend to anyone.
Since we didn’t have a plan when we got to Naples, we grabbed a map and just started walking. We walked A LOT in Naples. The first place we walked to was along the coast. This was a great place to start because of the castles and restaurants along the sea. The castles were wonderful. We went inside of all of them and walked around each for at least an hour. Both Castel Nuovo and Castel dell’Ovo were amazing on the inside and had stunning views of the sea.
What to see in Naples: Castel Nuovo, Royal Palace, San Carlo Opera House, Piazza del Plebiscito, Cappella Sansevero, Umberto Gallery, San Francesco di Paola Church, National Archaeological Museum, Castel dell’Ovo, Castel Sant’Elmo, and Naples Cathedral
After admiring the castles by the sea, we took the long walk to the National Archaeological Museum. Make sure to look up museum tickets before you go because they do have discounts and free days as well as a strange schedule. They had a student discount but didn’t let us have it because we weren’t EU students. Rude.
I loved the museum. There was so much art and many artifacts (like from Pompeii) to see. We spent hours inside looking through all the rooms. I had to sit down a few times because my legs were exhausted.
Unfortunately, they are strict about photographing the exhibition pieces. I snuck in a few on my phone but they aren’t the best quality. Grace had a selfie stick with her that had to be put away. Probably a good thing they don’t allow them. Someone could accidentally hit a marble statue or knock something over.
After spending too many hours walking around the shore, inside multiple castles, and through the entire archaeological museum, we were exhausted. All we wanted was to go back to our beds, relax, and maybe stuff our faces with some Italian food. Although we were a little too tired to enjoy anything else in Naples, our walk presented us with some beautiful little surprised. Such as the Naples Cathedral. We didn’t go inside, again, we were exhausted, but I’m sure it’s as beautiful as the other Catholic cathedrals in Italy.
If you find yourself in Naples, I hope you get a chance to visit the museum to see the extraordinary collections of murals, frescoes and mosaics from Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as enjoy a classic pizza margherita in the city famous for its pizzerias.
-Ayla♥
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Thanks for your info on this✨
A few years back, we spent several days in and around Naples, then headed off to Rome for Holy Week, plus a few days. We would go back to both. My assessment was that Naples had a taste of everything in Rome (ancient ruins to famous master painters) and no crowds (I called the Vatican Museum art-with-three-kilometers-of-lines). And, the food! One could sit all night eating delicious dishes! – Oscar
Did you like food better in Naples? I thought Rome had the worst food compared to every other city in Italy. It was probably because we were eating in the tourist traps in Rome. Lol
We found “favorite” restaurants in both Naples and Rome, but both were neighborhood restaurants well off the tourist path.
Yes, those are always the best and most authentic.
We stopped in Naples to get pizza at Da Machele (of course!) on our way back from a daytrip to Pompeii from Rome. Definitely want to go back to explore more and get more of that good food there! Interesting to see there is a lot more to do there. One day we’ll get back!
I feel that way about every European city I visit. There’s always more to do because there’s so much history! I want to revisit every place 😂
I’m always so glad when someone really stops in Naples, my hometown.
If you should ever come back I suggest you to visit the tube station (Toledo Metro Station), which was named as the most beautiful in Europe, then to visit Museum of San Gennaro Treasure (this treasure is said to be worth more than the Crown Jewels in Tower of London), i Chiostri di Santa Chiara and Napoli sotterranea (Naples underground, it is stunning to see that there is another city under the city)…and if if you do not want to spend too much money going to Capri, then there is Procida, the smallest of the three islands, but the most colourful and unique, beside being also less touristic.
Naples Cathedral is very stunning inside too!
Wow thank you for sharing all this. I will definitely do those things if I find myself in Naples again! <3