Description

An unforgettable promenade in the heart of Naples to discover its most fascinating nooks and crannies and intriguing anecdotes, and its most characteristic flavours

What we will see

Maschio Angioino
Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, Church of Gesù Nuovo and Basilica of Santa Chiara
Spaccanapoli
Piazza San Domenico
Via San Gregorio Armeno
Pizzeria Di Matteo
Port'Alba
Piazza Dante
Piazza del Plebiscito
San Carlo Opera House
Galleria Umberto I

What we will do

As soon as we leave the port we will enjoy the view of the Maschio Angioino and Vomero Hill, from where we can view the splendid Certosa di San Martino (Carthusian Monastery of Saint Martin). We then head to Via Monteoliveto, immersing ourselves in a jumble of old and modern architecture - venerable churches and buildings more typical of the architecture of the fascist period - as we make our way into the historic city centre.
In Piazza del Gesù Nuovo we find a tapering 18th-century Marian column and we visit the Church of Gesù Nuovo (New Jesus) - one of the most important churches of the city and home to work by some of the major artists of the Neapolitan school - and the nearby Gothic Basilica of Santa Chiara (Saint Clare), which was built at the beginning of the 14th century on the site of a Roman thermal complex dating to the second century AD.
Our itinerary continues along the lower decumanus that splits the centre of the city in two, the famous Spaccanapoli, the pulsating nucleus of the real, popular Naples.
We then arrive in Piazza San Domenico, where the second of the city's votive columns is located, surrounded by the noble palazzi of the most important Neapolitan families.
We continue on our walk to arrive in Via San Gregorio Armeno, one of the streets of Naples that is famous around the world and better known as 'strada dei presepi', a street filled with shops and workshops producing models for presepi, the miniature Nativity scenes for which the city is famous.
With the evocative images of the attractions that we have just seen still fresh in our mind's eye, we reach Via dei Tribunali, the principal decumanus of the city, where we stop for a tasty break at Pizzeria Di Matteo, one of the most famous of Naples' pizzerie. Here pizza is served in keeping with the local tradition, folded in two like a wallet, to be eaten while you walk as true Neapolitans do.
The guide tells us stories and recounts legends about a cult that is very much at heart with Neapolitans, the 'culto delle capuzzelle' (literally 'the cult of the skulls'), which is all about souls in purgatory adopted by the Neapolitan people in exchange for protection.
Cutting through the old city gate of Port'Alba (1625), along Via Port'Alba - also known as the street of Neapolitan booksellers - we reach Piazza Dante, one of the city's most important piazzas, before heading along the main street, Via Toledo.
After this last stop our Neapolitan promenade comes to an end and we return to the ship with an resounding farewell ... arrivederci a presto!

What you need to know

Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
Space is limited, so please reserve early.
This tour will take place entirely on foot.