Dolce Vita in Naples

I am eternally beholden to Naples. Indeed, many of us are. Pizza has been my saviour many times, in sickness and in health, in many outings with friends, and at various parties where not much else was edible. Of course, the pizza at my local pizzeria falls short of its traditional cousin – the marvellous pizza of Naples. The Neapolitan dish is marked as a traditional specialty product, which means that it has to be prepared to exact specifications based on centuries of trial and error. Eating pizza napoletana marinara and pizza napoletana margherita in Naples is a life altering experience. The pizzas are cooked in wood fired ovens and emerge with a tender crust, daubed with brilliant, intense red sauce and a slather of cheese that melts in your mouth. Naples effectively integrates pizza in its soul – small pizzerias line the streets in the city, and large queues snake down the roads in search of the perfect medley of cheese, tomatoes, and olive oil.

 Naples, situated in Southern Italy has always been special. The air of Naples shimmers with its enthusiasm. Loud banter in the fish markets, laughter of children in narrow lanes, soliloquy of guides in the museums – Naples is never quiet. The city is warm and welcoming towards strangers and makes them feel at home in the shadows of its towering structures and compelling landscapes.  In its meandering streets, there are traces of Naples as it existed 2000 years ago. Naples is located between Mount Vesuvius, a sleeping volcano and Campi Flegrei, a large caldera renowned for its volcanic activity. And Naples has been inhabited since the Neolithic period, first by the Greeks and then the Romans. Its rich history is evident in the palaces, museums, and even in its cuisine.

The most famous castle of Naples is the Castel Nuovo, a hulking medieval structure built in the reign of Charles I of Anjou. It is also known as Maschio Angioino. It has been frequently enlarged, restored and beautified by various rulers. A two storey arc, the Torre della Guardia was built in 1470 to mark the entry of Alfonso of Aragon to Naples in 1443. The famous Italian renaissance painter, Giotto had created many frescoes in the castle, but only a few survive today. It also houses the Civic Museum. Castel Nuovo has come to represent the entire architectural heritage of Naples, and is the prime symbol of Neapolitan architecture.

History lovers will also be enchanted by the Museo Archeologico Nazionale. The museum boasts of sizeable collection of frescoes from Pompeii and Herculaneum as well as Egyptian relics and treasures.These antiques represent the staggering feats of humanity in history and serve well as reminders of the transient nature of life in the long run.

Another notable museum in Naples is the Capodimonte museum, located in the Palazzo Reale di Capodimonte. The museum is home to many spectacular works of art like Caravaggio’s Flagellation of Christ. Caravaggio, an Italian painter had fled to Naples after killing a man in Rome. His paintings are dramatic, minutely detailed and are full of potent emotions. Incidentally, Naples also possesses two more works by Caravaggio. Martyrdom of Saint Ursula is on display at Galleria di Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano and a church, Pio Monte della Misericordia is home to The seven acts of mercy. History in Naples does not only lie in the buildings. It spills out to the streets and is enmeshed in the psyche of the city.

To explore history better, one can take a stroll down Spaccanapoli, a perfectly straight street that has been in existence since the Greek times.  Literally meaning ‘split Naples’, it runs through the heart of the old city, cleaving it in two. The original greek settlement is quite intact, though it assumes a more modern face these days.  It presents the true essence of Naples – vibrant, colourful, noisy and beautiful. The walk is lined with shops, churches, shrines and workshops and bars.

Naples has hundreds of churches. It rivals the capital Rome in terms of the number and the sheer beauty of churches. Many of them have been around for centuries, and have been tended to by the Neapolitans and beautified with art and paintings by renowned artists from all across the country. Sansevero Chapel is located in the historic centre of the city and holds many pieces of art by famous painters and sculptors. ‘The veiled Christ’, placed in the middle of the Sansevero Chapel museum, was sculpted by Giuseppe Sanmartino, an Italian sculptor. It depicts a sleeping Jesus, with a veil drawn over his body. The details in the work are astounding. The lines of the veil look soft enough to touch and the expression on Jesus’ face is supposed to change from suffering to peace, as one advances from his feet to the head. It is a work of stunning creativity and vision and is pure poetry in stone. The chapel museum also holds the two skeletons that have been preserved for years, probably to display the circulation system in the body.

Teatro San Carlo, an opera house is still a favourite of opera lovers all around the world. It is older than Milan’s La Scala and Venice’s La Fenice and is said to have better acoustics than the former. Composers like Bach, Gluck and Hasse have been performed in San Carlo at the zenith of their careers. Famed singers, like Lucrezia Anguiari, and castrati like Caffarelli, Farinelli, and Gizziello have also performed at San Carlo. Constructed in a neo-classical style, the interior of the opera house is a gilded splendour. It hosts a ballet and an orchestral season in addition to opera. Guided tours are available, or better still; an evening at the opera is a perfect way to top off a fabulous vacation in Naples.

The beauty of Naples is not confined to museums and palaces. There is a dreamy beauty about Amalfi coast and it embraces la dolce vita with a delightful zeal. Homer had called it the ‘Land of sirens’ and just like the enticing sirens, Amalfi is seductive and irresistible. Drenched in the sun and blessed with majestic rock facades, Amalfi coast cannot be missed out on a vacation. The coast can be visited on a day trip but a night stop at Monastero Santa Rosa, an exclusive hotel that overlooks the iridescent waves of the Tyrrhenian Sea, is a tempting option. The villages along the coast have now become a holiday destination for the rich and the famous, but in their cobbled lanes and walls overwhelmed with pink bougainvilleas, there is a rustic charm. Nothing can quite compare with the feeling of an evening stroll down the lanes of the Amalfi villages and spending the twilight drinking limoncello, a traditional beverage at one of the cafes the dot the streets.

Located in the Bay of Naples, the island of Capri is an extremely beautiful place. It has been named after the greek word ‘kapros’, which mean ‘wild boar’. In the ancient times, it was rife with a large population of boars, goats and other wildlife and was the vacation hideaway of Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius. Surrounded by deep blue waters and rugged landscape, Capri is exquisite. It is made up of two towns – Capri and Anacapri. One of the prime destinations on the island is the Blue grotto, a sea cave. Sunlight streams into this cave, lighting it up in unearthly shades of blue. Today, the island has morphed into a buzzing hotspot, with designer boutiques that one cannot walk past without peeking into, and traditional little cafes that invite you to put on your shades and sip coffee while watching the thoroughfare. The walking trails, though not frequented by many, are just as enchanting and can give a true taste of what Capri is – an island of dreams.

Mount Vesuvius lies to the east of Naples. It is best known for its eruption in AD 79, which caused the destruction of the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Today, Mount Vesuvius has been declared a national park and is open to visitors. A circular track goes right up to the desolate tip of the mountain. A spectacular view of Naples and Pompeii can be observed from the summit of Vesuvius. The ruins of Pompeii provide incredible insight into the lives of the ancients. The ruins are remarkably well-preserved and if not for the silence that occupies them, one can almost imagine herself back in AD 79, before the soot and lava buried the city and caused the destruction of what once was a teeming port and probably one of the largest cities in those times. The only surviving account of the destruction of the city is found in some letters, which give a compelling and an evocative description of the catastrophe.

Naples lives in the impossible place between history and present and manages it with the grace of a true ingénue. The charm of Naples lies in its flamboyant structures and refreshing natural beauty and of course the food, which will make you lick your fingers and reminisce about it, in the years to come. So ladies, if you’re game for some pizza and pizazz, join us on The Wander Girls tour of Italy!

[Image credits: wikimedia commons]