Naples: Does Anyone Actually Like It?

My wife and I are going on our second cruise in November—11 days in the Mediterranean. For the most part we're interested in just heading into the cities and walking around and seeing the sites, snacking, etc. I've heard a lot of mixed things about Naples and on the boards here it seems like people are using Naples almost exclusively to go to other places like Pompeii, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast. While I've heard they're all amazing places to see, I'm wondering if there's anyone on here who likes Naples itself? What kind of things did you do there? Any cool neighborhoods to walk through? Besides pizza, anything I just have to eat?

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Naples is a very interesting city. Walk through spannacopoli, eat pastries such as sfogetella, cannoli. They have a wonderful museum and then there's the pizza, sigh!

Naples is definitely worth a visit. It's a vibrant city, full of real life as well as history, unlike somewhere like Capri or Ravello. In addition to the fabulous pizza and pastries, the coffee there is said to the best in Italy, because of the local water.

The National Museum is also excellent. My favorite sfogliatelle to be across the street from Napoli Centrale. So many varieties. Pizza is awesome and can be really inexpensive. Other food too. The city is wonderfully insane. I found the coffee anywhere in Naples and south south of Naples to be great. I don't drink coffee in the USA.

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There are a greater number and wider variety of things see and do in Naples, within the city boundaries, than any other cruise stop except perhaps Rome.

Lots of people head to Pompei because it's unique and a place they've heard of all their life.

As for the other frequently mentioned spots, I think there are two things going on there. First, they are beautiful and well known for their beauty. Equally important for cruisers, I think, is museum and history fatigue. Most have either just come from (or will be following with) Rome and/or Florence and yet another day of history and art just doesn't look as attractive as an easy day of a beautiful sea views or aspirational window shopping.

Naples is as well know for seafood as it is for pizza.

There isn't as much famous art in churches in Naples as in Rome but there is great art, including the Capodimonte museum, the Cappella San Severo, and Pio Monte della Misericordia among many others.

There is a wealth of history as well, with excavated ruins at San Lorenzo and Santa Chiara, as well as two underground tours (Sotterranea and Borbonico) and the catacombs at San Gennaro. You can also visit the apartments at the royal palace located just steps from the cruise port. Of course there's also the world famous archaeology museum.

There is an excellent museum at the top of the mountain overlooking the cruise port, the Certosa di San Martino, that mixes art and history with an eclectic collection featuring some phenomenal examples of the famous Naples creches (called precepe in Italian).

And that's just off the top of my head, I'm sure I've left off more than I've included.

There's an old phrase (quoted in Italian above): See Naples and die! I'm not sure everyone gets the meaning, which is that once you have experienced all the wonders of Naples, one might as well die as there is nothing else worth seeing or doing.

Naples isn't to everyone's taste, but if you enjoy big cities with all they have to offer, Naples is certainly interesting. It's also easy to access as the ships dock in a convenient location very close to many sites. (And now with the metro stop opened at the port, even easier to get to other locations, such as the Archaeological Museum.)

Eurocruiser has listed a lot of the top attractions. I'd put the Archaeological Museum at the very top of the list. Follow that up with whatever else you enjoy. Many like to stroll through Spaccanapoli. The street of the precepe makers is fun -- you'll see elaborate creches with everything from Mary and Joseph to ancillary figures like Silvio Berlesconi and President Obama. Who knew they were present at the event? :D

The underground tour (Sotteranea) is also very interesting as it spans the whole of Neopolitan history from the original Greeks (who created the underground tunnels by quarrying stone for the city above) to World War II when they were used as bomb shelters.

Food and coffee (even better espresso than in Rome) are excellent.

If there are any classicists traveling to Naples, the site of Vergil's tomb is easy to reach by local bus, and is very evocative, set in a park and near a Roman-era tunnel through the hillside. More info here: http://www.napoliunplugged.com/treasures-of-napoli-virgils-tomb.html

Thanks for all the feedback! I've seen some great lists online of things to see in Naples, but elsewhere it seems to be getting such a bad rap. I'm glad to see that there are people who actually enjoy this city.

If there are any classicists traveling to Naples, the site of Vergil's tomb is easy to reach by local bus, and is very evocative, set in a park and near a Roman-era tunnel through the hillside. More info here: http://www.napoliunplugged.com/treasures-of-napoli-virgils-tomb.html

Great recommendation here. I'll have to check that out.

Thanks for all the feedback! I've seen some great lists online of things to see in Naples, but elsewhere it seems to be getting such a bad rap. I'm glad to see that there are people who actually enjoy this city.

We really enjoyed our time in Naples. On our first time there we went to Pompeii then came back to Naples for pizza/beer and strolled around a bit. On our second visit we took a taxi to the Museum -- beautiful then we spent the rest of the day strolling around, toured the underground city, churches, shops and neighbourhoods -- absolutely wonderful. Finished up with pizza/beer and gelato. Perfect day in Naples.

DW and I have probably been to Naples (on Port days) more then 40 times. We have also driven in that region on numerous extended driving vacations. While we do not consider that actual city among our favorite places, the port is high on our favorite list because of the many options available on a day visit. It is only in the recent 5 years that DW and I have started spending more time in the city.....and this happened primarily because of Euro Cruiser's posts and advice. The more time we spend walking the streets of Naples, the more we actually like the city. That being said, we still think most cruisers would enjoy the regional options more then the city....at least on their first few visits.

Hank

My wife and I were in Naples last week and we loved it! After a few hours in Capri we decided to check out Naples.

We stumbled upon Via Toledo about 3 blocks beyond the port. The shops and cafes and people were amazing. We highly recommend it and I hope we can return again soon!:)

Last time we visted Naples we went to the royal palace near the docks,it was revalation,we then walked along the sea front for ages,it was on a sunday there was a market and some off the front was closed to traffic,all in all it was a good day vist :):):)

If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and get a great view of the bay of Naples, take the funicular up to Vomero and visit the castle which can be seen high up from the cruise ship dock. Vomero is a pleasant, upmarket suburb of the city.

We went to Napoli Sotteraneo, an underground tour which was fascinating and hilarious as our tour guide was so good. The tour is only about an hour so we then walked around Naples and had lunch. It's great for people watching as so many people take their dogs into shops and even on the back of scooters with them.

Vomero is like a different world from the downtown older section near the port. In Vomero you have lots of upscale shopping, decent restaurants/cafes, etc. We once walked into a pizza place in Vomero (and have no clue exactly where) and had the best pizza we have had in our lives. Was just a typical pizza place (with wood fired ovens) and we noticed that the place was packed with locals (always a good sign) so joined the masses.

Hank

Naples is an excellent port. I was a bit uneasy when I first visited. I went to Pompei on my first stop. Next time I went to Sorrento and drove the Amalfi coast stopping in small towns. It wasn't until my third visit that I walked into Naples. It is a terrific city. Get past the trash on the street near the port area and enjoy Naples. Definitely worth a visit. Pizza, gelato are superb.

Also, lots of interesting museums, palace, and shops. There is also nice shopping in the dock area. I've bought good leather items there. Enjoy!

For those interested in Naples, I highly recommend reading Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels (it's a series of four). I have not read all of them yet, but I can say that at least in the first two books, the city of Naples is almost a character in it's own right and you learn so much about the hard times the people there faced starting shortly after the end of WWII.

At any rate, the story is unusual and it is beautifully written. And it WILL reveal a lot about Naples and a certain toughness of mind it takes to live there.

For those interested in Naples, I highly recommend reading Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels (it's a series of four). I have not read all of them yet, but I can say that at least in the first two books, the city of Naples is almost a character in it's own right and you learn so much about the hard times the people there faced starting shortly after the end of WWII.

 

At any rate, the story is unusual and it is beautifully written. And it WILL reveal a lot about Naples and a certain toughness of mind it takes to live there.

I've read all four of them. Very interesting and very informative about Naples in the decades between the 50s and 70s. I was particularly fascinated by the way they have a totally different dialect, as opposed to 'Italian'

My son lived in Salerno for a year and visited Naples often, he speaks pretty good Italian but admits that the Napoli dialect escapes him.

For those interested in Naples, I highly recommend reading Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels (it's a series of four). I have not read all of them yet, but I can say that at least in the first two books, the city of Naples is almost a character in it's own right and you learn so much about the hard times the people there faced starting shortly after the end of WWII.

 

At any rate, the story is unusual and it is beautifully written. And it WILL reveal a lot about Naples and a certain toughness of mind it takes to live there.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'm currently reading the fascinating Commissario Ricciardi noir mysteries by Maurizio di Giovanni, set in Naples in the early 1930s. The city is very much a character in those books as well--although one hopes that certain elements have changed for the better since the period in which the books are set.

Following this thread! Lots of good info here. We've stopped in Naples on several cruises, but we've never actually stayed in or explored Naples; we've always gone elsewhere - Sorrento, Ravello, Amalfi, Positano, Pompeii, etc. For our sailing next May, we are considering just staying there, so I'm really enjoying all the ideas here. Thanks!

Thanks for the recommendation. I'm currently reading the fascinating Commissario Ricciardi noir mysteries by Maurizio di Giovanni, set in Naples in the early 1930s. The city is very much a character in those books as well--although one hopes that certain elements have changed for the better since the period in which the books are set.

Thanks for the recommendations! I find reading about a place I will visit really helps. We need a permanent thread or sticky for this!

A further idea for Naples is to visit Caserta the amazing castle where they filmed part of the empire strikes back. A short train ride from Naples, and still time for pizza afterwards.

My wife and I are going on our second cruise in November—11 days in the Mediterranean. For the most part we're interested in just heading into the cities and walking around and seeing the sites, snacking, etc. I've heard a lot of mixed things about Naples and on the boards here it seems like people are using Naples almost exclusively to go to other places like Pompeii, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast. While I've heard they're all amazing places to see, I'm wondering if there's anyone on here who likes Naples itself? What kind of things did you do there? Any cool neighborhoods to walk through? Besides pizza, anything I just have to eat?

 

 

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Naples amazing place. This is where you find real Italy and a vivacity that is difficult to be matched. Glorious architecture and the one of the worlds greatest archaeological museums.

See Naples and die!

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Here's another vote for the Archaeological museum in Naples....it is AMAZING and remains one of the high points of our 2nd visit to Italy....the building alone is wonderful and then add the exhibits to that...just a marvelous afternoon spent there. Any visit into town should have this as a priority stop....

Naples amazing place. This is where you find real Italy and a vivacity that is difficult to be matched. Glorious architecture and the one of the worlds greatest archaeological museums.

See Naples and die!

 

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Some actually do "See Naples and Die." It is the most dangerous city (in terms of crime) in Italy and usually listed among the 10 most dangerous cities in Europe. But take this post with a bit of humor (humour for you Brits) as we have spent days walking around Naples...and still have enough fingers to type this post :).

Hank

We love Naples. It's as safe as any large city as long as you keep your wits about you. Here's a link to our post summarising our trips there..

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2352816