Naples, Italy

Tues. & Wed. Apr. 12 & 13, 2011  64 degrees                      8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

We left the Greek Islands and the Aegean Sea behind us and re-entered the Mediterranean Sea.  We’re heading for the Straits of Messina which separates the island of Sicily from the Italian mainland. 

Naples stands at the edge of a fertile plain extending to the foot of Mount Vesuvius.  Naples is Italy’s second largest port and one of the major industrial ports in the Mediterranean, handling various goods and materials.  Mount Vesuvius is of course famous for its eruption in 79 AD burying Pompeii in ash and destroying several other towns in the vicinity. Corinth is an ancient city about 48 miles west of Athens on a narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnese to the mainland of Greece.  It played a major role in the missionary work of the Apostle Paul.  Temple of Apollo constructed in 550 BC at the height of the city’s wealth.  A canal through the isthmus of Corinth was begun under the Emperor Nero in 67 AD but the canal was not completed.  In 1822 Corinth returned to Greece hands and in 1893 a 4 mile Corinth canal was finally completed providing an essential shipping route between the Ionian and Aegean seas.

Castle Nuovo



Palazzo Reale




Palace



Galleria Umberto

The relaxed pace of Naples life contrasts with its size and industry.  The pier is one of the world’s most lavish – the egg-shaped terminal is marble.  Moist Mediterranean air and the seductively charming residents complete the exotic atmosphere.

The description “blue” does not do the Tyrrhenian Sea justice, and it is not only the modern world that has recognized southern Italy’s beauty – Julius Caesar, Marc Antony and Cleopatra were notable fans.  Hidden treasure – riches that were once carried to and from the shores – is thought to be scattered across the sandy Bay of Naples seabed.

We did our own walking tour of Naples.  It began at the Castel Nuovo known to locals as Maschio Angioino.  At the arch’s top the Archangel Gabriel slays a demon.  We passed by the Triumphal Arch on our way to Palazzo Reale.  This huge palace dates from the early 1600’s.  It is adorned with Greek, Roman, Gothic, Byzantine, Norman, Spanish, Bourbon, and Italian statues.  The Piazza del Plebiscito (large square) next to the Palazzo Reale was clearly inspired by the colonnades of St. Peter’s in Rome.   The Teatro San Carlo was built in 1737, 40 years earlier than Milan’s La Scala.  Across the street towers the imposing entrance to the glass-roof neoclassical Galleria Umberto, a late 19^th Century shopping arcade.  We found our way to the Via Toledo one of the busiest commercial arteries which has been closed to through traffic alon the stretch leading from the Palazzo Reale.  Walked all the way along, past Spaccanapoli to the Archiological Museum.



Duomo San Gennaro (Cathedral of Naples)




Trattoria for authentic pizza

On the second day we walked to the Duomo di San Gennaro:   The early 14^th C Duomo lies behind a mostly 19^th C façade.  San Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples, was martyred in AD305.  His tomb is in the Cappella Carafa, built in 1506, and his relics are kept in the new adjacent museum.  Inside the cathedral, 110 ancient columns salvaged from pagan buildings are set into the piers that support the 350 year old wooden ceiling.  Off the left aisle you step down into the 4^th century church of Santa Restituta which was incorporated into the cathedral.   A very few old mosaics remain in the Battistero (Baptistery).  On the right aisle of the cathedral in theCappella di San Gennaro are multicolour marbles and frescoes honoring Saint Januarius, miracle-working patron saint of Naples, whose altar and relics are encased in silver. 

The Museo del Tesoro di San Gennaro houses a rich collection of treasures associated with the saint.  Paintings by Solimena and Luca Giordano hang alongside statues, busts, candelabras and tabernacles gold, silver and marble by  Cosimo Fanzago and other 18^th C baroque masters. We walked along the Corso Umberto I and saw many elegant old buildings. We stopped at a trattoria on the way back to the ship and had an authentic Italian pizza.