La bella Napoli

[bixaorellana]

Or perhaps the report title should be Naples, the much maligned. Many, perhaps most people who have visited there love it, whereas it appears that those wanting a more sanitized version of Italy often reject it without ever seeing it. The word I kept reading was "gritty", which I think is one of those lockstep things people say in lieu of investigating for themselves. While I don't doubt Naples, one of the top three largest cities in Italy, has its darker side, as a tourist I never saw any such thing, nor the "chaos" which is also often cited. Yes, it is a crowded city, but when I was there in late May and early June of this year it seemed mostly crowded with its own inhabitants, in contrast to other big cities I visited where there were hordes of tourists. The main thing was that I enjoyed it very much and would revisit like a shot, as so much remains to be seen. This report will cover what I saw and did, minus churches and Pompeii, which will be separate reports.

Naples has been inhabited since the Neolithic period, with Greek settlements established in the area by the second millennium BC. It was greatly respected by the Romans as a paragon of Hellenistic culture.
There were three tumultuous centuries after the fall of Rome, but Naples gained complete independence by the early ninth century. In 1137 Naples, the last independent duchy in the southern part of the peninsula, came under Norman control, thus joining the Kingdom of Sicily.
Spain won Naples from the French in 1503 and it became part of the Spanish Empire until 1714. Throughout the 1700s Naples got tossed back and forth between the rule of the kings of Naples and of the Bonapartists.
In 1861 Naples joined the Kingdom of Italy as part of the Italian unification, ending the era of Bourbon rule. The economy of the area declined, leading to an unprecedented wave of emigration,with an estimated 4 million people emigrating from the Naples area between 1876 and 1913.
The above information was completely cribbed from the Wikipedia entry, which you can consult to see up to modern times.

I arrived in Naples from Bologna on May 29, parked my possessions in my charming apartment, and went out to explore, drawn by the proximity of the Pignasecca market ~





Wandering a little further, I come upon a sleek contrast to the traditional market ~





It is a busy city!





So far I've managed not to get lost and am retracing my steps back to the apartment ~







Rounding the corner onto my street ~



And here is the door to my palazzo ~

[bixaorellana]

Continuing on to the end of the block, I come to Via Toledo. As it proceeds south toward the water, it turns into a sleek shopping district, landscaped and with well known store names.
But at this end, it is more "downtown", with a little of everything.

Via Toledo, with part of Piazza Dante visible on the left ~



Piazza Dante, with Dante's statue on the left and Dante Metro station in the foreground. We'll return here later and go through the Port'Alba to the pedestrian street beyond.



Across the street from Piazza Dante is pretty interesting as well ~









I meander off into some of the little winding streets, whereupon things immediately began to seem foreign ~









See -- kings from the East!



It indeed seems that this area is quite the melting pot ~

[bjd]

Looking forward to more! I like that you wander away from "monuments" and big streets to the small ordinary ones. I suppose too that those same streets are the ones never seen by tourists looking for a more sanitized, Hollywood-style Italy.

I really like the posters of historical figures with added humourous touches.

[lagatta]

I loved the wee balcony with the washing pegs and flowers. Bet they manage to get a suprising amount of laundry dry in that tiny space. When it is hot and dry, it is as fast as a machine dryer.

That would make a great poster.

Did you have an espresso - or a caffè freddo - at Mexico bar?

[kerouac2]

Even though I have only seen Naples once from a bus in 1973 going from the S.S. Michelangelo to Pompeii, I knew it was a fascinating city and hope I get to really see it some day.

Your photographs are wonderful, especially since I did not spot a single tourist in them.

[fumobici]

Hmmm. I was wanting to go, but this just confirms that. I'll be back in Italy in a few months, maybe it's time I finally gave Naples its due.

[bixaorellana]

I can't thank you all enough for the generous responses! They are especially gratifying in light of what I was thinking as I posted the pictures, namely, "Gosh, after my impassioned apologia for the beauty of Naples, some of this does look kinda grubby."

Bjd, I do love to wander and my propensity for getting lost means I'm sometimes wandering whether I want to or not.
Those posters were all over and I definitely kept my eye out for them.

LaGatta, I did have a coffee in that particular Mexico cafe (it's a chain), but it was a rather cold experience. All of the countermen were exceptionally tall -- well over 6' -- and not a one of them ever made eye contact with the customers, nor communicated with more than a grunt.

Thanks, Kerouac. As you know, I was hoping you'd figure out a way to see parts of both Naples and Rome. As for tourists, you may spot some later in the thread, although Naples is definitely not overrun with them.

Fumobici, I would love to see your take on Naples, especially since you always ferret out the unexpected in the places you visit in Italy.

Huckle, thank you so much! I don't know how much walking you are comfortable doing at a stretch, but there are parts of Naples that are great for slow strolling. I'll be showing one such very shortly. It is an area that attracts tourists, students, and people wanting to hang out in cafes, and it is flat and free of traffic.
In some ways Naples is like Palermo -- that southern Italian feeling, a great contrast to Bologna where I had been immediately prior to Naples -- but Naples feels more invested in efficiency and infrastructure than Palermo did.

Here are a few more pictures from the Via Toledo/PIazza Dante area ~

Retracing my steps out of the small neighborhood, I stop to see who died. Signs like this can help in learning basic words and phrases ~



Another sign, one which gave me great respect for the Neapolitans ~



Across the street from Piazza Dante ~



This kiosk sports one of the few words I retain from my sporadic forays into Duolingo ~



The great man himself ~

[bixaorellana]

You cross Piazza Dante in order to go through the Port'Alba and on into the area known as Spaccanapoli, three long streets established during the time of the Greeks which divide the city in half. I'm surprised to find I have only one photo of the part closest to Piazza Dante, but I suppose that's because I was always so happily distracted whenever I passed there. The Port'Alba is a huge arch, with used book stands, candy vendors, and tables of second-hand items crowded in its shadow. Proceeding in, you're surrounded by students and pass hole-in-the-wall pizzerias, outdoor cafes, vendors, monumental churches, and other people taking it all in.

I later explored this leafy street, full of music stores and leather artisans but today I'm on a presepi quest ~



This is what you do when you have a bunch of bread dough & your pizza parlor is cheek by jowl with the street of nativity scenes ~



I meant to visit underground Naples, but now it will be a reason to return ~



Piazza San Gaetano ~







This is how you look and feel when you survive the plague ~



Closing in on my presepi goal, I encounter a souvenir stand celebrating a Neapolitan icon ~



The first creche scene figures I saw were fairly primitive compared with the wonders further in ~





Ahh, this is more like it ~

[bixaorellana]

I am always enthralled by the Mexican Bethlehem scene figures, which completely imagine that part of the world as rural Mexico with a little Africa thrown in.
These Neapolitan figures are also the charming projections of an idealized time and place onto that distant event. They are absolutely wonderful ~







Look how much pizza margherita was prized back in the Holy Land ~



Perhaps you'd prefer to make the bodies and clothing for the figures in your Bethlehem scene ~





As soon as Baby Jesus has teeth, he can enjoy some delicious taralli ~





Pulchinella was much in evidence along this street, ~

[bixaorellana]

Not only are there all the figurines to goggle at, every nook and corner invites a peek ~





Historical and contemporary figures can now join the denizens of Bethlehem ~





Believe it or not, I instantly knew what this was. My father, brother & I bought a creche made from it on a cold day in the Plaza del Sol in Madrid over sixty years ago ~





I remain dubious about some Neapolitan street treats ~





San Gennaro by Jorit Agoch ~

[lagatta]

Indeed, Sophia is as Neopolitan as Anna Magnani is Roman!

[bjd]

So were you shopping for a second suitcase for the little figurines you bought?

Naples definitely looks like a city worth visiting. I was there during the Jurassic Age, staying at a youth hostel which closed its doors until 5pm every afternoon, so we had to wander around. I remember a street market where there was a basin full of live eels. And my friend's sandal got wrecked and a shoemaker repaired it for free.

[lugg]

Great introduction to Naples Bixa and as Huckles said - made me laugh too. I am not so sure yet if I will be rushing there but remain open minded. Couple of questions ....Is the bark - cork ? What was that street food ?

[lagatta]

I wonder how they found tomatoes and red peppers 2000 years ago. Did some enterprising Mexican cross the ocean? Ancient Neapolitans and Palestinians would certainly have eaten flatbread, but...

Totò is also a famous Neapolitan icon. it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tot%C3%B2 However his fame remained mostly restricted to Italy and places with significant Italian communities. Like Loren, he was "illegitimate" and life was hard, but life was hard then for most Neapolitans.

As for that street food, it is just the common practice of refrying leftover pasta in a pan. VERY oily. I certainly wouldn't pay for it. However, I do suppose that Bixa had good pizza somewhere.

[bjd]

And to answer Lugg's other question -- yes, that is bark from cork oaks.

[kerouac2]

Loving the street scenes more and more. So much better than monuments and churches! (even if those should never be neglected either)

[kerouac2]

Jul 14, 2019 10:23:24 GMT lagatta said:

I wonder how they found tomatoes and red peppers 2000 years ago. Did some enterprising Mexican cross the ocean? Ancient Neapolitans and Palestinians would certainly have eaten flatbread, but... 

The Provençal santons are not meant to be historically accurate either, nor should they be.  People want to see items they recognize from their daily lives.  I don't think they would sell very many figurines if they were depicted with the filth and rags and open sores or 2000 years ago.

[bixaorellana]

Jul 14, 2019 5:59:22 GMT bjd said:

So were you shopping for a second suitcase for the little figurines you bought?

Ha, Bjd! I am very resistant to collecting little things, in fact got rid of a huge store of darling bits and pieces when I moved to town a few years ago. I always hover over and admire the Mexican Christmas figurines, but only own two -- a little woman background figure and a red devil just because he's such a Mexican classic.

Jul 14, 2019 8:32:09 GMT lugg said:

Couple of questions ....Is the bark - cork ? What was that street food ?

I see others answered those questions, Lugg, but yes cork & gods preserve us, fried spaghetti. There were so many things I could/should have taken pictures of, but didn't. Naples is a feast for the eyes and senses, so often I was just goggling &/or enjoying everything. Later at home I'd realize that an image was imprinted on my brain, but did not in fact exist in the camera's memory card.
re: food ~ There was a stand in the market quite close to where I stayed which displayed all its deep fat fried offerings in a glass case at eye level. There were such things as stuffed squash flowers, slices of eggplant, battered potatoes, and those rice balls beloved in southern Italy. It was cheap, greasy and delicious. Well, except for the rice balls, which I'll never learn to love. Nearby was a place selling fried seafood -- an enormous paper cone filled with fish, squid and other goodies. It was far too much to eat at one time, but the fact that it was so fresh & came with a beer, all for 6€, made it impossible to resist.

Jul 14, 2019 10:23:24 GMT lagatta said:

I do suppose that Bixa had good pizza somewhere.

LaGatta, the truth is that I've never cared for pizza except as an occasional guilty meal substitute. Absolutely everyone urged me to have pizza in Naples, so I finally did. It was on a stretch of the Spaccanapoli which had quite a number of storefront pizza places catering to students. I got in line at the place with the most customers & got a square of margherita. What a revelation! Non-gummy, delicious bread, a fluffy light, non-acidic sauce, & that hint of basil -- totally different from what I'd always considered pizza to be.

Jul 14, 2019 13:14:09 GMT kerouac2 said:

Loving the street scenes more and more. So much better than monuments and churches!

Thank you, but I will expect praise when I finally make the Neapolitan church thread.

Jul 14, 2019 13:18:17 GMT kerouac2 said:

The Provençal santons are not meant to be historically accurate either, nor should they be.  People want to see items they recognize from their daily lives.

That's an excellent point. Because of reproductions in books and Christmas cards, probably everyones idea of the time of Jesus is Tuscany during the Renaissance. I think it was the movie Last Temptation of Christ that showed the area as the ancient middle east, with women ululating and suchlike -- so alien compared to overly robed Italian beauties with soft hills in the background.

Speaking of streets and things which seem alien, let's move on to a business I stumbled upon as I explored the quiet, almost empty streets off the main drag of the Spaccanapoli.
Alas, it was closed for the midday period, but there is a website ~















Further along, the wonderful weirdness persists ~





This is the Piazza Sisto Riario Sforza, quite near the cathedral ~



At this point I entered and had a good look around the cathedral, but will show those pictures in a different report.
Once back out on the street, I encountered more saints, secular and otherwise ~

[lagatta]

K2, perhaps I should use more smileys? I thought it was obvious that I was being a bit facetious about my imaginary Mexican carrying luscious red produce to the Old World.

[bixaorellana]

I will power on here with a short post in order to make some future posts come out the right length -- not too short, nor too long. This is the time honored Goldilocks method.

These are pictures taken just inside the entrance to the Toledo metro station, which serves Line 1. Keen internet browsers might be familiar with Toledo station, which has won awards for its beauty. Further down in this station are astounding works in mosaic, which I did want to see, but not right at that moment. Had I known then what I know now, I would have just taken the metro then and gotten off along the way to take pictures. I say that because most of that day was spent sheltering from the rain. Oh well, something else to look forward to when I go back.

[bixaorellana]

I have no photos of Via Toledo, but all of you have seen long modern shopping streets. It begins up by Piazza Dante and runs all the way down to the Royal Palace, with much of the length pedestrianized. This is a good thing, as the street seemed busy all the time -- not surprising, considering the number of hot snack shops, ice cream stores, and cafes interspersed in with the regular stores. Take a few steps off the boulevard and you are in the Spanish Quarter with its tight narrow streets, often romantically touted as the true Naples.

Via Toledo hosts the Galleria Umberto I, a late 19th extravaganza that doesn't seem all that popular for shopping nowadays ~













Incidentally, while looking up stuff for this thread I came across an airbnb apartment offered right in the Galleria, so I guess there are apartments upstairs.









This is indicative of how the Galleria is not exactly thriving as a shopping center ~

[bixaorellana]

Out the back entrance of the Galleria and onward to the Norman era Castel Nuovo, which I'm hoping to at least peek at before the heavens open ~























Don't let the bright sky here fool you. Immediately after exiting the castle grounds I had to make a three-point run for it, first sheltering in a coffee house,
then in the entrance to the Galleria, and finally under a store awning until I broke down & bought a poncho from a street vendor so I could slosh on home.



~ There is more of Naples to come, including a repeat visit to the castle. ~

[kerouac2]

Both Naples and Milan boast a magnificent shopping gallery. While Paris has some very nice passages, there is nothing on this scale. The only comparable place in France is in Nantes. I don't understand why such places have lost their popularity except for the obvious -- they are not outfitted for modern commerce, and when they are gutted for a total renovation, the proprietors ask for too much rent. However, I see that they did not scare off Sephora. The floor mosaics are in excellent condition, although they may have been carefully restored. Usually there is some idiot with an ultra heavy cart who manages to crack such things.

At least for the outer area, the Castel Nuovo looks like it should be in the United Kingdom!

[bixaorellana]

If you start at Piazza Dante and proceed down Via Toledo, you will have already passed through almost a kilometer of densely packed good shopping before reaching the Galleria. Even if you arrived at Via Toledo by metro, you'd pass through a heavy gauntlet of shopping opportunities before getting to the Galleria. Beautiful as it is, it has the feeling of any number of failed modern malls.

Jul 15, 2019 6:54:02 GMT kerouac2 said:

the Castel Nuovo looks like it should be in the United Kingdom!

Tsk. A good Frenchman should be able to spot a French stronghold! italianangevins2013.wordpress.com/who-where-were-the-italian-angevins/

A little more history: The archives referenced in the link above were destroyed by the Nazis: ultimatehistoryproject.com/disturbing-history-charles-of-anjou-and-the-nazis.html

The destruction was in retaliation for the Naples uprising against German occupation: ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=308

[bixaorellana]

Now for some pictures from a nice dry day of sightseeing, again starting on the Spaccanapoli.

This is Piazza San Domenico Maggiore ~











Moving along, I would very much like to know what this tower is ~



Here we are at Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, with its mid-18th century Guglia [spire] dell'Immacolata. The building with the distinctive masonry is the church of Gesù Nuovo.
It was a 15th century palace converted into a church in the late 16th century. I came across this bit of esoterica which should appeal to fans of The Pillars of the Earth ~



Gesù Nuovo will be heavily featured in my report on the churches of Naples, but for now we are moving in the direction of the bay, back to the fort ~







As in Palermo, in Naples one should keep an eye out for faded glory. I believe this was in use as a driveway ~

[kerouac2]

There is so much variety. I am somewhat fascinated by what possessed them to make the bumpy front of that church. It looks like so much effort for a less than fantastic result (not everybody has to agree).

[lugg]

Well Naples is definitely growing on me. So much to see and do. you are bringing it alive Bixa with your text and explanations and as ever wonderful photos. PS I am a heathen so fried spaghetti sounds appealing ....at least to try a mouthful. The cone of fish with a beer sounds good value too.

I did wonder who the cursed pigs were ?

[bixaorellana]

Kerouac, apparently that facade was quite the thing back in 15th century Naples and that building is one of the few remaining examples. I couldn't help but wonder if it wouldn't benefit from a good scrubbing to make it lighter & brighter. It would probably still seem forbidding, which might have been the point in its original incarnation.

Thank you so much, Lugg! LaGatta or Fumobici will have to help us out with the pig reference. I know it's cursing, but I think it's one of those things like the Mexican use of madre in phrases that are considered vulgar here but mean almost nothing in English.
Yeah, I'd try the fried spaghetti if someone set it in front of me. I guess it makes as much sense as any kind of baked pasta.

This was the day I got back to Castel Nuovo/Maschio Angioino. Lots more history here ~





One of the great pleasures of being inside the castle are the wonderful views as you climb to each level. Yes, that's the big bad volcano, also shown along with the castle here ~



I wandered through the place, mostly not knowing what I was looking at ~





Yes, that's a glass floor and no, I don't know what's under it. I got to that vantage point from the door on the left, then freaked and slinked back to terra firma ~











Parthenopean Republic

[bixaorellana]

At this point I came to one of the floors that has been turned into a gallery, in this case for religious objects from decommissioned churches.
Those photos are slated for the church thread, but here is one to show how nicely a modern gallery space fits into the old castle ~











Another floor which is a gallery for 19th and 20th century art. There is quite a lot of this from one sculptor & also "from the school of" ~







I quite liked some of the paintings ~






Heading back down to the courtyard ~



And emerging into the 21st century again ~

[bjd]

Nice shot of the stairway to heaven!

I also like many of the portraits in the last group of photos. And it's rather strange to see all those smiling sculptures -- they usually seem serious or just with a little smirk.