Naples in Italy (known as Napoli in Italian) is the capital of the Campania region, the third most populated city and is a popular destination for travellers. It’s rich and diverse heritage and history has meant that the centre of Naples has been awarded the coveted UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
Blessed with glorious weather and climate, Naples is a lively and cosmopolitan city that has much to offer tourists by way of entertainment, things to do and places of interest to visit.
It is fairly straightforward to travel to as the nearest airport is
Naples Airport (also known as Capodichino Airport) and it is situated about 4 miles northeast of Naples itself. Public transport runs frequently and is reasonably easy to navigate. The easiest option from the airport would be to organise
car hire Naples as there’s nothing quite like having your own vehicle to give you the freedom to get around at your own pace and leisure.
Naples is a city of extremes really, where often all is not what is seems. A street that is dirty and unkempt can morph into a beautiful boulevard lined with glorious shrubbery and flowers. A building that appears to be in disrepair and crumbling away can be hiding some wonderful and ornate ballroom within its walls. To travel to Naples is to travel with an open mind and look further than what the eyes first appear to see.
You will find many open city squares (called a piazza) in Naples, the most central one being the Piazza del Plebiscito, which is the site of two of the most admirable monuments in the city: the Royal Palace of Naples and the Church of San Francesco di Paola. In the palace, you can you look around the restored rooms and royal apartments as well as visiting the roof garden where you can have a good view of the bay.
Another place of great interest is the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, which has one of the world’s richest collections of antiquities from Greek and Roman times, which includes sculptures, precious gems, glass, silver and beautiful mosaics.
The Duomo is certainly a sight which should not be missed if possible. It is a 13th century Gothic cathedral, widely known as the Cattedrale di San Gennaro, to honour Saint Januarius. Inside the cathedral, there is the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro which has beautiful Baroque frescoes and other various artworks, but the most intriguing fact is that it holds the saint’s relics which include two vials of coagulated blood.
One of Italy’s most famous foods and certainly a very popular choice of meal in many countries is pizza. Pizza originated in Naples and if you want to try the best pizza you have ever had it would certainly be prudent to try one in Naples. The best pizzas are cooked in a wood-burning oven so try to find an establishment that uses one of these. Seafood is also very popular and good here, most restaurants will have it on their menu.