In the Naples of Maradona, Vesuvius and Pompeii.

Also available in: Ελληνικά

The Italian south is famous for its madness and disorder. There is perhaps no more representative region to feel this than Italy’s third most populous city, the famed and much-sung-about Naples.

See photos of Naples and useful information on what to do and what to avoid!

• Accommodation in Naples
• Photos from Naples
• Map of Naples

Maybe this is due to Vesuvius(information and photographic material from our visit there) and its “turbulence” historically, maybe the good weather, the sun and the heat, maybe just the intense temperament of the Neapolitans. What is certain is that the chaos in Naples may surprise even the inhabitants of the larger Greek cities who are used to similar situations and attitudes.

But in order not to start the description with whining and some of the bad things about the Italian south I will start with the how and the what and if you want you can go directly to my negative impressions by clicking here.

What to do in Naples?

We went as a family for 4 days. And I think that’s enough to get a good dose of the Italian south and its craziness. So what did we do in those 4 days? The first thing to do is visit the most picturesque and touristy parts of the city. You will find them on the maps and also on google maps with the characteristic brown/beige colour.

Usually these areas are car-free but beware of Vespas once again. If you have children even more so.

So in these districts you will find infinite people, restaurants, shops of all kinds and of course narrow streets with apartment buildings from which you can see the opposite side of the street! The most famous districts for walking in the narrow streets of Naples are the historic centre and the Spanish quarter.

Walks in the historic centre and the Duomo of Naples

It is worth visiting the great cathedral, the Duomo di Napoli in Naples (free entrance), located in what they call the historical centre (Centro Storico), to go to the great but Milan gallery (Galleria Umberto I > map ), near Piazza del Plebiscito and while you are there walk along Naples’ biggest shopping street Via Toledo, something like the Athenian Ermou but much wider and longer with infinite people even on Sundays when the shops were open.

In the Spanish Quarter and the castle with the wonderful view

This area is called the Spanish Quarter > map and is probably the most interesting area of Naples. Apart from what we have mentioned, don’t miss a visit to Castel Sant’Elmo > map in the Bomero district.

You can walk up but it is better to take either the metro or the Via Toledo cable car that will take you to Vomero and from there with a 10 minute walk you will reach the entrance of the castle. With free entrance since we visited it on the first Sunday of the month, good to keep in mind.

Don’t waste time with photos at lower points but climb directly to the top of the castle from which you will have a view of the whole of Naples, and its centre to the north and the coastal Naples that you might not have seen at all until then, and of course the imposing Vesuvius (1,280m) that dominates the Mediterranean landscape with its blue sky and sea!

From the castle, walk down the vertical streets of the Spanish Quarter to enjoy the authentic Naples with its narrow streets and dozens of restaurants and pizzerias. And of course to get another hefty dose of Maradona in the huge graffiti and the block dedicated to him with icons, tributes and other crazy stuff for us non-Napolitans! >map

In coastal Naples, the other side of the bustling city

To relax from the crowds and tourists we suggest a walk along the Naples seaside, you can start from here and go either parallel to the large park to the marina and the picturesque Posillipo area, or on the other side to the seaside castle Castel dell’Ovo(map)

Nearby and opposite Castle Nuovo you will find Gran Caffè Cimmino San Carlo(map), visit it for perfect croissants, sandwiches, coffee of course but also delicious dishes. Return either to piazza del Plebiscito or Piazza Municipio which has a metro station.

In underground Naples, Napoli Sotteranea

Finishing with the activities in the city of Naples, we would highly recommend you is the visit to the underground Naples! Yes there is such a thing and it has a huge network of roads, tunnels, cisterns and caves. There are three different proposals or companies that organize your descent about 40 meters below Naples! Exact location input on the map below

What didn’t we like about Naples after all?

But let me be a little more specific. The first thing that struck us in Naples when we got off the bus that took us to the city centre from the airport was the stench in the streets and public spaces.

We walked about 10 minutes from the train station to the apartment we had rented and honestly Athens has never been dirtier than it was there. This is true for all streets but you will get used to it after 2-3 days or so.

Streets, pavements and suitcases

Another thing that struck us is the condition of the streets and sidewalks. And here too, I think Naples easily beats Athens or Thessaloniki in terms of danger and difficulty in walking or carrying luggage. Infinite potholes, narrow pavements that are most of the time occupied by Vespas, cars or small vendors. If you have to walk a lot and especially with a four-wheeled suitcase, you’d better take a taxi (I’m not mentioning a bus, you’ll understand later).

For the pavements and roads they use black slabs, perhaps of volcanic material left over in the area due to Vesuvius, with large gaps between them, making it extremely difficult to walk with large suitcases.

Are the drivers crazy?

The first thing you will notice in Naples that you have to be very careful about is how dangerous it is to drive both cars and especially motorbikes.

Traffic lights are often flamboyantly ignored by drivers and pedestrians have no priority at crossings and road crossings (well this is no different from Greece). Especially if you are coming from a European country it would be good to be very careful.

What’s even crazier is that motorbikes and Vespas have a free pass even in highly touristy areas with narrow streets and crowds that make it difficult even to walk.

And yet, the Neapolitans are so familiar with this mess that they will honk at you to pass at high speed, making incredible maneuvers among unsuspecting tourists with strollers and children in their arms! Apparently the orthopaedic doctors at the Naples hospital will be working overtime because of this situation.

Getting around Naples

Metro and more metro. That’s because three times we tried to take the bus we bitterly regretted it.

• The first time it was typically late and when it arrived it was so crowded that even some locals stayed outside,
• the second time we waited for half an hour and it never came so we had to take a taxi for a 2 km route that cost us 15 euros without a meter (we didn’t walk it because it was evening, we had our 7 year old daughter and we were all tired because we had been walking all day!), while the
• The 3rd time, again in the evening, we decided not to take a taxi, we waited 45 minutes for it to come and as a result we were crowded together with several passengers who had to take a bus as the metro stopped its operation from 10 o’clock in the evening due to a malfunction…

Would I go back to Naples?

Despite all the grumbling, however, we would have gone back to Naples. But why? Am I crazy? Well, in Naples, chaos may reign and you can indulge in almost anything you want to do, but the city has its character. It hasn’t been altered by tourism and what you see is authentic most of the time.

Personally, it made me imagine that this is how it would have been in the 80s when the football legend of Diego Maradona and not only was the city and its stadium. Speaking of Maradona, surely from your first day in Naples you will understand how important he was and still is to the people of the city.

Maradona is alive!

Maradona is everywhere in the city, on graffiti on the walls, hanging from balconies with every household’s laundry, on posters on the walls, on key chains and badges, on socks in the various tourist shops. On plastic dolls that decorate pizzeria entrances and on flannels of all kinds.

And of course in photos and frames if during his lifetime he happened to stop by to buy or eat in a shop or restaurant! Generally you will find him everywhere. Diego has literally been canonized by the Neapolitans and has become an integral part of Naples’ modern history.

Accommodation in Naples

Find the area you want on the map or open this link on booking.com which will take you directly to historic Naples and the special narrow streets of the old town.

Photos from Naples in the Italian south

Map of Naples, Vesuvius and Pompeii

Βεζούβιος, φωτογραφίες και άρθρο

Sentiero del Grande Cono, Ercolano, Napoli, Campania, 80040, Italy

Πομπηία, φωτογραφίες και χρήσιμες πληροφορίες

Pompei, Napoli, Campania, 80045, Italy

Για ωραία θαλασσινά

Vico Portosalvo, Torre del Greco, Napoli, Campania, 80056, Italy

Για τέλεια θέα στη Νάπολη και τον Βεζούβιο.
Largo San Martino, Vomero, Municipalità 2, Naples, Napoli, Campania, 80135, Italy

Υπόγεια Νάπολη, δείτε το άρθρο

Antica Trattoria da Carmine, 330, Via dei Tribunali, San Lorenzo, Municipalità 4, Naples, Napoli, Campania, 80138, Italy

Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi, Rione Vasto, Municipalità 4, Naples, Napoli, Campania, 80142, Italy

Naples, Napoli, Campania, Italy

Via Luculliana, Pizzofalcone, Municipalità 1, Naples, Napoli, Campania, 80132, Italy

The Duomo House by House In Naples, 133, Via Duomo, San Lorenzo, Municipalità 4, Naples, Napoli, Campania, 80138, Italy