Arriving in Naples
The Tandem Spirits spent a fast and fun weekend in Naples last week. Our company’s social club, (Umbra CRAL) organized the two day excursion. We left early Saturday morning and arrived in Naples around noon. This gave us a chance to walk around a bit before having lunch. We had lunch at FRESCO where we enjoyed a number of delicious seafood dishes.
After lunch we were able to check-in to our hotel, Starhotel Terminus. We were very happy with our room.It was spacious, clean, comfortable and quiet, even though it is on a busy street across from the metro and train station.
Starhotels Hotel Terminus, hotel Naples near Piazza Garibaldi
At the hotel we had some time to relax, then it was time to prepare for the evening festivities. We took the metro to the Real Teatro di San Carlo to see Bizet’s Opera, Carmen. The theater was built in 1737 for Charles III of Spain.
A Night at the Opera - Bizet's Carmen
Although we were familiar with the mucic, we had not seen this Opera before. We enjoyed the performance immensely. We were not allowed to take pictures of the performance, but here is an official clip from RAI, the Italian television network and from the theater.
A Wonderful Tour of Naples
On Sunday we had a guided group tour of the city. Our first stop was the Capella Sansevero to see Giuseppe Sanmaratino’s Cristo Velato (veiled Christ). We had been here on our last trip to Naples and wondered why we didn’t have any Photos. The answer, taking pictures is not permitted. Mystery solved. The sculptre is truly amazing, Christ is laid out on a bed covered by a veil that is very detailed, yet seems transparant. The sculputure of the artist’s father is also an impressive work, also one piece of marble, but instead of a veil, he is surrounded by a net.
4 Churches
Naples has 500 historic churches. We visited four. Church #1 was the Gothic church, San Dominico Maggiore. The original church, San Michele Archangelo, was built in 1116, and has undergone numerous restorations over the centuries, the latest of which was competed in 1853. This church had some beautiful frescoes in the Capella Brancaccio by the Roman artist Pietro Cavallini that were similar in style to Giotto’s frescoes in Assisi and Padova. The obelisk in the piazza outside the church has a statue of San Domenico.
Church #2 was the very baroque Chiesa di San Gregorio Armeno e Santa Patricia which was completed in 1687. Santa Patrica is one of Naplee’s patron saints.
Church #3 was the Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo, also baroque. During the bombing of Naples in WWII, a bomb fell through the roof and miraculously did not explode. A fragment of that bomb is displayed in the church and some of it was also used to make a statue of St. Giuseppe Moscati, who had been a doctor in Naples. Many people come here to pray to him for those who are sick. The obelisk of the Immaculate Virgin is in the piazza outside the church.
Church #4 was Santa Chiara, which was completely destroyed during the Allied Bombing during WWII.
Navigating the Narrow, Crowded Streets
It is quite an experiecne to walk along Naples’ narrow, crowded streets. One of the most famous and most crowded is the Via di San Gregorio Armeno, which is sometimes refereed to as Via dei Presepi because this street is full of arteginal shops that design, create and sell figurines and other elements requied to put together a Nativity (Presepio).
On Via di Tribunale we stopped in front of Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio. It was erected in 1616 as a place to bury those who were poor, homeless or who had no family to bury them. The underground contains the bones of hundreds of anonomous human remains. It was built to remind people to pray for the souls in Purgatory to expedite their arrival in Heaven. It is believed that the grateful souls can provide assistance to those who have prayed for them and they come to you in your dreams to provide this assistance.
Just a few steps from the chruch on Vico del Fico al Purgatoria you come across the Bust of Pulcinella, a character from 17th century Neopolitan theater and puppetry. Rubbing his nose is supposed to bring good luck.
After our tour it was time for lunch. Of course we had pizza! The whole group met at a restaurant called Medina.
Some Free Time
After lunch we had a couple of hours of free time. We went to the stunning Galleria Umberto l and had an espresso at Bar Brasiliano. Our tour guide had told us that they made the best espresso in Naples. Honey, that was great coffee! We poked around various side streets and neighborhoods to walk off our lunch.
A Long Drive Home, but Worth It!!!
It was finally time to get back on the busses for the long drive back to Foligno. With Sunday being the end of a long holiday weekend, traffic was pretty backed up between Naples and Rome. (Friday Nov. 1st, All Saints Day, is a national holiday in Italy). We left at 4 pm and arrived home at 10:30 pm. This included a 30 minute stop at an Autogrill for a bathroom and snack break.
This short trip was a fun tease. We will have to return to Naples to revisit some places we traipsed through and to check out some places we didn’t have time to see.
Here are a few more pictures that show the kaleidoscope that is the City of Naples!
