Travel Logs

This song by Mario Abbate was realeased in 1969. Mario Abbate is one of a long line of singers who follow in the tradition of a long line of artists who perform “Canzone Napoletana”, songs sung in the Neopolitan language typically by a male singer. In 1830 at the Festival of Piedigrotta an annual song writing competition was held in the Mergellina district of Naples. This festival was instrumental in bringing forward singers and songwriters. Since that time there have been numerous classics written. Many of these have travelled round the world mainly through the emigration of people from the Naples region around the turn of the 20th century.

Naples is Italy’s third largest city and often gets overlooked by its larger cousins Milan and Rome. Hindered negative press tourists have tended to look elsewhere when choosing an Italian destination. However the city has so much to offer and because its not been as popular as its northern counterparts it just feels that bit more authentically Italian or should we say Neopolitan.

This city is full of history, which you sense as you walk down its narrow cobbled streets and sits in its many bars, restaurants and pizzerias. With Vesuvius to the east, the port of Pozzuoli to the west and the islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida not far away in Naples Bay. Right in the centre of Naples you will find the Chiostri di Santa Chiara. The construction on this site began in 1310 when two convents were built, one for men and one for women. Around 1740 major modifications were made and this is basis of what we see today. Sadly in August 1943, almost the entire building was destroyed by Allied bombing. It took 10 years to reconstruct the buildings. There is a museum where arifacts that survived the bombing on on display including a traditional shepherd based nativity scene from around the end of the 18th century. This is the place to head towards the end of the day to unwind from the hussle and bussle of the city.

Most of the churches that we visit on travellogs, have a long and ancient history. The Basilica di San Francesco in Naples is relatively new and was not in fact built as a church. The square in front and the building itself were planned by Napolean’s brother-in-law as a tribute to the Emperor. Napoleon was defeated and the Bourbon royal family were restored. King Ferdinand continued the construction and had it converted to a church devoted to Saint Francis of Paola, who once stayed in a monastry on this site.

The dome is 53 metres high and overall the church would appear to take its design and styling cues from the Pantheon in Rome. The interior is fascinating as its contains a number of statues and arteifacts some of which are from around the period of its construction, but other older ones transfered from other churches including many from the renaissance.

When we visited Milan here on travellogs last year, we didnt have space to mention the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Something that we will redress at a future date. Naples has its own version called the Galleria Umberto I. Built between 1887 and 1891, it was part of the rebuilding of Naples programme called “risanamento” or “making healthy again”. The Galleria gets its name from Umberto 1 who was the King of Italy at the time of construction. The building is part of the listing of the Historic Centre of Naples as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We don’t normally recommend that you head below ground to travel on the metro or underground. However in Naples the Linea Uno has a collection of over 180 one-off commissions by international artists. For example at Toledo station the silver-blue walls are designed to make you feel that you are traversing through the ground and into the sea. The station was the 2013 LEAF Award as “Public building of the year”. The line for a large part runs parallel to the ancient city wall and many historical object were recovered during the construction process. These objects are displayed in the Museo station, there are plans to exhibit more at other stations in the future.

We do love a market and in Naples you will find a very unique one. The San Gregorio Armeno is a church and monastry. It was established by a group of nuns escaping from the Byzantine Empire with the relics of St Gregory, a bishop of Armenia, on the site of a Roman temple. The current church was built in the 15th century and you can visit the cloisters for a couple of hours each morning before the nuns reclaim it. Close by in the Via San Gregorio Aremeno is a well established market that comes into its own at Christmas.

Here you will find endless jobs dedicated to the Christmas Nativity scene. Neapolitan families will come here buy figures to create their own nativity scenes at home. Outside the nativity season, visiting the market will allow you to see many of the artisans at work and you will have more space to shop.

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