CUADERNO DE VIAJE - 1, NAPOLES {TRAVEL NOTEBOOK - 1, NAPLES}

1. After a very comfy and short flight, about 2 hours from Bilbao airport, we arrived in Naples around lunch time. It is from the hotel restaurant´s rooftop that I took the first picture, we ate a sandwich there in order not to waste much time and leave the hotel as soon as possible to start walking the city. The Egg Castle (Castel dell´Ovo) stands out in that view. It´s located on the island of Megaride, where according to the legend, the dead body of the mermaid Parthenope ran aground. It was here that the Cumans landed in the 6th century BC to found the first nucleus of the future city. It was here that Lucullus, returning from Asia with immense wealth, had a sumptuous residence built for him which extended as far as Mount Echia. The castle had even the role of prison, the last Roman emperor Rómulo Augusto was imprisoned here. The castle´s actual shape was built by the normands and used as current residence by the Kings of Napels, it was also the Kindom treasury reserve. Obviously it´s the oldest castle in Naples. The access to the castle is free.

1. Things to see in Naples. Our walking tour started in the Via Partenope, where the Egg castle is situated, following Cesario Console St until Piazza del Plebiscito. This is the real symbol of Naples definitely and I would suggest starting any walk at the Piazza, the enormous grand and open square, for me located in the heart of the city, surrounded by the Basilica of San Francesco di Paola, The Royal Palace, The prefecture´s Palace and the Salerno Palace. Initially Piazza del Plebiscito was, and was for centuries, the place where folk festivals took place, until in the senteenth century, the construction of the Royal Palace was begun by the architect Domenico Fontana. This palace was called "New" to distinguish it from the Old Palace built in 1500 at the beginning by the vice kingdom of Spain as a royal residence.

1. The undisputed star of Piazza del Plebiscito, is the Basilica di San Francesco di Paola, a later addition to the original piazza in 1809. A neoclassical copy of the Pantheon in Rome.

1. In the 18th century the architect Luigi Vanvitelli carried out the restoration work at the Royal Palace. It was he who built the eight niches where in 1888 the statues of the kings of Naples were then exhibited: Roger the Norman, Frederick II, Charles of Anjou, Alfonso of Aragon, CharlesV, Charles III, Gioacchino Murat and Vittorio EmanueleII.

1. Close to the Piazza you can find Gambrinus which is Naples´oldest and most venerable cafe, serving superlative Napolitan coffee under flouncy chandeliers. Oscar Wilde and Mussolini had some rooms shut to keep out left-wing intellectuals. Sit-down prices are steep, but the aperitivo nibbles are decent and sipping a spritz or a cioccolata calda (hot chocolate) in its belle-époque rooms is something worth savouring.

1. If a celebrity goes there to taste its coffee, the cup is kept in a showcase and it´s never used again, so you can see the cups there.

1. You can also pay a coffee for a stranger to enjoy, this is a very simple anonymous act of generosity. The practice which boomed during World War II, has found a revival in recent years.

1. We had a spritz because it was terribly hot.

1. Though you can´t imagine how tempting the pastries were in the Gambrinus.

1. Our day ended having a wonderful dinner close to the Harbour, Officina del Mare was our option and very convenient. Here you are a sample of some of the gorgeous recipes we had for dinner

1. This is our second day here in Naples and we´ve hired a guide to show us the most important areas in the city, we started the walking tour again towards the Piazza and turn left to enter into the Spanish neighbourhood (Quartieri Spagnoli), towards Toledo Street.

1. I must say that I was surprised when I arrived in Naples because I found it extremely decadent, the buildings were in extreme conditions and they warn you about the danger in certain zones. In the very centre there are a couple of areas considered "problematic" but often it is just a matter of prejudice, you just need to be cautious and pay attention and you will be awarded with some of the wonders of this city. 

1. The Quartieri Spagnoli, or Spanish Quarters, were built in the 16th century by the Viceroy of Naples,, Don Pedro de Toledo. While expanding and modernising the city he created a grid of streets that at one time were home to military barracks, but today are said to form Napoli´s most authentic neighbourhood. Take the time to discover the back alleys where laundry hangs from windows, well this didn´t take my attention as we do the same in Spain. The best way to explore is without a plan, stopping in whatever pasticceria and buy a Sfogliatella one of the typical pastries in Naples.

1. The camorra clan continues to infiltrate all aspects of life in Naples. In the last 10 years the majority of cultural centres for kids were born here in the hope of leaving less people to use for the criminal organisations.The Umberto I Gallery in Naples was built between 1887 and 1890, and now represents one of the most famous outcomes of the so-called Risanamento, the great urban planning operation that radically changed the city at the end of the 19th century, with new squares, streets and buildings, replacing pre-existing ones.

1. We moved on to visit the Church of Gesú which is gorgeous. Originally built as a palace in 1470 for Roberto Sanseverino, Prince of Salerno, The Church of Gesú Nuevo is situated just outside of the historic centre of Naples. Following its confiscation from the Sanseverino family in the 1580´s, the building was acquired by the Jesuits to convert it into a church and given the name of the Church of Gesú Nuevo, which in Italian means New Jesus. In 1767 the Jesuits were expelled fro Naples and the church passed to the Franciscan order, although the Jesuits returned in 1821, but were once again expelled in 1848. The architectural style of the interior of the church is renaissance, while the fittings are baroque in style. The plan is that of the Greek cross with the three aisles leading from the three entrance doors. Its large pillars are covered with marble and the altars and balusters are constructed of inlaid marble. It contains 11 chapels and numerous frescos showing scenes from the bible. The dome was replaced in 1688 following an earthquake which caused the original one to collapse. 

1. Giuseppe Moscati is buried inside the church. He was an Italian doctor, scientific researcher, and university professor noted both for his pioneering work in biochemistry and for his piety. Moscati was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1987.

1. More information about Giuseppe Moscati

1. And to Santa Chiara Church, which is one of the largest and most impotant churches in Naples. Founded in 1310 by Robert the Wise, the basilica is part of a large Franciscan complex that also includes beautiful cloisters and a museum.

1. The Franciscan citadel was set up by erecting two convents: one for the Clarisses ad the other for Franciscan Friars Minor. The church is now in its original Gothic style. In 1943 the church was almost completely destroyed by aerial bombardment. It was rebuilt and restored according to the original Gothic style. Ten years later the church was reopened for worshipers.

1. Octagonal pillars line the perimeter, coated with majolica ceramic floral decorations. The pillars are connected by benches covered of tiles with popular, rural, maritime and mythological scenes.

1. The four walls of the cloister were covered with seventeeth century frescoes with Saints and scenes of the Old Testament.

1. Inside you can see a nativity scene of the eighteenth cenntury and some of the treasures the bombings failed to destroy.

1. We visited also the restaurant where Pizza Margherita was invented. If you want a piece of history with your pizza pie, head to Pizzeria Brandi, the oldest and most illustrious pizzerias in Naples, for many this is the Temple of pizza. When Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy were at a ball at the palace of Capodimonte in 1889, the pizzeria owners, Maria Giovanna Brandi and her husband were invited to provide pizzas as a novelty. They arrived in a decorated cart pulled by a mule and served three varieties of their product, including one created and named especially for the queen, the pizza Margherita, which featured tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella pieces and basil leaves, the colors of the new italian flag.

1. And with another restaurant to recommend and a gorgeous pizza, not from Brandi though, I end this post from the first 2 days in Naples. Rest La Scialuppa