Museo Archeologico Nazionale
This fascinating, world-class museum houses
the Farnese collection of antiquities from Lazio and Campania, as
well as the incredible treasures of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Notable among these collections are The Farnese Hercules and The
Farnese Bull, the largest known sculpture from antiquity. On the
mezzanine level is The Alexander Mosaic and at the furthest end is
the Secret Room, showcasing erotic material found in the brothels,
bath houses and taverns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The top section
of the museum houses the Campanian wall paintings, supported by a
range of Campanian artefacts in the form of glass, silver and
ceramics.
Address:
Piazza Museo Nazionale 18-19
Museo Archeologico Nazionale
Jeff Matthews
Duomo San Gennaro
The Chapel of San Gennaro is accessed from
the south aisle of the Cathedral of Naples. Tradition tells the
story of how two phials of San Gennaro's congealed blood liquefied
in the bishop's hand after his martyred body was transported to the
church. Legend has it that disaster will strike if the blood fails
to liquefy on specific festival days - the first Saturday in May,
on September 19 and December 16. Known as the Miracle of the Blood,
the ceremony takes place during a special Mass in full view of the
congregation. The first chapel on the right upon entry holds the
famous phials of blood and a silver reliquary containing his skull.
Beneath the Duomo are the excavations of well-preserved Greek and
Roman roads that stretch beneath the modern city.
Address:
Via del Duomo 147
San Gennaro
Julia Janssen
Museo e Gallerie di Capodimonte
This museum occupies a restored
18th-century palace perched upon the city's hills. The Farnese and
Bourbon rulers amassed impressive collections of Renaissance
paintings and Flemish masterpieces. Notable among these are
Masaccio's Crucifixion, Filipino Lippi's Annunciation and Saints
and Raphael's Leo X, as well as Bellini's Transfiguration,
Michelangelo's Three Soldiers and Breughel's The Allegory of the
Blind. The palace is an attraction in its own right and the royal
apartments are beautifully decorated and preserved with their
18th-century furnishings. Capodimonte is a pleasant neighbourhood
in Naples, and the park surrounding the gallery is great for a
peaceful stroll after ogling the art and finery of the museum.
Address:
Via Milano 2, Capodimonte Park
Museo e Gallerie di Capodimonte
Antonio Manfredonio
The Mediterranean climate of southern Italy is milder and
sunnier than the north, with Naples being characterised by dry,
warm summers and wet but mild autumns and winters. The pleasant
climate and fertility of the Gulf of Naples made the region famous
during Roman times, when emperors such as Claudius and Tiberius
holidayed near the city. The average temperature in summer (June to
September) is 72°F (22°C), but it can become significantly hotter
with frequent highs of 86°F (30°C). July and August are the hottest
months of the year and it can become very humid during this period.
In winter (December to March), the average temperature is about
48°F (9°C) and it can be rainy. In autumn, it's comfortably warm
but also wet, with November the wettest month of the year. Spring
is a very pleasant time to visit Naples as it's warm and dry, and
sightseers won't suffer the heat of summer. March to May is
therefore probably the best time to holiday in Naples, but many
visitors choose to come in autumn, despite the rain, and some
people enjoy the heat of the summer months.
Naples International Airport
Location: The airport is located five miles (8km) north of the city
centre.
Time: GMT +1 (GMT +2 between the last Sunday in March
and the last Sunday in October).
Transfer Between Terminals:
The terminals are within walking distance of each other;
however, Terminal 1 is for scheduled airlines and Terminal 2 is
generally used for charter flights.
Getting to the city:
There is regular bus service from the airport to the central
station of Naples, Stazione Centrale, with the journey taking 15 to
20 minutes. Taxis and rental cars are also available.
Car Rental:
Car rental companies at Naples International Airport include
Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Locauto, Maggiore and SicilybyCar.
Representatives of each operator have desks in the Arrivals
Hall.
Airport Taxis:
Taxis are available from the stand in front of the arrivals
concourse. The journey to the city centre takes around 30 minutes
and fixed rates are in use for the main destinations nearby.
Facilities:
Airport facilities include ATMs, currency exchange, postal
service, lost property, left luggage facilities, meeting rooms, VIP
lounges, a medical centre, information desks, shopping, restaurants
and cafes.
Parking
Both short-term and long-term parking is available.
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Naples has a public transport network consisting of buses,
trolleys and a subway, which is a bit complicated to use but
preferable to taking on the city's notorious traffic jams in a
hired car or taxi. Tickets for all forms of transport are uniform,
and can be obtained at stations and news kiosks. The city's ANM
buses are fairly frequent, most departing from the Piazza
Garibaldi. The 'Metropolitana' metro line serves downtown (where
most sights are located) and is generally the most useful for
sightseeing. Funicular railways run up the Vomero from stations at
Piazza Montesanto, Amadeo and Augusto. There are taxi ranks in most
piazzas, but using a taxi can prove expensive because of traffic
congestion. It is possible, and pleasurable, to walk around the
historic centre of Naples where many of the main attractions are
located, but some of the worthwhile sights, like the Fontanelle
Cemetery, take tourists into potentially dangerous areas where it
may not be a good idea to walk alone. Travellers should ensure they
have a detailed map to help them navigate the streets of Naples,
and ask at their hotel for advice on which areas should be
avoided.
To holiday in Naples is to visit the real Italy, without the
frills, where grime and dirt somehow add to the flavour of a city
bubbling with life and colourful characters like the lava below its
surface on the convergence of seismic faults.
Most travel to Naples in order to visit the nearby and
well-preserved ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, destroyed in an
eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which stands sentinel over the city.
Pompeii is one of Italy's most famous and popular attractions and
the haunting ruined city justifies a trip to the region in itself.
Sightseers keen to explore southern Italy also tend to use Naples
as a base for expeditions along the scenic Amalfi coast. However,
the city does have its own treasures: the Cappella Sansevero
chapel, in the historic centre of Naples was built in the late
1500s and contains some masterpieces of Italian sculpture. The
Cathedral of Naples, completed in the 14th-century, is a
magnificent Gothic structure containing many valuable artefacts and
art works. The Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples is a
world-class museum, containing many of the artefacts and remains
from Pompeii and Herculaneum. The San Gennaro Catacombs are
fascinating and spooky, full of mosaics and frescoes, and the
burial site of many notable Naples figures including San Gennaro
himself.
High summer means sweltering heat and crowds and is not the
recommended time to travel to Naples, especially for sightseeing.
Spring and autumn (April to June and September/October) are more
pleasant seasons to pick for a Naples holiday, when the weather is
warm and sunny and the archaeological attractions can be seen in
relative peace and quiet.
Pompeii
In the year 79 AD Mount Vesuvius erupted,
burying the Roman city of Pompeii in volcanic lava and ash. The
most evocative testimony to its victims is the 'frozen people',
calcified remains whose anguished contortions and facial
expressions reveal the horror of their untimely deaths. Pompeii is
one of Italy's most popular tourist attractions, seeing nearly 2.5
million visitors every year. It's one of the most intriguing sites
of the ancient world and a full day of walking barely covers the
many sites of interest. Pompeii is truly an unmissable attraction,
along with the four associated sites of Herculaneum, Oplontis,
Stabia and Boscoreale.
Transport:
SITA bus to Piazza Esedra in Pompeii; or Circumvesuviana
train line from Central Station to Pompeii Scavi
station
![Pompeii Ruins]()
Pompeii Ruins
Paul Kelley
Paestum
Paestum was founded by Greek colonists in
the 7th Century BC, later falling under Roman rule. The
well-preserved Greek temples are arguably the best of their kind in
the world, easily rivalling those of Sicily and Athens. These
remarkable structures comprise the Basilica; the Temple of
Poseidon; and the Temple of Ceres. A guide to the excavations and
Archaeological Museum can be bought at any of the roadside shops.
Heading north along Via Sacra will take one to the Roman Forum,
gymnasium and amphitheatre. Finally, Paestum's Museum contains a
fascinating collection of pottery and paintings found in the tombs
of the area.
Address:
Campania region, southern Italy
![Paestum]()
Paestum
Peter Schule
Sassi de Matera
The unbelievable cave-dwellings of Matera
were dug into the tuff rock of the region, the 'houses' often
little more than caverns. They remain testament to a troglodyte
population believed to be the first human settlement in Italy. Some
of the streets of present-day Matera double as rooftops to the
underground dwellings, and beneath the surface, a network of
labyrinths and caverns once traversed by the prehistoric
civilisation can still be observed. As has been noted, the
inhabitants of Matera's Sassi are the only people who can claim to
live in the same houses as their ancestors did 9,000 years ago.
It's fun to hire bikes and ride to the caverns further afield.
![Sassi de Matera]()
Sassi de Matera
Loloieg
Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra)
An emblematic tourist attraction, the Blue
Grotto (Grotta Azzurra) is reason enough for any visitor to Naples
to make the short trip across to the island of Capri. A
world-famous sea cave, the Blue Grotto is perpetually filled with
brilliant sapphire light, caused by sunlight entering through an
underwater cavity and shining through the seawater from beneath.
The cave also contains a smaller opening right at the level of the
waterline, through which bright sunshine pours and tourists are
admitted by rowboat. Gaze in wonder at the spectral water, more
light-filled than the air and watch dipped hands glow an eerie
silver-blue.
![Blue Grotto]()
Blue Grotto
Glen Scarborough
Museo Archeologico Nazionale
Jeff Matthews
San Gennaro
Julia Janssen
Museo e Gallerie di Capodimonte
Antonio Manfredonio
Pompeii Ruins
Paul Kelley
Paestum
Peter Schule
Sassi de Matera
Loloieg
Blue Grotto
Glen Scarborough
