Naples, Day Two


Naples, Day 2
12/27/18

The program of Neapolitan song last night was fun, if not musically wonderful.  Four enthusiastic performers sang and played popular and classic Neapolitan songs.  Here’s a sample (click on the arrow):



We had a full day today, with 15,000 steps!  Breakfast at our hotel is lovely, with many breads, including delicious sweet breads, fruit, many cheeses, meats including excellent prosciutto and salamis, strong coffee, fresh juices, and eggs.  After breakfast we began a walking day in Naples, heading to the water.  Google maps is wonderful—without it we would have been lost in the warren of streets in the old city.

How many churches can one visit?  We stopped at a spectacular one, the Jesu Nuevo which is nearby our hotel.  Built over many years, it was completed in the early 1700s, and is a bit overwhelming:

  
The altar is incredible:


 A creche in one of the chapels has a label in Hebrew, Beit lechem, or in English, Bethlehem: 



Down at the waterfront is the Castle Nuevo which dates from the 15th c. and has much history associated with it:



The Sala di Barones, the Baron’s room, has more stories of intrigues, insurrections, revolts, and plots, and a remarkable ceiling:



One chapel in the castle is devoted to the souls in Purgatory, and there is a painting titled “Madonna with the Souls in Purgatory” by artists of the studio of Girolamo Imparato:



Adjacent to the castle is the enormous Palazzo Reale:



And across the huge plaza is the San Francesco church:



We walked down to the seafront where literally many thousands of people were strolling on the walk along the water.  The view was tremendous, with the port and the city and sailboats in the harbor:



We had pizza at a local restaurant overlooking the sea.  We headed back to the old city along a major shopping street, Via Toledo, which has been closed to vehicles and is all pedestrians.  And all of Naples was there; enormous crowds shopping in the post-Christmas rush.  We had a lovely dinner tonight in a highly rated restaurant near our hotel.  The house wine came in unlabeled bottles and was quite good!  We had a pasta first course and for dinner, my locally made sausages were delicious; Joyce’s cod was also wonderful, as was the deep fried artichoke.  Dessert was homemade cannoli, stuffed with a chocolate mousse.  Unforgettable!



Tomorrow we’ll go to the Naples airport and meet up with our road Scholar group who are flying in overnight tonight.  We’ll then travel to Sorrento, and our adventures there will begin on Saturday.  More when I can.

Comments

  1. xctravelerDecember 27, 2018 at 8:47 PM

    Following your trip eagerly.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ralph P. LockeDecember 29, 2018 at 2:25 PM

    What wonderful photos! Amazing that the caption under the creche is in Hebrew! I don't recall ever seeing such a thing in a church. I wonder who decided to do that and why.
    --The church altars, etc., are astounding.
    --I'm delighted to see the Bay of Naples, having heard about it for so long.
    --The food looks wonderful! Enjoy! (I don't have to tell you that, I know.)

    ReplyDelete

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