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Italy : Naples - August 2009

Country Code: Dial for Italy

Naples loves its festivals and if you’re in town on 15 August you can join locals for Ferragosto (Assumption Day), an Italian national holiday. Keep a look out for street processions and other celebrations taking place at various spots throughout the city. Otherwise, escape the August heat in the maze of cobbled streets lying in the shadows of generations of churches and the great cathedral. Simon Fisher tries to keep his cool

Getting around

Naples International Airport at Capodichino.

Bus: The Alibus runs directly from the airport to Stazione Centrale every 20 minutes. Tickets cost €3. The orange bus (the 3S) runs every 25 minutes. Tickets are from €1.
Taxi: A taxi from the airport to the centre costs around €13. An Artecard (costs from €13) is a good option giving you free travel plus some museum entry. You can buy it at the airport when you arrive (www.campaniartecard.it)
Tourist information: Go to the TEPT Office at Stazione Centrale, Piazza Garibaldi, www.eptnapoli.info)

CASTEL DELL’OVO

The ‘Castle of the Egg’ is one of the city’s great landmarks, supposedly standing on an actual egg planted by the poet Virgil and looking out across the bay.

Sleep soundly – Hotel Excelsior (48 Via Partenope, , excelsior.it, rooms from €190) is a Neapolitan grande dame, with its fin de siècle decor and sea views. The best of the accommodation is the king room, with its panoramic vistas and huge marble bathroom. Pinto-Storey Hotel (72 Via G. Martucci, tel. , pintostorey.it, rooms from €89) is an art deco boutique affair and surprisingly cheap. The French double room is the one to go for, with a bed you could lose yourself in.

Must eat – For seafood, Osteria da Tonino (47 Via Santa Teresa a Chiaia, tel. ) is a real treat, with a buzzy ambience and traditional menu that includes cuttlefish stew.

Shop til you drop – Local designer E. Marinella (287 Riviera di Chiaia) specialises in colourful silk ties and accessories, while Ernesto Esposito (20 Via Santa Caterina a Chiaia) is the place for those who can never have too many shoes.

VILLA COMUNALE

The city’s great public park is an ideal place to find some summer shade.

Culture vultures – Facing out to sea and across the bay, Villa Comunale is Neapolitans’ favourite spot for a passegiata, especially on Sunday mornings, when the nearby Via Caracciolo is closed off to traffic and you can stroll down towards the Mergellina waterfront.

Must drink – Gran Bar Riviera (181 Riviera di Chiaia) is a popular late-night watering hole, where the crowds spill out on to the pavements opposite the park. Bailissimo (Villa Comunale, on the corner of Via Bausan) bills itself as a lounge bar and has a suitably chilled feel.

VIA BENEDETTO CROCE

Winding its way through the heart of centro storico, this is a good place to find your bearings in this most disorientating of cities.

Culture vultures – There are, of course, an absolutely endless number of must-see churches and chapels in Naples’ historical centre. A couple that often drop off peoples’ radars are Chiesa di Sant’Angelo a Nilo (Piazzetta Nilo), with its Donatellosculpted tomb, and Cappella del Monte di Pietà (114 Via San Biagio dei Librai), a small 16th-century chapel with jaw-dropping decoration.

Must eat – For pizza, try Lombardi a Santa Chiara (59 Via Benedetto Croce, ), a family-run charmer – visit twice and the staff will remember you for life. Caffetteria Pasticceria Gelateria G. Mazzaro (359 Via Tribunali, tel. ) is a popular pit-stop, with a large range of cakes and gelati on offer. Leave room for one of the babas (sweet pastries drenched in rum).

ERCOLANO

Often overlooked in favour of Pompeii, Ercolano is easily reachable from central Naples (it’s closer than Pompeii) and has plenty of appeal, both historical and contemporary.

Culture vultures – Don’t miss the excellent Museo Archeologico Virtuale (44 Via IV Novembre), with its reconstructions of various sites in both Ercolano itself and Pompeii. The stunning Ville Vesuviane, or Vesuvian villas, are dotted along the coast, with the huge Reggia di Portici (100 Via Universita), a former holiday residence for the Bourbons, a regal gem.

Shop til you drop – A closely guarded secret for all southern Italian shopaholics, the vintage clothes market (13 Via Mercato di Resina) is a real treasure trove for anyone looking to buy an original pair of threads from the 1950s up to the early 1980s.

Compiled by Simon Fisher