Estimated reading time: 5 minutes.
I am living in the south of Germany where Italy surely is nothing new on anyones travel tally stick. And now that I am thinking about it: Probably nothing new for anyone living in Germany really. But especially from the South, people often only go to the North of Italy. Because it is easily reachable by car. But more to the South? Like, south of Rome? Well, I certainly haven’t been too often to the South of Italy and never been to Napoli before. So, it was about time! Not only to try the famous pizza or the different variations of Spritz – but also to walk the streets of the old town and of course to take a few photos.
The arrival is already quite spectacular, because the plane will fly right over the city on its approach to the airport – window seat recommended. From the airport you can take the bus into the city centre, and since I stayed in a B&B pretty much in the centre of the old town, that was my best option. As with all old towns in any Italian city, there will be a little bit of walking required. But the way to the B&B through the buzzing streets of the old town with the vespa drivers and cars and people and Aperol everywhere would get me into the right mood. It sounds chaotic – well, it is – but it also has an energy to it that you will rarely find anywhere else on this little planet of ours. When I arrived at the accommodation I also already arrived mentally in Napoli. The image below shows an old Fiat 500 in absolute perfect conditions. Parked right in front of the “Castel Nuovo”, a tourist hot spot. But it was parked literally in front of the entrance where parking obviously is prohibited and the owner/driver of the car was nowhere to be seen. But everyone took photos of this beautiful car and the Carabinieri didn’t mind. Welcome to Napoli!
The city of Napoli has so many different areas to explore and they all have their own flair. Goal of the trip was to enjoy the city and climb up monte Vesuvio, after all I only had an extended weekend in the city. The image below shows one of the many street scenes I encountered while walking the streets of Napoli. I came across this meat delivery truck with a guy waiting for his colleague to unload the meat to a nearby butchery. The traffic, the houses and the light looked so interesting – almost out of place – that I had to take the shot.
One of the most interesting areas in terms of walking the streets – especially for photographers – was the Spanish quarter. The streets are absolutely stunning and narrow and chaotic and beautiful. There are soo many angles and shots to be found there, that one could easily spend days just walking the streets there. The image below may give you an idea of basically how the entire quarter looks like. I experimented a little with bracketing because the bright sun and the dark narrow streets are a bit challenging. I am not 100% happy with the result, but it does transport the vibe.
And then there is of course San Ferdinando, the area around the Royal Palace of Napoli and the Galleria Umberto I. It is a public shopping gallery that was named after Umberto I, King of Italy at the time of construction and employed modern architectural elements reminiscent of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. Apart from the similar roof structure, they both also house a McDonalds nowadays. But the architecture and especially the glas roof are impressive and beautiful.
As a last tip for Napoli – or rather the Monte Vesuvio: The number of people allowed to go up the mountain is limited for each day. You should not go up “spontaneously” but always check and book your trip before. There are plenty of spots throughout the city where you can book a trip. So, to sum things up: If you ever have the chance to go to Napoli I would highly recommend to take it. And bring your camera. And appropriate footwear.
Enjoy!
Useful Links
- Fantastic Negroni Bar in the old town: Archeobar – Negroneria Napoletana
- Bar inside a book store: Book Bar
- Gourmet Grocery Store that also cells fantastic sandwiches: Alimentari coscia