Teach you how to have fun in Naples in 24 hours!
A day in Naples: pizza, waves and Maradona.
Naples is Italy, but it is not Italy - a 2,400-year-old mixed-race handsome guy at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, with the footprints of ancient Greeks, Spanish and French people all stepped on this land. The first Margherita pizza was born here, Maradona came out of it, and it was also the place where the slums where Lenò and Lila fought for half their lives in the "Neapolitan Trilogy" were born. Oh, and don’t forget Julia Roberts ate authentic pizza here in “Eat, Pray, Love”.
Morning: Three-hit combo of time travel
1. Napoli Sotterranea
Delve 40 meters underground into an ancient Greek tunnel and touch a 2,000-year-old Roman brick wall. The tour guide will tell you: locals hid from bombs here during World War II, and the mafia hid stolen goods here - you will instantly understand the dark aesthetics of "This city is good at burying secrets underground" in the "Naples Trilogy".
2. Piazza del Plebiscito
People in Naples started showing off their wealth on the ground: checking in at the largest arch church in Europe, and learning from the locals to walk in circles with their eyes closed and in a straight line (legend has it that successful people will have good luck). Have a 3-euro espresso at the Gambrinus café near the square. This century-old cafe has hosted Oscar Wilde and Sartre.
3. Castel dell’Ovo
The name comes from the poet Virgil's "magic egg" legend (the egg breaks and the city is destroyed). Climb up the fortress to admire the crazy blue Tyrrhenian Sea, and look for Maradona’s graffiti - after the football king led Naples to win the championship in 1984, he was immediately deified by the citizens, and his murals are all over the city.
4. Castel Sant’Elmo
The true "King of Panoramic Views" - this 16th-century star-shaped fortress stands on the top of Mount Vomero, with a 360-degree view of Naples' skyline: Mount Vesuvius is smoking on the left, Castel dell'Ovo floats on the sea like a cream cake on the right, and the densely packed roofs underfoot stretch all the way to the horizon. Even the slums that Lenón escaped from in the "Naples Trilogy" have become lovely Lego blocks.
Noon: Carbohydrates make you happy all day
L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele
The same style as "Eat, Pray, Love"! Margherita pizza is 4 euros a piece, and the colors of tomato, basil and cheese correspond to the Italian flag. Relive the movie line while waiting in line: "I'd give up love for a pancake"!
Advanced option: Go to the seafood stall Pescheria Azzurra, buy freshly fried squid rings for 5 euros, eat on the dock while watching the fishermen scolding - a Neapolitan-style "sea view restaurant".
Afternoon: Artistic style in the market
1. Spanish Quarter
Enter a parallel universe of the Neapolitan Trilogy: clotheslines crisscross overhead and old ladies buy bread by hanging baskets on ropes from their balconies. Watch your step - a motorcycle may pass between your legs.
2. Cappella Sansevero
"The Veiled Christ" - a masterpiece of marble carving with a transparent veil. It’s amazing! Not inferior to Michelangelo at all!
Evening: Aperitif and dessert
Buy a piece of volcano-shaped puff pastry at Scaturchio and your shirt will be sprayed with powdered sugar the moment you bite into it. The locals will laugh at your embarrassed look - they call this a "sweet trap".
Night: Alcohol and Maradona
Spaccanapoli Street Bistro
Order a glass of Limoncello and clink glasses with the uncle wearing the No. 10 Argentina jersey. When you are tipsy, remember to shout: "Maradona is better than Messi!" - I guarantee that the whole audience will cheer for you (or fight with you).
If you still have energy, go to Piazza Dante and listen to the street performers singing "O Sole Mio". At that moment you will understand why the Neapolitans believe that life should be as vigorous as a volcano.
Useful Tips
Transportation: A single subway ticket costs 1.1 euros, but walking is a better way to experience magical realism
Beware of scams: If you meet a gypsy who offers you a lucky bracelet, sprint 100 meters
Quotes to keep: "Vedi Napoli e poi muori" (Having seen Naples, one can die without regrets) - Goethe, but I suggest you don't take it too seriously [Sob][Sob][Sob]