Naples is a city of contrasts.
Strolling Naples Slide Show
Galleria Umberto I
Around Piazza del Plebiscito Slide Show
Museo Archeologico Slide Show
Day 11 (June 13) Classy, Gritty Naples
We traveled to Naples today and went straight to the Museo di Capodimonte before we went to our hotel. The museum is in the old Bourbon palace in a beautiful green park. We had no idea Naples had such a place but we were to learn that Naples is a city of many contrasts. We had an informative tour with Pina Esposito and the gallery has several nice pieces including the work of Caravaggio, Titian, Bellini, and Parmigianino.
Back on the bus after the art gallery for the ride to the Chiaja Hotel that is just off of Piazza del Plebiscito. After lunch, Donald took the group on a walking tour that included a visit to Cappella Sansevero and a stop at the Scaturchio Pasticceria in Piazza San Domenico Maggiore. The Cappella Sansevero is famous for Sammartino's sculpture , The Dead Christ, that is an alabaster figure under a thin transparent marble veil. The Scaturchio Pasticceria is famous for a unique pastry called sfogliatella. We saw some of the gritty parts of Naples during the walk but it was fascinating. For those interested, Donald took a group to Castel Sant' Elmo that overlooks Naples. The views were outstanidng and we experienced the funicular.
In the evening, a group from the tour walked through Piazza del Plebiscito down to via Nazario Sauro for a walk along the Bay of Naples. We walked to Castel dell''Ovo and had dinner in the Santa Luchia area next to the castle.
Day 12 (June 14) Exploring more of Naples
We are off early to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale after breakfast at 7:30am. The group took the subway to the museum and Pina led an excellent tour for us through the huge museum. For antiquity enthusiasts, the place is world class. Many of the items came from Pompeii and filled in some of the gaps from our visit. After we finished, we were free until our farewell dinner in the evening. We went back toward the hotel and stopped at the Galeria Umberto I, a fascinating old Victorian era shopping center similar to the one in Milan. We saw Stan and Jeanne there and decided to have a pizza lunch near the hotel. After lunch, Nancy and Gary did more exploring including a tour of the Teatro di San Carlo. This old opera house has been refurbished and is second in prestiege only to La Scala in Milan for opera loving Italians.
The tour group enjoyed a large but very good last meal together and we reluctantly said goodbyes to our super travel companions and wished them well. After a memorable time in south Italy, we are off to London tomorrow for more adventures.
We traveled to Naples today and went straight to the Museo di Capodimonte before we went to our hotel. The museum is in the old Bourbon palace in a beautiful green park. We had no idea Naples had such a place but we were to learn that Naples is a city of many contrasts. We had an informative tour with Pina Esposito and the gallery has several nice pieces including the work of Caravaggio, Titian, Bellini, and Parmigianino.
Back on the bus after the art gallery for the ride to the Chiaja Hotel that is just off of Piazza del Plebiscito. After lunch, Donald took the group on a walking tour that included a visit to Cappella Sansevero and a stop at the Scaturchio Pasticceria in Piazza San Domenico Maggiore. The Cappella Sansevero is famous for Sammartino's sculpture , The Dead Christ, that is an alabaster figure under a thin transparent marble veil. The Scaturchio Pasticceria is famous for a unique pastry called sfogliatella. We saw some of the gritty parts of Naples during the walk but it was fascinating. For those interested, Donald took a group to Castel Sant' Elmo that overlooks Naples. The views were outstanidng and we experienced the funicular.
In the evening, a group from the tour walked through Piazza del Plebiscito down to via Nazario Sauro for a walk along the Bay of Naples. We walked to Castel dell''Ovo and had dinner in the Santa Luchia area next to the castle.
Day 12 (June 14) Exploring more of Naples
We are off early to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale after breakfast at 7:30am. The group took the subway to the museum and Pina led an excellent tour for us through the huge museum. For antiquity enthusiasts, the place is world class. Many of the items came from Pompeii and filled in some of the gaps from our visit. After we finished, we were free until our farewell dinner in the evening. We went back toward the hotel and stopped at the Galeria Umberto I, a fascinating old Victorian era shopping center similar to the one in Milan. We saw Stan and Jeanne there and decided to have a pizza lunch near the hotel. After lunch, Nancy and Gary did more exploring including a tour of the Teatro di San Carlo. This old opera house has been refurbished and is second in prestiege only to La Scala in Milan for opera loving Italians.
The tour group enjoyed a large but very good last meal together and we reluctantly said goodbyes to our super travel companions and wished them well. After a memorable time in south Italy, we are off to London tomorrow for more adventures.