Pizza, Palaces and a City of Layers
Naples is the capital of the Campania region in southern Italy, on the Bay of Naples, known as the birthplace of pizza, for its UNESCO-listed historic centre and for its energy, music and dialect. Founded by Greek settlers as Neapolis, it has been a capital under Normans, Angevins and Bourbons, and each era left its mark in castles, churches and palaces. The historic centre, inscribed by UNESCO in 1995, is among the largest in Europe.
Spaccanapoli, the street that cuts the old town in a straight line, is the best place to feel the city, with chapels, craft workshops and pizzerias at every turn. The Naples National Archaeological Museum holds the great finds from Pompeii and Herculaneum, while Capodimonte houses a major collection of paintings. Castel dell'Ovo, jutting into the bay, and the grand Teatro San Carlo, one of Europe's oldest opera houses, complete the picture. The wider region of Campania extends the story.
The Table: Margherita, Babà and Espresso
Neapolitan pizza, with its soft, blistered crust and simple Margherita topping of tomato, mozzarella and basil, is protected by UNESCO as an intangible tradition of the art of the pizzaiuolo. Beyond pizza, the city's table runs from fried street snacks to ragù, seafood spaghetti and pastries including sfogliatella and rum-soaked babà. Espresso, taken standing at the counter, is a daily ritual, and the caffè sospeso tradition reflects the city's warmth.
Underground Naples, a network of Greek and Roman tunnels and cisterns beneath the old town, adds an unexpected dimension, while Galleria Umberto I offers an elegant glass-roofed arcade above. For a booking platform, the city offers an easy tasting-and-heritage product, and ferries from Molo Beverello to Capri, Ischia and Procida make island add-ons simple, with the Amalfi Coast and Positano just beyond.
Read the full Naples guide on Visit Travel Group, or see DiscoverNaples.co.uk on Visit Travel Group.