Our final day of holidays in Italy was spent in Naples. It turned out that it was cheaper to spend Sunday night in Naples in a hotel and fly home on Monday than flying a day earlier. We stayed at the Hotel San Pietro near Piazza Garibaldi. Coming down from the mountains the city is spread out under the shadow of mount Vesuvius. This volcano has not erupted since 1944, and will surely cause havoc if it does so again.
The first thing that strikes you about the area we stayed in is the filth of it. Graffiti and rubbish are everywhere, even on the churches. However, our hotel was excellent - very comfortable and clean. With just one afternoon and evening to explore the city we walked down to the old city centre (which is a lot cleaner). We had lunch on the Via Duomo, though disappointingly the Graffiti spoiled Duomo itself was closed. We visited the Buried City at the San Lorenzo Maggiore, and walked down an excavated old Roman street. Close by we enjoyed the brilliant Greco-Roman underground aqueduct - the Napoli Sotterranea. We had an excellent English speaking guide who brought us through some very narrow passages - this is well worth a visit. We stopped for a beer at the piazza Bellini, and later we had our last pizza in a very busy restaurant on the Via Tribunali. Even though it was a Sunday night, the narrow streets were very busy with people and fast scooters. Most scooter riders were not wearing helmets and they seem to be immune to any rules of the road.
Naples is a very historic city, but not as well kept as Rome. Whether I ever go back I'm not sure, but I'm glad to have visited.
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| At Piazza Garibaldi. |
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| On the Via Duomo. |
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| Underground with some bombs. |
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