Itineraries
Three days in Naples, without the queues
How a local plans a long weekend in the centro storico: which churches, which alleys, which sfogliatelle.
Day one — the centro storico, slowly
Start at Piazza del Plebiscito early — by 8:30 the square is yours alone, with the colonnade of San Francesco di Paola sweeping around like a half-moon and Vesuvio sitting behind you. Walk into Galleria Umberto I for a sfogliatella and a caffè at Gambrinus.
From there, follow Via Toledo north into the Quartieri Spagnoli. The grid is tight, the laundry is hung overhead, and every other corner has a tiny shrine. The Spanish Quarters aren't dangerous in daylight — they're alive. Don't skip Largo Maradona.
Lunch at Trattoria da Nennella. No bookings, expect a queue at 13:00, and order whatever the day's pasta is. By 15:30 head back to the seafront for a siesta — yes, an actual nap. Naples is a city that respects rest.
Day two — underground, then up
Book the 10:00 tour of Napoli Sotterranea in advance. Forty metres beneath Via dei Tribunali there's a Greek aqueduct, a WWII bomb shelter, and a Roman theatre — all in the same hour. It's the single best history lesson the city offers.
Surface, then walk Via San Gregorio Armeno — the street of the presepi (Nativity scenes). Even in May you'll find tiny clay figures of the Pope, Maradona, and last year's politicians. It's earnest folk art that hasn't decided to be ironic.
Afternoon: take the Funicolare Centrale up to the Vomero hill. Castel Sant'Elmo's roof terrace gives you the only postcard angle that holds the whole bay in one frame — Vesuvio, the Castello dell'Ovo, the islands. Stay for sunset.
Day three — Pompei half-day, then pizza
Take the Circumvesuviana from Garibaldi to Pompei Scavi (40 minutes). Enter from Porta Marina at 8:30; you'll have the Villa dei Misteri to yourself for a full hour before the tour buses arrive at 10:00. By noon you'll have seen the highlights and be on a train back.
Lunch is non-negotiable: pizza at L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele or, if the queue at Forcella is too long, Sorbillo at Via dei Tribunali 32. Both are world-famous; both are still good.
Last evening: aperitivo at Chiaia. Walk from Piazza dei Martiri down to the Lungomare, then sit at Antiche Cantine Sepe with a glass of Falanghina. It's the Naples sunset everyone tries to photograph and nobody catches.
Where to stay
Our homes in Naples
The beating heart of Southern Italy — three millennia of layered history, the world's pizza capital, and a UNESCO old town that hums from dawn to midnight.
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