Tour of Naples

A cool tour of Naples:

http://corrieredelmezzogiorno.corriere.it/video?vxSiteId=bc005c9d-d69f-463a-ae21-a260eceafed0&vxChannel=Ultime%20News&vxClipId=2524_73052&vxBitrate=300

Churches and other religious structures in Naples

Taken from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples

Hosting the Archdiocese of Naples, the Catholic faith is highly important to the people of Naples and there are hundreds of churches in the city. The Cathedral of Naples is the most important place of worship in the city, each year on September 19 it hosts the Miracle of Saint Januarius, the city's patron saint. In the miracle which thousands of Neapolitans flock to witness, the dried blood of Januarius is said to turn to liquid when brought close to relics said to be of his body: this is one of the most important traditions for Neapolitans.

Below is a selective list of some of the best-known churches, chapels, monastery complexes and religious structures in Naples (all hyperlinks below will redirect you to Wikipedia):

• Santa Chiara
• San Domenico Maggiore
• Gesù Nuovo
• Sansevero Chapel
• San Lorenzo Maggiore
• Santa Maria Donna Regina Vecchia
• Santa Maria Donna Regina Nuova
• Santa Maria del Carmine
• Girolamini
• San Ferdinando
• San Francesco di Paola
• San Giovanni a Carbonara
• San Gregorio Armeno
• Sant'Anna dei Lombardi
• Sant'Eligio Maggiore
• Santa Caterina a Chiaia
• Santa Maria La Nova
• Santa Restituta
• Spires of Naples
• San Pietro Martire
• San Pietro a Maiella
• San Gennaro extra Moenia
• Hermitage of Camaldoli
• Santissima Annunziata
• Santa Caterina a Formiello
• Archbishop's Palace
• Madre del Buon Consiglio
  

image: Courtyard of the monastery of San Lorenzo in Naples; image released to the public domain

Driving to the Amalfi Coast

Visit Naples!

Naples is one of those Italian cities that is often overlooked by many tourists who set their sites Venice, Florence and Rome. However, Naples (Napoli in Italian) should not be overlooked. This beautiful city, while admittedly has its problems and controversies, is a beautiful city that sits off the coast of the Gulf of Naples. The archaeological sites of Pompei and Herculaneum are nearby as well as Caserta, Sorrento, along with Naples itself, home to some wonderful museums and amazing architecture.

And not to mention that pizza was invented in Naples!! Naples gets a bad rap with all its problems of organized crime and la Camorra and more recently with the trash disposal problems that have plagued Naples and the rest of Campania, which, arguably, have smirched its image. But the Campania region is just a beautiful and worthy of your time (and tourism dollars).

I hope that through my site, you will discover an appreciation, perhaps, even a love of this great region in Italy and will not pass it up on your next trip to Italy. To help that appreciation, I would suggest that you check out Samantha Brown's Passport to Europe travel series. Ms. Brown does a wonderful episode on Naples. While some criticize her for being too perky or spending too much time plugging the hotels where she stays, I find her approach to travel to be exhilarating. She takes chances - jumping into a situation, speaking the language as best she can, helping market sellers plug their wares!! She really makes travel fun which is what travel should be and shows you that it doesn't take any special skills to enjoy the cities that you visit. Her Naples episode shows you not only the 'tourist haunts' but also the back streets of Naples with its vibrant markets as well as quiet sanctuaries and churches.

Knowing Naples

Welcome to Knowing Naples, the third web site in the Knowing Italy series of web site blogs that I am developing. This site will be more than just Napoli and will explore the richness and beauty of Napoli and Campania region of Italy.

This is a work in progress - I hope to devote more to the site in the coming months. Check out Knowing Rome and Knowing Florence for a taste of what's to come.