“Naples is paradise; everyone lives in a state of intoxication.” – Jonathan Wolfgan von Gother, German novelist

Naples, Italy Day 3

And the food keeps on coming! As if yesterday’s cooking class and market tour wasn’t enough, Naples, along with Palermo, are well known for some of Italy’s best street foods: rich, fried, savory, and deeply tied to local traditions. In order not to miss a morsel, we booked a private guide, Dario, who turned out to be a private chef. How lucky for us! He was incredibly enthusiastic about sharing his love of Neapolitan food. Safe to say, we were in good hands.

First of all, why oh why did we eat breakfast before a food tour?! Well, in the past, food tour tastings are usually the size of a grain of rice split in two. Well, that was not to be our experience in Naples. Fortunately, we had a nice, sight-seeing stroll to work off our meal before our meet-up with Dario.

Naples has several particular areas famous for its street food. For this experience, we stayed around Spaccanapoli and the colorful Spanish Quarter, both known for their vibrant food culture and street art (more on that later). And, if only we had an empty suitcase available just for all the premium pastas in incredible shapes we’d discover along our route!

Dario had a well-planned “menu” for us, beginning with Taralli Napoletani, savory almond-and-pepper crackers, that would have gone perfectly with a cold, Italian beer (though it was only 11 a.m.); they’re crispy and have a flavorful crunch, and perfect to get our taste buds going.

Next came Frittatina di Pasta, a deep-fried pasta croquette filled with béchamel, peas, ham, and cheese. There are other variations, but we stuck with the original … a delightful, and yummy, cheesy, comfort food.

Then Pizza a Portafoglio, a folded pizza perfect for eating on-the-go. It was, without question, one of the best, single slices of pizza I’ve ever had: it was melty hot, with a light, crispy crust. If you’re ever in Naples, do not miss it.

Continuing … Pasta alla Genovese, a rich ragù of slowly cooked onions and beef; dark, deep and deeply satisfying. By this point, David and I were sharing portions; as I said, this “tasting” was essentially a full meal menu.

To finish, we had Sfogliatella, a flaky pastry filled with ricotta and citrus. By now we gave up, being too full to manage another bite; so we took it to go, to enjoy it later with a rich cappuccino for breakfast. We would meet this flaky, creamy delicacy many more times along our trip.

And finally, to wrap up this heavenly food orgy, an espresso, the only proper way to close a Neapolitan meal. Note: the proper way to enjoy an espresso, is to first cleanse your mouth with a sip of water (provided) and then you’re good to go.

Along the way, David’s sharp eye caught some colorful street art down an alleyway. Dario instantly recognized is as a work by, “Trallallà,” (the alias of street artist, Alfonso De Angelis, born 1968), famous for his signature, stenciled graffiti of voluptuous, female figures and a “chubby mermaid,” known locally as Sirene Ciacione. By this point, we could relate to her. For by this time, with Dario departing, we felt as stuffed as a Thanksgiving turkey.

Fortunately, we had planned well – the afternoon was now dedicated to lots of walking through the vast Archaeological Museum.

National Archaeological Museum of Naples

Now for some food for the soul. The National Archaeological Museum of Naples ranks as one of the most important and spectacular, archaeological museums in the world, especially for Roman history, and for its extraordinary and original collections from Pompeii and Herculaneum. The building dates back to the late 16th-century when it was calvalry barracks; in the late 18th- century, it was transformed into a royal museum.

During the excavation of Pompeii, the museum became the natural home for these discoveries, growing into one of Europe’s best archaeological institutions during the 19^th-century, and fundamentally reshaping how we understand Roman daily life.

One of the first salons you walk into is the magnificent Farnese Collection, a gallery filled with colossal sculptures that once proclaimed the wealth and power of one of Renaissance Italy’s most influential families. Dominating the room is the Farnese Hercules, its massive form capturing both the physical strength of the hero and the grandeur of the ancient Roman world.

If you’ve ever visited Pompeii or Herculaneum, you would have noticed that many of the objects displayed at the sites are reproductions. It’s here in these galleries that you’ll find the authentic remnants of everyday Roman life: the extraordinary mosaics that once decorated dining rooms, frescoes still vivid with color, household objects, and countless details that make the ancient world feel surprisingly familiar. Seeing the original artifacts in one place provides a deeper appreciation of the lives preserved by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD.

In the Gabinetto Segreto (Secret Cabinet), we encountered Roman erotic art – objects that reveal how openly the ancient world expressed themes of fertility and pleasure, challenging modern assumptions about Roman culture. Compared to today’s society, these works raise interesting questions about how attitudes toward sexuality have changed over time. Have we become more closed-minded and judgmental than those of the ancient world? As for the erotic art itself, I have to admit – I didn’t blush.

Besides the Farnese Hercules, the museum has another priceless treasure: “The Alexander Mosaic: Alexander the Great in Battle,” a historical moment frozen in intricate, astonishing detail.

Churches

Believe it or not, out of the more than 200 churches within walking distance of Naples’ historic center, we only managed to visit just two!

The first was the Basilica of San Francesco di Paola, which dominates the western side of Piazza del Plebiscito. Inspired by Rome’s Pantheon, the church is defined by its massive, central dome and sweeping, semicircular colonnade that embraces the square like open arms.

Built in the neoclassical style during the 19^th-century, its pale stone façade, towering columns, and perfect symmetry create a sense of grandeur that feels almost imperial. Step inside and one feels humbled by the vast, circular interior crowned by the soaring dome; where marble, light, and scale combine to create one of Naples’ most monumental, religious spaces.

In the enormous piazza outside, rows of seating were already assembled for Pope Leo XIV’s visit the following day; our day of departure. His arrival would close much of central Naples, turning what’s normally a 30-minute airport transfer into a nearly hour-and-a-half journey as our driver navigated a maze of twisting, hillside roads north of the city in search of an open route to the airport.

A pattern began to emerge, or at least it started to feel like one. The Pope arrived in Naples just as we were leaving, and then he’d appear again in Madrid just as we were departing there as well! By that point, we began to wonder whether we should slow down our travel plans or simply start consulting the Vatican calendar before booking flights. After all, if this keeps happening, it’s beginning to feel less like coincidence and more like a papal game of hide-and-seek.

Gesù Nuovo

The Church of Gesù Nuovo began as Palazzo Sanseverino, designed for a powerful, Neapolitan noble family. When the Jesuits acquired it in 1584, they transformed the palace into a church while retaining the façade’s rusticated diamond pattern. The contrast between the austere exterior and the exuberant interior amazes with its late Renaissance and early Baroque styles of Naples.

Inside, Gesù Nuovo dazzles with marble inlays, polychrome stonework, and frescoes by leading artists of the Neapolitan Baroque, including Giovanni Lanfranco and Belisario Corenzio. The chapels contain elaborate altarpieces and sculptural groups, while the main dome and transepts display vivid depictions of Jesuit themes such as the Triumph of Faith and the lives of saints.

Galleria Umberto I

The Galleria Umberto I, built in the late 1800s, has served as one of Naples’ great gathering places from its very beginning. Part shopping arcade, part social salon, and part shortcut between the grand Via Toledo and the Teatro San Carlo, it functions as an indoor piazza where people do more than simply pass through – they linger.

They meet for coffee, debate politics, make appointments, and watch the city watch itself. Even today, despite the invasion of Starbucks, it retains its unmistakable Neapolitan charm.

We entered through a heavy stone archway and suddenly everything opens upward into a world of glass, iron, and light. The ceiling rises into a vast dome, while four grand arms of the gallery stretch outward like a cross, lined with elegant façades, cafés, and shops. It was deliberately modeled after the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, but Naples made it more theatrical, more ornate, and more expressive.

The floor beneath your feet carries its own quiet language: mosaics in geometric patterns worn smooth by more than a century of footsteps. What stays with you is not just the symmetry or the light, but the feeling that Naples, for all its chaos outside, knows exactly how to create a moment of order, and then decorate it until it feels like a glorious celebration or “… state of intoxication.”

Metro

Naples has a remarkably modern metro system that makes it easy to move throughout the city, and many of its stations are part of the famous “Art Metro” project, where public transportation doubles as an underground gallery.

While we skipped the Toledo stop, often ranked among the most beautiful metro stations in Europe, the station that truly impressed me was Dante, whose deep red and orange hues created the unsettling sensation of descending into Dante’s Inferno, transforming an ordinary commute into a journey through the imagination.

I began my Italy posts by describing Naples as gritty, chaotic, and in desperate need of a power wash. Yet after just a couple of days, I realized that Naples’ beauty isn’t found in its buildings, it’s found in its people, food, and its deep sense of history.

By the time we left, I was surprised to find myself a little sad. Naples had grown on me. It’s a city that asks for more than a quick visit; rewarding those willing to slow down and look beyond first impressions.

Naples doesn’t reveal itself all at once. Instead, it gradually works its way under your skin. I hope to return someday, spend a little more time wandering its streets, and once again enjoy the energy, warmth, and character that make it unlike anywhere else in Italy.

As seen on the streets …