Post: Naples Begins to Feel Familiar

Naples is a city where life is lived out on the streets. This afternoon, our last day in Naples, we walked to see two churches and a museum with a famous Carravagio. But the real experience was being out in the street with everyone else.

Our route took us up Spacca Napoli where sometimes the street was so thick with crowds, happy people though, that we could barely stay together. We passed a fritti stand where the proproprieter was leading the street throng in joyous song. I don’t know the song, but it felt like being in Boston and hearing Sweet Caroline.

The walls with their graffiti tags are not quite shocking to me anymore, although I can’t say I am used to them nor do I feel that they mean everything is a-ok with this city. It’s in need of repair and cleaning nearly everywhere.

Our first church, the baroque Gèsu Nuovo, is Jesuit. It was turned over to the Dominicans for a time, and is now back to being Jesuit. There was mass being said while we visited, so we could not walk all the way around. The most visited chapel was for a biochemistry professor/ medical doctor who has been a saint since 1987, due to his good works for the sick. I think it’s the first professor and scientist I’ve ever heard of who is a saint, though surely there are others. It was an active place for visitors and flowers. This church was bombed during WW II, and had an unexploded bomb land through the roof, which is still located on display. I don’t see how that is possible, but this is what the sign said, in English. It’s a miracle.

Across the street we entered Santa Chiara, also near the end of mass. Built between 1310-1328 by Robert, King of Naples, it was bombed in WW II It had a much more austere decoration, and sleeping beauty. She is Maria di Durazzo. It is a church of the Poor Clares.

The famous Caravaggio,The Seven Works of Mercy, is in a church/museum for a charitable society that helps the disabled. It’s a very famous painting:

In each chapel alcove was a modern work in coral by the same artist we saw at the church where the skeletons were adopted.

The society has a collection of art as well, but the real surprise is that when you are in the picture gallery, you can look down from a private balcony and directly see the Caravaggio!

We strolled back to our hotel, stopping for espresso and meh gelato along the way. We opted for an outdoor cafe table to enjoy the cool air and the passers-by. While I would not necessarily put a return to Naples high on my list, I am very glad we stayed here long enough to stop seeing it as if it were a movie, and to start to feel a bit more comfortable with its grittiness and “life of the streets.” I think, though, that I will always feel a little sad when I think about Naples. It had glory days, missed being the capital city, and seems in need of some really good administration for the huge number of citizens who live here, in what should be a magnificent port city.

We found one more pizza dinner before we left. Just outside of our hotel is a stretch of restaurants– no less than a dozen. The kitchens and ovens are in the buildings but the customers each under umbrellas, awnings and tents with sides. There must a been several hundred to a few thousand people eating pizza at the same time tonight, just in this one part of the city. Enrico Porzio’s was the name of our choice, recommended by the hotel.