On this second day in Napoli, we literally had an up and down day. The morning began with a crazy taxi ride from the hotel up towards the northern part of the city near the Capodimonte Museo to the Catacombs of San Gennaro, a two level paleo-Christian burial site established in the 2nd to 4th century. The earlier section was likely the burial site of a rich family that later was expanded, becoming the burial site of Napoli’s first (of 52) patron saints, Sant’Agrippino in the 3rd century. The city’s most famous patron saint, Gennaro, was entombed here in the 4th century, although his remains were stolen and returned numerous times. The site is consecrated still used for mass. Portions of the original frescoes remain.
The catacombs were restored within the past twenty or so years and are maintained by a group of young residents of the Rione Sanità, under which the catacombs are found.
Of course, every catacomb needs a cat – and here he is!
We then met our local guide, Francesca, for a walking tour through the Sanità, a poor neighborhood that until the last two decades was almost totally cut off from the rest of the city as the result of a bridge built between the hills spanning the neighborhood. We took the elevator down to this other layer of the city.
Due to its isolated location and its poverty, the Camorra took control, providing the money to reward the young people who became involved as lookouts for drug deals. This has changed in the past two decades thanks to a priest, Don Antonio, and a dedicated group of young residents who have tried to change the culture of crime and violence. Through their efforts, Sanità has social services to help the poor residents. This group is also responsible for the maintenance of the catacombs – with entrance fees going back into neighborhood projects. The Sanità is a working class neighborhood that really reflects everyday life in this chaotic city.
Throughout the Sanità (and the rest of the city), there are images of Toto’, the most famous and revered comedic Italian actor, who was born here.
Street art is also prominent here, with themes of caring for one another.
Street food is ubiquitous in Napoli and the Sanità is no exception. We sampled the Neapolitan version of taralli- larger, made with lard instead of oil, and savory with black pepper and almonds. Then we visited a salumeria/wine store, a new venture started a few years ago by an enterprising gentleman who was quite proud of the wine selection. We tasted typical wines of the Campania region paired with mozzarella di bufala and local olives. Then we went to Isabella De Cham pizza fritta restaurant (an award winning place) to try several varieties of fried “pizza”, a calzone type of deep fried pizza, a fried dough topped with onions in the style of Genovese sauce, and a fried ball of pasta with a bechamel sauce. Dessert was a local specialty , the fiocco di neve (snowflake), a sweet dough filled with a ricotta/whipped cream mixture.
After lunch, there was another crazy taxi ride back up the Capodimonte hill to visit its museum, consisting of the art collection of the Farnese family ( a Roman family that had a couple of popes). The views of the Bay of Naples were amazing from the park. The museum houses one of the best art collections in Italy, but this visit focused on paintings of Titian, Artemisia Gentileschi and Caravaggio as well as an overview of Neapolitan art through the centuries.
There was also an interesting exhibit of daily life in the 17th and 18th century.
At this point, it was a full day and time to head back to the hotel to rest. There wasn’t a taxi to be found so we braved the public bus, experiencing another layer of Napoli, that of feeling like a layer of sardines in a can!
Too tired to do much else and too sated to eat another meal, we instead chose to join the evening passeggiata down via Toledo, enjoying a gelato.
Camino Musings 