Napoli -- Day 2

We got an earlier start today. After breakfast, Josh and I cabbed over to the centro storico. It was walkable from our hotel, but we were in a hurry. We only had a couple of hours before we had to hit the road. Josh and Stefano were dropping me off in Rome and heading over to L'Aquila to see the finish of today's Giro stage.

Naples was founded in the 8th century BC and, as such, is one of the oldest cities in the world. It was originally a Greek colony and given the name Parthenope, then later Neopolis (new city) before becoming part of the Roman Republic. The historical city center is the largest in Europe. From 1282 until 1816, Naples was the capital city in a union with Sicily known as The Kingdom of Naples -- this was prior to Italy's unification. Today, Naples ranks 4th in Italy, behind Milan, Rome and Turin, in terms of economic strength. It's port is one of the most important in Europe.

In Naples's historical center, the streets are merely alleys. Here, there is a sort of grungy, third world feel to the place. We went in search of Caravaggios in the dozen or so churches that are located in this 5 block radius part of town -- but we only found one: The Seven Works of Mercy (1607) in the Pio Monte della Misericordia. By this time, having fled Rome after murder charges, Caravaggio was clearly depressed; and his work showed it. This painting was devoid of color -- it reminded me more of a black and white photograph than a painting. The church itself was small and also stark.

la Gesu Nuovo

We visited the The Pio Monte della Misericordia towards the end of our tour today. First we visited the Gesu Nuovo which is a really beautiful, well-maintained and richly decorated church. Then we peeked into the Chiesa Santa Chiara -- more well-known for its cloister around the back. We then strolled over to San Lorenzo. Significant excavations have been carried out at the site of this church, and the main draw is not the church, but the ancient Roman city underneath it. We arrived at San Lorenzo right at 9:30am just as it was opening -- we had the whole underground city to ourselves to explore. Upstairs, there is an interesting museum with a collection that spans 200o years. We browsed quickly. Afterwards we came across the Capella Monte di Pieta, and the adjoining art collection owned by the Banco di Napoli, but unfortunately it was closed. It is only open on Saturdays and Sundays in May (go figure?) but there is suppossed to be a Caravaggio painting inside. It seems, the city is on a tight budget. And, in this part, it looks it too.

Catacombs of San Lorenzo

For the finale, we went inside the Capella San Savero to see the famous Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sanmartino. I think both Josh and I were somewhat disappointed. Yes, it is a beautiful sculpture, but I think seeing so many fabulous Bernini's in Rome makes one jaded.

Back at the hotel, we checked out, and hit the road. By 2pm, I was home in Rome -- just in time to go to the market and restock the kitchen before getting the kids. Charlotte and Olivia had their last piano lesson today. They'll both be performing in a recital next Monday, and then their teacher will be going on vacation for the summer. Avery was super tired and I put him down for a nap around 4:45pm -- he didn't wake up until 11pm, and then only to walk across the hall to my bedroom and lie down next to me for the rest of the night.