Amedeo’s Naples

AMEDEO’S NAPLES

Naples,’ he had said, ‘is like a woman who was once noble, beautiful, highly respected and admired, but has since been used and abused by scores of men and is now sullied, repudiated, ruined and broken. And yet, in her eyes, there are still traces of that former glory and faded beauty. I cannot cast her completely aside: she is part of me and I of her. I am Naples. Io sono Napoli.’  

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Favourite view

View of the sea from Castel dell'Ovo, Naples
View from the battlements of Castel dell’Ovo, Naples

Favourite walk

Start at Castel Sant’Elmo up on the hill in Vomero: take in the spectacular view over the Bay of Naples then head along Via Annibale Caccavello, Via Gradini del Petraio and Salita Petraio then turn left onto Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Turn right onto Via Santa Caterina da Siena and go down through the Quartieri Spagnoli and carry on down the Gradoni di Chiaia (the Chiaia steps, pictured right). Turn left along Via Chiaia and stop for a coffee or spritz at Gran Caffè Gambrinus.  

View of the bay of Naples from the battlements of Castel Sant'Elmo
View of the bay from the battlements of Castel Sant’Elmo
Gradoni di Chiaia, Naples

Eating & drinking

Coffee & pastries: Caffé Gambrinus, Via Chiaia
Pizza and pasta: Gorizia 1962, Vomero
By the sea: Da Patrizia, Borgo Marinaro. I am reliably informed by my flesh-eating friends that the seafood they serve is excellent.
Romantic: ‘A Fenestella, Marechiaro

Spaghetti with mussels and tomatoes from Da Patrizia

“But it was here in Naples that Marnie’s culinary experience had begun to transcend merely sensuous enjoyment and approach the divine … from the simple yet truly perfect pizza in a restaurant in Vomero, to the spaghetti alle vongole and fritto misto she had had by the sea in Borgo Marinaro, and the plate of salsicce e friarielli served by a toothless crone in a tiny backstreet dive in the heart of the Quartieri Spagnoli.”

Recommended viewing

  • Napoli velata, Ferzan Özpetek
  • Martin Eden, Pietro Marcello
  • The Hand of God (È stata la mano di Dio), Paolo Sorrentino
Castel dell'Ovo
  • Joseph Vernet, View of Naples with Vesuvius (Louvre, Paris)
  • Joseph Vernet, View of the Bay of Naples (Louvre, Paris)