James Gaston

Lecce to Napoli by train

RS Napoli walk

The charms of Napoli 12 Nov 2024 The charms of Napoli 12 Nov 2024 Napoli --

We are staying in the centro storico of Napoli. It is another one of those places where impressions and fondness evolve, sometimes doing a one eighty. At first we were struck by the noise, the crowds, the trash, the roughness of every surface, but over the course of a few hours we came to feel differently.

Our address, Via San Giovanni Maggiore a Pignatelli, is typical for the context: narrow and dark, lined with doors, windows, and graffiti-covered walls. The people walking the streets are brightly coloured and talkative. There is graffiti. Everywhere. The narrow streets are rarely touched by sunlight. The palazzos are crumbling. Everyone smokes. The cobblestones in the street lie in wait to trip you. There is loose garbage. And all of this makes Napoli feel alive, and the flaws, the chaos and the emotion, feed into its charm.

Via Benedetto Croce

Piazza Pignasecca

Via Port'Alba

Napoli

Via San Giovanni Maggiore Pignatelli viewed from balcony

The view from our apartment balcony, looking down the wonderfully-named Via San Giovanni Maggiore Pignatelli. At the end of the block is Vico Pallonetto Santa Chiara, the street with many names.

Via San Giovanni Maggiore Pignatelli viewed from balcony

The view from our apartment balcony, looking down the wonderfully-named Via San Giovanni Maggiore Pignatelli. At the end of the block is Vico Pallonetto Santa Chiara, the street with many names.

Via San Giovanni Maggiore Pignatelli viewed from balcony

The view from our apartment balcony, looking down the wonderfully-named Via San Giovanni Maggiore Pignatelli. At the end of the block is Vico Pallonetto Santa Chiara, the street with many names.

Our street

Lecce to Napoli by train

RS Napoli walk