Naples, a walking tour of the historic center

I met my tour guide in Piazza Bellini and he began to reveal the incredible history of the historic center to me and my group of travelers from Israel and the UK.

Poor Bellini, his monument is a microcosm of Naples. A grand old statue with a sapling tree growing in its cracks. No one cares to climb up there and clean the surface.

The sign below says: Piazza Bellini and the Greek walls

The Royal Conservatory of Music was founded by Napoleon when he also suppressed underused convents (the Italians call monasteries convents). He thought the buildings were beautiful and not used to advantage and gave some of them as homes to new institutions.

No matter how rough the exterior of the conservatory is, the interior courtyard is lovely and well cared for.

My guide told us that there are 416 churches in the center of Naples! Below is the interior of one of them. I fail here as an art historian: I have no idea of the name of the church!

One of the highlights of the tour for me was the walk down this street which felt more like a Moroccan bazaar than an Italian street. This is the famous street where so many of the artisans who make the famous Neapolitan creche scenes are located.

I purchased a few figures for my growing creche composed of parts from Provence, Arezzo and now Naples. Of course, I am never home for Christmas, so who knows when I will put it together!