Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
da Dove
(Via Bellini, 3).
There are very few tourists here, and you won't pay an
exorbitant table charge (as you would on the Piazza Trieste e Tridente).
The performance begins in the morning with the buzz and roar of mopeds and
tiny delivery trucks zipping through the crowds, laden with fresh bread and other
products. In the late afternoons in the winter, these streets are filled with smocked
school children playing soccer. In the summer, you'll see the Neapolitan elders—
in windows and on street corners—catching up on neighborhood gossip. It's com-
mon to witness heated marital spats, passionate romantic trysts, near-fatal car
accidents, and Neapolitan road rage, often in the same moment, and sometimes
in the same family. This unbridled passion is what makes Naples so off-putting,
and so captivating.
Saunter farther down the Spaccanapoli and browse through the doll hospital
Ospedale delle Bambole
(Via S. Biagio dei Librai; see below),
and the nearby
stores selling doll parts, from tiny feet to heads. Up the
Via San Sebastiano,
which connects the Spaccanapoli to the
Via dei Tribunali,
you'll find stores sell-
ing music and musical instruments, some so unique you'll just have to stop to ask
for a demonstration. At the top of the street, cross under the
Porta Alba
arch and
look through the used bookseller's offerings. Or cross the
Via dei Tribunali
into
the lovely
Piazza Bellini,
which is home to great restaurants and a worthy mag-
net for Naples's bohemian crowds. There are even cordoned-off ruins here, as if
to remind you that Naples's history began long before the trendy cafes occupied
this spot.
Keep wandering until you get to the
Via Toledo,
also known as the Via Roma.
This is the city's main shopping street and one of the most congested footpaths in
the city. Cross over to the
Spanish Quarter,
but only during the day and only
when you see the streets crowded. This is the seediest part of downtown Naples,
Surviving the Neapolitan Market
No description can do justice to the sensory overload this market experi-
ence produces. There's so much going on, it's almost impossible to capture
it with a camera. Naples's most famous
Mercato di Porta Nolana
555
(mornings along the Via Cesare Carmignano and Via Sporamuro)
can be
overwhelming and downright frightening. No matter what street you
approach from, you'll end up walking through the vegetable market to the
fishmongers, whose yelps and howls are unnerving. Most visitors don't
need fresh fish, but these people are so colorful, it's a shame not to start
up a conversation with them. Many know some English and will show off
their seafood, especially when it's still alive. If you have the kids along,
don't be surprised if they're soon holding squid and starfish. Soon you'll
get a lesson in how to cook the fish, and if there is an open jar of home-
canned sardines nearby, you'll be obliged to take a taste. These burly men
are possibly the most gentle Neapolitans around, and it would be a shame
not to get to know them before leaving the country.
