Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE ART OF THE NEAPOLITAN PRESEPE
Christmas nativity cribs may not be exclusive to Naples, but none match the artistic brilliance of the
presepe napoletano
(Neapolitan nativity crib). What sets the local version apart is its incredible atten-
tion to detail, from the lifelike miniature
prosciutti
(hams) in the tavern to the lavishly costumed
pas-
tori
(crib figurines or sculptures) adoring the newborn Christ.
For the nobility and bourgeoisie of 18th-century Naples, the
presepe
provided a convenient mar-
riage of faith and ego, becoming as much a symbol of wealth and good taste as a meditation on the
Christmas miracle. The finest sculptors were commissioned and the finest fabrics used. Even the roy-
als got involved: Charles III of Bourbon consulted the esteemed
presepe
expert, Dominican monk
Padre Rocco, on the creation of his 5000-
pastore
spectacular, still on show at the Palazzo Reale
(
Click here
). Yet even this pales in comparison to the upsized Cuciniello crib on display at the Certosa
e Museo di San Martino, considered the world's greatest.
Centuries on, the legacy continues. The craft's epicentre is the
centro storico
(historic centre) street
selling everything from doting donkeys to kitsch celebrity caricatures. Serious connoisseurs, however,
will point you towards the very few workshops that completely handcraft their
pastori
the old-fash-
392 537 71 16;
Via dei Tribunali 303;
10am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, to 3pm Sat, also open 10am-6.30pm Sat & Sun late
Oct-early Jan;
081
29 17 35;
www.lascarabattola.it
;
Via dei Tribunali 50;
10am-2pm & 3.30-7.30pm Mon-Sat;
C55 to Via Duomo) , both in the
centro storico
.
Duomo
CATHEDRAL
( 081 44 90 97;
www.duomodinapoli.com/it/main.htm
; Via Duomo; baptistry admission €1.50;
cathedral & baptistry 8am-12.30pm & 4.30-7pm Mon-Sat, 8am-1.30pm & 5-7.30pm Sun; C55 to Via
Duomo)
Whether you go for Giovanni Lanfranco's fresco in the Cappella di San Gennaro
(Chapel of St Janarius), the 4th-century mosaics in the baptistry, or the thrice-annual mir-
acle of San Gennaro, don't miss Naples' spiritual centrepiece. Sitting on the site of an an-
cient temple to Neptune, the cathedral was initiated by Charles I of Anjou in 1272, con-
secrated in 1315 and largely destroyed in a 1456 earthquake. Copious alterations over the
subsequent centuries have created a melange of styles and influences.
While the neo-Gothic facade was only added in the late 19th century, the high sections
of the nave and the transept are the work of baroque overachiever Luca Giordano. Off the
left aisle, the 17th-century
Cappella di San Gennaro
(Chapel of St Januarius, also known as
the Chapel of the Treasury) was designed by Giovanni Cola di Franco and completed in
1637. The most celebrated artists of the period worked on the chapel - Giuseppe de Rib-
