{"id":95126,"date":"2016-12-31T21:03:18","date_gmt":"2016-12-31T21:03:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/95126\/"},"modified":"2016-12-31T21:03:18","modified_gmt":"2016-12-31T21:03:18","slug":"naples-tour-what-to-see-in-the-historic-centre-in-1-day-mini-documentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wacoca.com\/tour\/95126\/","title":{"rendered":"Naples Tour &#8211; What to see in the Historic Centre in 1 day &#8211; Mini-Documentary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title = \"Naples Tour - What to see in the Historic Centre in 1 day - Mini-Documentary\"   width=\"580\" height=\"385\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/K_sX8Usb1BE\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<br \/>\nWhat to see on a walk through the Historic Centre of Naples.<br \/>\nA mini-documentary by Deanna Allison.<\/p>\n<p>Italy&#8217;s Rai5 tv features footage from this film in their new documentary:<br \/>\nItalia, poeti e navigatori &#8211; Napoli, l&#8217;indescrivibile.<\/p>\n<p>Narration:<br \/>\nNaples is Italy\u2019s 3rd largest city and sits on the Bay of Naples, in the south of the country.<br \/>\nIt lies within sight of Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 AD.<br \/>\nNaples is easy to reach by air, train or bus but be aware that the roads can get very busy.<br \/>\nWe arrived by local train from Sorrento.<br \/>\nWe only had a few hours to explore the city, so we decided to do a walking tour through its Centro Storico, or the Historic Centre, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site.<br \/>\nFrom the railway station it\u2019s just a short walk to the Porta Nolana, or Nolana Gate, which used to guard the ancient port entrance to Naples.<br \/>\nInside the Gate, the streets of the historic centre follow the street plan of ancient Neapolis.<br \/>\nWe were struck by the hustle and bustle of the area.<br \/>\nIt may look a bit shabby and the paintwork may be peeling, but this area is full of life and well worth a visit.<br \/>\nThere are many narrow streets to explore and you\u2019ll see balconies everywhere, many carrying washing lines across the street.<br \/>\nJust inside the Porta Nolana is the busy Mercato di Porta Nolana.<br \/>\nThis is the best seafood market In the city.<br \/>\nAnd,  if you don\u2019t mind crowds, chaos and confusion, this market should not be missed.<br \/>\nThis is where locals go in search of ingredients for their daily meals which are so rich in seafood.<br \/>\nAnd by seafood I mean, clams, mussels,  oysters, shrimp, squid, octopus, sea bass and sword fish, anchovies and sardines and more, all plucked fresh out of the sea.<br \/>\nOf course, seafood isn\u2019t the only produce.<br \/>\nFresh fruits and vegetables, meats and cheeses, breads and desserts, and grocery items round out the market\u2019s offerings.<br \/>\nMoving on from the market, we headed for the Duomo, or Cathedral<br \/>\npassing the Church of Girolamini on the way.<br \/>\nThe  Late Baroque fa\u00e7ade of this church dates from 1780.<br \/>\nThe Cathedral is known as the Cattedrale di San Gennaro, in honour of the patron saint of Naples.<br \/>\nThe Cathedral dates from the 14th century<br \/>\nand was was built by the Angevins.<br \/>\nthough this neo-Gothic facade was only added in the late 19th century.<br \/>\nThe large nave of the cathedral has 16 piers that incorporate more than 100 classical granite columns from the East and Africa.<br \/>\nThe decoration is mostly Baroque: the side walls bear portraits of 46 saints and an ornate painted ceiling.<br \/>\nOff the right aisle, is the Chapel of the Treasury), completed in 1637.<br \/>\nThe most sought-after artists of the period worked on the chapel, creating one of Naples&#8217; greatest baroque legacies.<br \/>\nHighlights here include Giovanni Lanfranco&#8217;s dizzying dome fresco.<br \/>\nHidden away in a strongbox behind the altar is a 14th-century silver bust in which sit the skull of San Gennaro and the two phials that hold his miraculously liquefying blood.<br \/>\nBefore leaving the cathedral, we took some time to admire this 14th century medieval fresco.<br \/>\nAnd outside, we looked at a modern, giant mural of San Gennaro which lies just a short walk from the Cathedral itself.<br \/>\nNext, we headed for Via San Gregorio Armeno which is also known as the Christmas Alley.<br \/>\nThis narrow street is famous across Italy for its nativity crib figurines.<br \/>\nIts clutter of shops and workshops sell a bewildering variety of objects, ranging from traditional biblical characters to kitsch celebrity figurines<br \/>\nand even miniature fruit and vegetables.<br \/>\nAnd, of course, you can buy miniature nativity houses to display your figurines.<br \/>\nThe market is a traditional destination before Christmas but can be enjoyed at any time of the year.<br \/>\nOur next stop was the Church of San Domenico Maggiore.<br \/>\nThe interior of this church is one of the most complex and rich among the city churches in Naples and includes a splendid nave  plus side-chapels.<br \/>\nYou may also spot another nativity scene as you explore.<br \/>\nAt the Piazzeta Nilo we stopped to admire the ancient marble Statua del dio Nilo, or statue of the Nile River god<br \/>\nwhich dates back to Roman times although the bearded head is a more recent 18th century addition.<br \/>\nAt the end of our walk, we arrived at the Piazza del Ges\u00f9 Nuovo.<br \/>\nFor hundreds of years this was the principal western entrance to the city.<br \/>\nThe bell tower of the Basilica di Santa Chiara is a prominent feature here.<br \/>\nThis beautiful square is a favourite late-night hang-out for students and features the Libreria Dante e Descartes which houses a rich collection of second-hand books.<br \/>\nBefore leaving Naples, we took a moment to look back at the Guglia dell\u2019Immacolata, which overlooks the square.<br \/>\nThis rococo obelisk was built between 1747 and 1750 and the gilded copper statue of the Virgin Mary was added in 1753.<\/p>\n<p>Filmed in Campania, Italy in April 2016.<br \/>\nFilm and Narration by Deanna Allison.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What to see on a walk through the Historic Centre of Naples. 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