Restaurant Reservations: in Naples it is good practice to book at a restaurant for dinner also to avoid the risk of not finding a seat.

Taxi Cabs:the taxi rank is located right behind the house, 50 meters away.

 taxi cab app https://www.taxinapoli.it/en

Uber: The service in Italy is managed by official local taxi / cab companies. The price will be slightly higher than official tarrifs.

Cumana Train Station and Metro Stations: Near the Mediterranean Loft there are many train stations: Metro Line 2, Metro Line 6 (NEW),Cumana,Cable Railways. They are very useful for short and long-distance travel throughout the city.

HOW TO GET TO THE HISTORICAL CENTER FROM THE APARTMENT: 

tickets https://www.anm.it/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1858&Itemid=492

1) with the Cumana train from Corso Vittorio Emanuele CVE station, get off at the first MONTESANTO station (4 min)

2) with Metro Line 2 from Mergellina station about 700 meters from home. Get off at the CAVOUR station

3) Walking in the direction of the San Pasquale district, the shopping center of Chiaia, where the famous shops of Italian luxury clothing and accessories brands and Cocktail Bars and Restaurants are located, then continuing along Via Chiaia and Via Toledo other Neapolitan shopping arteries 

4) By walking or pedaling (cycle path) along the seafront you reach Piazza del Plebiscito and via Toledo

LIME e-bikes App Check around for LIME Pedal-assisted E-bikes with payment via APP. They are parked everywhere.You can pay/buy for minutes/hours/dayLime off ers the possibility of using its electric bikes which are convenient if you use the 60 minute subscription of 7 euros to be used in 3 days.You can fi nd it via Uber App or you can dowload LIME app  https://www.li.me/en-it/

HOW to Get VOMERO Hill from the Apartment:  1) with the Cumana train from Corso Vittorio Emanuele CVE station, get off at the first MONTESANTO station (4 min) then swap to Montesanto cable railway to Vomero Hill.

2) walking for 10 minutes till the Chiaia Central Cable Railway located near Amedeo Square in the begininng part of Parco Margherita

The most beautiful seafront in the world? 

Well, according to not only Neapolitans, it is most likely what you will be able to admire once you arrive in the Chiaia district. 

Its name derives from the Latin term plaga, through the Catalan platja or the Castilian playa (which means beach), then declined into Chiaja for linguistic-dialectal reasons. On some street plaques in the neighborhood you can still see the wording Chiaja while on others the neighborhood is simply Chiaia. 

It is one of the most fashionable neighborhoods in the citywhere it is possible to immerse yourself in the good Naples and enjoy relaxing walks and a stone's throw from the sea. 

Located between Vomero (reachable via cable Railways), Fuorigrotta, San Ferdinando and Posillipo, the Chiaia district is considered the pointof reference for Neapolitan nightlife: 

Many wine bars, clubs, lounge bars, pubs, pizzerias and restaurants are concentrated here.

Whether you prefer typical cuisine (with places with centuries-old traditions) or the trendiest international culinary off erings, you will be spoiled for choice. 

But the neighborhood is also considered a good place for shopping, whether classic or fanciful. In fact, here there are many boutiques and showrooms of the most prestigious international fashion brands and some of the historic shops of thecelebrated Made in Naples fashion.

 Neapolitan style and elegance,undisputed and highly appreciated throughout the world, find their maximum expression here. Whether you are looking for men's"mappina" jackets, seven-fold ties or the most sophisticated high fashion tailored suits for ladies. There is no shortage of places of architectural, historical and cultural interest. 

The symbol of the cityis certainly Castel dell'Ovo, located on the islet of Megaride right in the seafront, which offers the possibility of admiring the sunset from the terraces located at the top. Easily reachable on foot from via Partenope, with free access, it offers a breathtaking view of the gulf and also houses a small ethno-prehistory museum, also free. 

A point of reference for lovers of contemporary art is certainly the Pan Palazzo delle Arti in Naples, a center for the study of the works,protagonists and languages of contemporary art in the city, which often hosts important international exhibitions including photography.

 And again the carriage museum in Villa Pignatelli, and obviously Palazzo Reale with its frescoed apartments, the sumptuous staircase and its gardens, overlooking the marvelous Piazza del Plebiscito, like the Church of San Francesco di Paola with its semicircular colonnade.

 A visit to the San Carlo Theater is unmissable, considered one of the most beautiful in the world as well as the oldest opera house in Europe and to the Umberto I Gallery, with its characteristic iron and glass dome and the polychrome marbles that characterize the interior.

 Also within walking distance are the Maschio Angioino and Piazza del Municipio. They border, on the hilly side that climbs up to Vomero, the much celebrated (and reviled) Quartieri Spagnoli.

Born around the 16thcentury in order to welcome the Spanish military garrisons destined to repress any revolts of the Neapolitan population, in the general imagination they remain places linked to crime and poverty.

 Despite the reputation that the neighborhood brings with it, it stillconstitutes a nucleus of first-rate historical and artistic relevance inthe city of Naples, which also offers various insights into popular culture and the Neapolitan philosophy of life, such as, for example,the presence of the "Neapolitan lowlands" (now also become prestigious accommodation facilities), of small, dark alleys characterized by high staircases and clothes hung out to dry between the buildings.

 An iconography that does not do justice to the universe that lives and teems in these streets. The area has now consolidated its rehabilitation from a tourist point of view wit hnumerous typical trattorias, artisan workshops and shops with typical products.

The name of the neighborhood most likely comes from the agricultural vocation that characterized the area in ancient times and in a not too distant past. 

The game of the ploughshare, a peasant pastime that declared the winner whoever, with the plowshare, traced a furrow as straight as possible. However, the activity linked to the fields and the large harvest of vegetables grown earned it the nickname Broccoli Hill for centuries. Until the end of the 19th century, Vomero was an almost uninhabited suburb far from the city. 

When Naples became the capital of the Angevins in 1266 (it remained so until the unification of Italy in 1860), the need to move up the slopes of the Vomerese hill began to arise, above all for strategic reasons. The area therefore began to be populated especially starting from the construction of the Carthusian Cloister in 1325 and almost at the same time the Angevins replaced the ancient lookout tower (from the Norman period) near which the Cloister was built, with the Belforte Castle, the starting nucleus of Castel Sant'Elmo.

 However, the structure of the remaining Vomerese territory remained unchanged. During the plague in 1656, the hill was used as a refuge by the nobility and the clergy: the tendency was born among the aristocracy residing in the historic center to build a second home in Vomero.

 In the early 19th century the neighborhood was promoted to the rank of not only a noble but also a royal residence, with the acquisition of a villa by Ferdinand of Bourbon: thus today's Villa Floridiana was born. Even today, among modern buildings it is possible to admire the splendid villas and buildings in late Liberty style which were built in large numbers at the beginning of the century around the Villa Floridiana and towards the area of Castel Sant'Elmo and San Martino and which constituted until mid-twentieth century the distinctive feature of the new neighborhood. 

Even before the Redevelopment Law, thanks to the initiative of the Tiberina bank, some lands between San Martino, via Belvedere and Antignano were earmarked for the construction of a new neighbourhood. The New District was inaugurated with the opening of the Chiaia Cable Railway followed by the Montesanto Cable Railway. 

Until that date, but still for several decades afterwards,the life and therefore the history of the Vomerese hill and that of the city of Naples evolved separately. “I'm going to Naples”, “I'm going down to Naples” were the phrases of the Vomero people to indicate the journey towards the centre. And perhaps, deep down, this distinction will always be part of Neapolitan culture. 

Returning to the present day, once you arrive in Vomero by subway or cable Railway ( there's another cable railway getting  Vomero hill from Old Town,it's next Montesanto Cumana Station)  a pleasant walk through the central streets of the neighborhood is advisable, some of which have limited traffic.

From Piazza Vanvitelli, the central point and evening meeting place, you can walk along the elegant Via Bernini up to Piazza Medaglie D'Oro, the Vomerese shopping street Via Scarlatti (traveled in the opposite direction leads to Castel Sant'Elmo and the Certosa di San Martino) and the quiet and elegant adjacent streets. 

The Villa Floridiana is the neighborhood park with a splendid view of the Gulf and Capri, inside which you can visit the Duca di Martina National Museum of Ceramics with a collection of Capodimonte ceramics as well as specimens from the Far East.

 Castel Sant'Elmo and the Certosa di San Martino are located a few  meters from each other, thus making it possible to visit them together.  Both located at the top of the hill and easily reachable on foot from the central streets of Vomero or from the Metro and Cable Railways exits, they are two oases of tranquility and breathtaking views of Naples and the Gulf. 

The Certosa di San Martino has a church inside with marble, sculptures and paintings; a museum (National Museum of S. Martino)  containing the history and culture of Naples and the Southern kingdoms, where you can visit a naval section, a nativity scene section, a theater section and the Image and Memories of the City section.

 Inside the Certosa di San Martino, a visit to the splendid panoramic gardens is recommended,which offer a wonderful and very silent view of the Gulf. 

From here you can roll down to the most ancient stairs road and getting back to old town and city centre by walking down the Hill: path stairs is La Pedamentina ancient stairs. Amazing Experience. 

Don't miss a stop to Malinconico Salumeria in corso vittorio emanuele street before to back to Montesanto station and Pignasecca Market trough the amazing and breathtaking Vanvitelli ancient stairs!

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train, get off Montesanto then swap with Montesanto Cable Railway to Vomero Hill or walk 10 minutes to Chiaia Cable Railway  Amedeo square/ Parco Margherita for Vomero Hill

The historic center of Naples represents the first historical nucleus of the city, contains almost three millennia of history and is the largest in Italy and one of the largest in Europe.

 Declared largely a world heritage site by UNESCO, due to its exceptional monuments, which testify to the succession of Mediterranean and European cultures, it has been included in the list of assets to be protected. In the historic center we recognize the value of an extraordinary concentration of points of interest: in this regard, in 2017 the BBC defined Naples as "the Italian city with too much history to manage". 

Its particular uniqueness lies in the almost total conservation and use of the ancient road layout from the Greek era. There are narrow streets, ancient shops, most of the university buildings, churches, museums, monuments, excavations, historic buildings and archaeological sites enclosed in a place where time seems to have stopped and where authenticity and tradition leave no space to globalization. 

The ancient center sees the history and transformations of the city follow one another in over 27 centuries of history, from the first Greek settlements of the 7th century BC, to all the eras that characterized the city of Naples: center of Magna Graecia, Roman, Byzantine, Norman, Swabian, Angevin, Aragonese, Bourbon. 

The city has two real original ancient nuclei: the first is the Pizzofalcone hill, on which the city of Partenope was born, while the second is the area of the decumani of Naples where the subsequent Neapolis was built. The decumani of Naples are ancient streets of Naples created at the end of the 6th century during the Greek era, constituting the heart of the ancient center of the city.

 There are three of them and they run parallel to each other, crossing the city from east to west, parallel to the coast. The central decumanus today corresponds to via dei Tribunali, the upper one is the one that over the centuries has undergone the greatest urban changes, losing its linearity in some places.

 The best-known decumanus is certainly the lower one, better known as Spaccanapoli, as it clearly divides, with its perfect linearity, the ancient city between the north and the south.

 Looking from the Certosa di San Martino you can perfectly perceive this split.

 In the historic center you can admire a particularly large number of cultural and artistic resources: obelisks, monasteries, cloisters, museums, nativity scenes, catacombs, outdoor and underground archaeological excavations with Roman and Greek ruins, including the Roman theatre, statues and basreliefs, monumental friezes, as well as medieval columns supporting ancient historic buildings and much more.

 The decumani area sees the existence of more than 200 historic churches to which the activities of illustrious exponents of Italian and international art are linked. Among the main artists we remember Giotto, Caravaggio, Luca Giordano, Cosimo Fanzago, Luigi Vanvitelli, Tino da Camaino, Jusepe de Ribera, Mattia Preti and many others. 

The most tourist area of the historic center is delimited by Via Toledo-Via Pessina (west), Corso Umberto (south), Via Carbonara (east) and Piazza Cavour – via Foria (north). What do you prefer when visiting this area? Difficult to choose. 

The alleys of Naples in the historic center are a network of streets waiting to be discovered. Small streets, packed with tourists as well as students and locals. To discover the evocative interiors of the ancient buildings, the typical shops and shops, where you can perhaps talk to the inhabitants, and enjoy apizza and the countless delicacies of street food that Neapolitan cuisine offers. 

Strolling through the workshops and fine arts shops of Via Costantinopoli and Piazza Bellini and looking out into the cloister of the Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella from where you can hear the students' music and songs during lesson hours willcertainly be an added value. 

Underground Naples is an unmissablestop; an evocative journey into the subsoil of Naples to discover the Greco-Roman ruins which were subsequently used as a shelter to shelter from the bombings during the Second World War and which still bears witness to the life of those moments with objects,memories and graffiti. Just as, whether you are devout or not, the Cathedral of Naples is an unmissable stop, a wonderful 13th century cathedral which includes within it: the Basilica of Santa Restituta, the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte, the Chapel and the Museum of Treasure of San Gennaro, patron saint of the city, with goldsmith masterpieces of inestimable value.

 It is at the Cathedral of Naples that every year, on 19 September, 16 December and the first Sunday in May, hundreds of citizens witness the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of San Gennaro. In short, if you want to get to know Naples you must inevitably pass through the historic centre, where legends and characters born in the shadow of Vesuvius will be able to conquer any tourist, bewitching them forever, withculture,history, beauty and, why not, culinary delights.

HOW TO GET CITY CENTRE FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Reaching the historic center of Naples is very easy, just take the Cumana train which leaves from behind the house from the Corso Vittorio Emanuele CVE station and reach the historic center of Naples (Montesanto station) in just one stop. 

At the exit of the station you will find one of the oldest markets in Naples, the Pignasecca Market with lots of Neapolitan street food, is very funny. Here's a one of the best in town pizzeria Da Attilio. In the old town of Naples there are mainly pedestrian areas.

 It is worth crossing it entirely: Piazza Dante, Piazza Bellini, Piazza Miraglia, Via dei Tribunali, Piazza San Gaetano (here you will also find 2 accesses to Underground Naples) Via San Gregorio Armeno (the famous street of the Neapolitan shepherds), Via San Biagio of Booksellers, Piazza Nilo (here you can eat very well, typical Neapolitan food at Tandem), then Piazza del Gesú, again, Piazza San Domenico ! 

In this area, a visit to the Veiled Christ in the Sansevero Chapel Museum is unmissable.

 Check the availability of tickets online, it is always very difficult to find availability. Book in time! 

Also worth seeing in the historic center/ old town are the MANN archaeological museum, and the Madre museum of contemporary art.

Located in the historic center of Naples, the Quartieri Spagnoli are the most authentic area of the city, made up of the San Ferdinando, Avvocata and Montecalvario districts. 

They were built in the 16th century with the aim of welcoming the Spanish military garrisons established in the city destined for the repression of any revolts of the Neapolitan population, or as a temporary home for the soldierswho passed through Naples in the direction of other places ofconflict and, at the same time , as public housing suitable for hosting the numerous inhabitants who, in those years, had settled in the capital of the kingdom from the surrounding countryside. 

Today the Quartieri Spagnoli are one of the most popular destinations for tourists from all over the world, characterized from an urban planning point of view by a reticular structure , the new shops and well-known restaurants, the small fish and fruit and vegetable markets that are stationed there inside, the opening of the most beautiful metro station in the world and, in general, the folklore that the area preserves. 

In recent years, the area has also begun to welcome a significant number of university students, who rent apartments or single rooms there, due to its proximity to some of the Neapolitan universities, such as, for example, near Montecalvario, the Foqus hosts a portion of the courses belonging to the Academy of Fine Arts.

 Among the narrow streets of the Quartieri Spagnoli it is easy to come across a series of murals that tell the present and past history of Naples. An open-air art gallery that represents a godsend for the most curious photographers who want to capture the underground side that mixes with the historic architecture of the Quartieri Spagnoli. “Vicolo di Totò” is the new name of Via Portacarrese, where numerous artists have left works dedicated to Totò and other great Neapolitan artists such as posters, murals and photos of Prince Antonio De Curtis. There is no shortage of works of art dedicated to Diego Armando Maradona, idol of the entire Neapolitan population. 

The area of the Quartieri Spagnoli is delimited on the two long sides of the precipice of the Vomero Hill, a rugged and rocky front that looks in the direction of Vesuvius and close to which the neighborhoods perched on the side exposed to the western sun have gradually formed, and reachable in the first instance from the long series of footpaths which were deserted the day after the opening of the hill road. 

The area closes to the south on the other two sides, the short ones of Via Chiaia, which divides the Pizzofalcone hill and to the north at the height of the much shorter Via Giuseppe Simonelli which cuts and generates at that point the jump in altitude from Montecalvario to the Montesanto area.

The Pignasecca, as well as the oldest market in Naples, allows the visitor to admire a very evocative and folkloristic cross-section of the Neapolitan city where displays of fish, fruit, vegetables, friedfoods and typical sweets to be eaten in the street are flanked bystalls of all kinds, with clothing, accessories and music CDs, at very affordable prices. 

The picturesque Pignasecca market is located in the Quartieri Spagnoli area of Naples, behind the equally lively and central ViaToledo. 

You will be in the heart of the historic center of Naples.

Fashion and accessories are ok, but coming to Naples and not bringing home some local flavors would almost be a crime. In one of the most popular, populous and characteristic neighborhoods of the city, the Pignasecca Market comes to life, which extends from Piazza Montesanto, near the stop of the same name on line 2 of the metro and the Cumana train, and along the entire Via Pignasecca.

 It is one of the most characteristic and evocative places in Naples, as well as home to one of the city's historic local markets, literally stormed every day by foreigners and citizens. The stalls mainly sell low-cost food, but it is not uncommon to also find retailers of objects and clothing. 

Between one purchase and another, don't forget to take a break in one of the street food outlets in the area. The sellers, shouting and singing, offer fruit and vegetables, fish,preserved products and other delicacies but also clothing, and alternate with the many small shops in the area and the many places that sell delicacies for every palate, sweet and savory. It is a market where Neapolitan smells, flavors and noises mix perfectly. Here more than anywhere else we recommend keeping an eye on the stock exchanges. You never know…

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

It's very easy to get Pignasecca market: just take the CUMANA Corso Vittorio Emanuele station get off fi rst stop MONTESANTOthen walk on the right outside the station.

The first of the two large murals dedicated to Maradona is located in the Quartieri Spagnoli in Naples, in Via Emanuele de Deo at no. 60 and was painted on a 6-storey building in 1990 when Napoli won their second scudetto thanks also to the exploits of Diego Armando Maradona. 

It was created by Mario Filardi, a young artist who lived in the area at the time and was 23 years old.

 Thanks to a collection organized by fans in the neighborhood, Filardi created the large portrait of Maradona in two nights and three days. And once the design was finished, a big party was organized with the inevitable fireworks.

Over time the mural, created with simple paints, began to fade and in 1998, in the point of the wall where Diego's head was, a window was also opened. Unfortunately, the author of the mural Mario Filardi was no longer there and a local craftsman, Salvatore Iodice, took on the task of restoring it in 2016. 

The Municipality of Naples also provided him with a forklift. A further remake was carried out in October 2017, when the great Argentine street artist Francisco Bosoletti, in Naples for other works, remade the face ofMaradona's mural again.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train, get off at MONTESANTO Station, then walk 10 minutes  crossing Toledo street and then turning into Quartieri Spagnoli on the right side 

In Naples a bigger heart for art and culture Gallery of Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano Splendid 17th century bank building which houses masterpieces of international art, first of all the "Martyrdom of Saint Ursula" by Caravaggio and a rich section dedicated to 18th and 19th century landscape painting with works by Van Wittel and Pitloo.

A new large space, overlooking the lively and central Via Toledo, renews and expands the Gallerie d'Italia museum in Naples. 10,000 square meters of continuous discoveries, with new exhibition itineraries alongside long-loved works, new spaces for meetings and initiatives.

The monumental hall on the ground floor is dedicated to temporary exhibitions and major events. The tradition of cultural and musical initiatives that have animated the Gallerie d'Italia and the city since2008 continues in the new spaces on the main floor.

On the second and third floors exhibited collections of paintings and sculptures.

Recently opened the Luminist, a Café Bar Bistro Restaurant on the ground floor, and the Anthill, an incredible Cocktail Bar located on the top floor on the roof of the Museum.

HOW TO GET FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

from the Cumana CVE station near the apartment get off at the first MONTESANTO station then continue crossing the entire pedestrian and commercial area of via Toledo up to piazza del Plebiscito

The San Carlo Theater  Via San Carlo nr 98

The San Carlo Theater is one of the most famous and prestigious opera houses in the world. Among the oldest closed opera houses in Europe and the world still active, it was founded in 1737.

 In line with the other great architectural works of the period, such as the great Bourbon palaces, it was the symbol of a Naples that underlined its status of a great European capital.

The strange story of the clock of the San Carlo Theater in Naples

 The San Carlo Theater is one of the oldest operating theaters in Europe, and undoubtedly one of the most famous in the world. Its colors were originally not red and gold, but the blue and silver of the coat of arms that surmounts the proscenium arch. Every detail hides a new one; think of the clock located under the proscenium arch

 Time! Which inexorably passes and doesn't stop for an hour.

 There is, however, a clock in Naples of which few know the existence and the clock that is located on the arch of the proscenium of the Neapolitan opera house. 

The oldest theater in Europe, the most beautiful of all. In fact, he has a strange and different watch, it is a French watch that was mentioned by Stendhal in his book: Journey to Italy.

 The writer was so impressed by the new neoclassical hall of the theater that he could not help but describe it in his novel. “On the arch between the columns of the proscenium, colossal silver bas-relief. In the middle, time marks the time with your finger on a mobile dial. Strangely enough, with all the official phobia for everything French, this clock, the only one in the whole city, tells the time like in France.

 What will Italian patriotism tell him? He describes a peculiarity that you cannot escape, and in fact the dial turns. It is enough to observe the right arm of the winged figure to realize that it remains still despite the passage of time. According to tradition and the Parthenope mermaid represented at the bottom left, which suggests to time Cronos to make the minutes pass as slowly as possible, so as to be able to enjoy more and with more time available the beauty of art, in particular the arts which are celebrated in the theatre.

 In fact, the muses of poetry, music and dance are represented. The hourly digits rotate around the finger of time, like the wheel of life. The San Carlo theater in Naples, a treasure chest, has the ability to amaze, the eyes are dazzled, the soul is enraptured, the hearing enraptured, it is among the rooms that have the best acoustics in Italy.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

from the Cumana CVE station near the apartment get off at the first MONTESANTO station then continue crossing the entire pedestrian and commercial area of via Toledo up to piazza del Plebiscito

MADRE Museum Via Luigi Settembrini nr 79

MADRE is the first museum for contemporary art located in the historic center of a city.

 Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza transformed the ancient Donnaregina palace into a splendid and functional modern space for contemporary art.

 Present in the museum galleries are the permanent works of Clemente, Lewitt, Long, Bianchi, Fabro, Koons, Paladino, Pistoletto,Kounellis, Horn, Paolini and Serra, following the most significant events of the artistic languages from the end of the fifties to the beginning of the Ninety.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Metro line 2 from Mergellina get off at the CAVOUR stop

The National Archaeological Museum of Naples (Mann)  Piazza Museo nr 19

The National Archaeological Museum of Naples (Mann) is a historic museum, among the most important in the Neapolitan city. It boasts the richest and most valuable heritage of works of art and artefacts of archaeological interest in Italy, and is considered one of the most important archaeological museums in the world, if not the most important regarding the history of the Roman era.

 The museum is made up of three main sections: the Farnese collection (coming from Rome and surrounding areas), the Pompeian collections (with finds from the Vesuvian area, especially from the Bourbon collections) and the Egyptian collection which, in terms of importance, is placed in the world in third place after those of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and the Egyptian Museum in Turin.

The Museum also offers a section dedicated to the National Archaeological Museum excavations with finds from the prehistoric to the medieval era, discovered during the works of the Toledo underground stations, Piazza Municipio, Piazza Nicola Amore.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Metro line 2 from Mergellina get off at the CAVOUR stop cumana from Corso Vittorio Emanuele (CVE) get off at the first MONTESANTO stop then less than 10 minutes walk

Napoli Sotterranea  Piazza San Gaetano nr 68

It is an obligatory stop in Naples. A substrate rich in history and linked to the rediscovery of a rare, if not unique, heritage. 

Works of great civil engineering, left abandoned for a long time and now brought back to life thanks to the skilful work of Napoli Sotterranea into the Monumental Complex of San Lorenzo Maggiore. Indescribable beauties and evocative places to be discovered.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana Train CVE station near the apartment get off at the first MONTESANTO station then continue crossing the decumani /ancient streets of the old town and the pedestrian areas.  or MERGELLINA Metro Station Line 2 get off at PIAZZA CAVOUR then walk towards the Duomo for about 10 minutes.

Appartamento Napoli Sotterranea  Vico S. Anna di Palazzo nr 52

Underground Naples in Chiaia.

The visible Naples of the alleys rests its foundations on an ancient network of underground roads: the tunnels dug by the Greeks when they began to extract tuff from the subsoil to strengthen the city walls.

 In Roman times, these underground passages were expanded and adapted to collect rainwater, thus creating an aqueduct that would serve to bring water to Neapolitan homes until 1885.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

 Cumana train CVE station near the apartment get off at the first MONTESANTO station then continue crossing the entire pedestrian shopping Toledo street up to piazza del Plebiscito.

Galleria Borbonica  Via Domenico Morelli 61 c

The tunnel was built in 1853 by Ferdinand II of Bourbon who, worried about the outbreaks of revolt, had an escape route built from the Royal Palace to the barracks in Via della Pace. 

The work was not completed and during the Second World War, it was used by the residents of Monte di Dio as a war shelter, and then became the municipal judicial warehouse.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

the Bourbon gallery is located in the Chiaia district about 20/25 minutes walk from the apartment

The Anton Dohrn zoological station of Naples is a scientific institution and research body located in the Villa Comunale (between via Caracciolo and the Riviera di Chiaia), in the Chiaia district. It also includes an aquarium, the oldest in Italy. The aquarium of the zoological station, together with the herbarium, the historical archive, the library and the interesting zoological collection, is inside the station building and represents one of the oldest structures of this kind in Europe. It was opened to the public in January 1874. In Dohrn's intentions, it would serve both to ensure resources for the institute and to spread knowledge and interest in marine organisms among the public. Originally, it covered 527 square meters and was exclusively dedicated to Mediterranean fauna. A second building, connected to the first via a bridge, was added between 1885 and 1888,[1] while the courtyard and east wing were built in 1905. In 2022 the aquarium contains approximately thirty tanks with over two hundred marine animal and plant species, most of which come from the Gulf of Naples. Various sea turtles are periodically hosted, mainly of the Caretta caretta species, recovered injured at sea and waiting to be reintroduced into their original habitat. In 1957 a new room was inserted between the first and second buildings into which the library was moved. in the central room: there are the aquarium tanks arranged side by side in a horseshoe shape on both walls. At the Dohrn Station today research is carried out in the field of biology and oceanography, in an interdisciplinary manner in the specific fields of biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, neurobiology and neurophysiology as well as the various branches of ecology.

The Station is equipped with the Vettoria, a research vessel specifically designed to carry out sea sampling in the field of marine biology and ecology.

The aquarium group was already involved in the rescue and care of sea turtles in 1983 and after a few years, given the increased number of turtles to be recovered, the need arose to create a suitable centre. In September 2004 the Turtle Point was born in Bagnoli, a hospital and recovery center for turtles as well as an exhibition centre. In January 2017, the new turtle research center, the largest in the Mediterranean, was inaugurated in Portici (Na).

Founded in 1872 by the German naturalist and zoologist Anton Dohrn, born in Stettin (now Poland) in 1840 and graduated in Berlin in Natural Sciences, for his knowledge and study of the flora and fauna of the sea, it soon represented one of the most authoritative City scientifi c institutions, alongside those created in the Bourbon era: the R. Botanical Garden in Via Foria and the Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory. It was the fi rst institution of non-Bourbon origin and was founded in Naples by choice of Dohrn himself, fascinated by the city and interested in the faunal richness of the gulf. The aquarium of Naples with its attached zoological station became a world center for thestudy of marine biology. After visiting a recently opened aquarium in Berlin, Dohrn thought that opening a paid aquarium in Naples would provide the laboratory with enough money to pay the salary of a permanent assistant. Naples, with a population of 500,000, was one of thel argest and most attractive cities in Europe, and also had aconsiderable flow of tourists (30,000 per year) who could have been potential visitors to the aquarium. Dohrn managed to overcome the doubts of the city authorities and persuaded them to assign him a small piece of land on the seashore,in the municipal villa, free of charge, on the condition of building the zoological station at his expense. Anton Dohrn Zoological Station, Naples After his death, the management of the station passed to his son Rinaldo and subsequently to his nephew Pietro. Dohrn opened the station to visiting scientists in September 1873,and to the general public in January 1874. Intending to promote the Station's international status andguarantee its political and economic independence and freedom of research, Dohrn then introduced a series of innovative methods to finance his project. First, the rental of work and research space (the"Bench system"): for an annual fee, governments, scientific institutions, private foundations or individuals could send a scientist to the Station for a year, where he would found everything needed to conduct research available (animal supplies, chemistry, an exceptional library and an expert staff ). These facilities were off ered without strings attached, meaning that scholars were entirely free to pursue their own projects and ideas. The systema Bench worked extremely well, and by the time Anton Dohrn died in Munich in 1909,more than 2,200 scientists from Europe and the United States hadworked in Naples, and more than 50 annual subscriptions had beensold. The success of the Zoological Station, and the new way ofconducting and financing research represent Dohrn's great success. Subsequently, scientific research centers inspired by the Neapolitan model arose in every part of the world, which can therefore be considered the first research center in the modern sense.

According to recent organizational sociology studies, the Zoological Station anticipated a post-industrial scientific research planning model in the midst of the industrial era, which favored typically current themes such as interdisciplinarity, the managerial capacity for self-financing (through the aquarium and sale of marine animals to other research institutes, etc.), the promotion of cooperation and collaboration of all people involved in research (collaborators,technicians, fishermen and janitors). As many as 19 Nobel Prizewinners have actively worked in its laboratories, giving significant impetus to the development of biological sciences.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

The Anton Dohrn zoological station in Naples is located in the Villa Comunale (between via Caracciolo and the Riviera di Chiaia), in the Chiaia district, about a 20-minute walk from the apartment.

 Pio Monte della Misericordia Via dei Tribunali 253

The Pio Monte della Misericordia is a charitable institution, still active, founded in 1602 by seven Neapolitan noblemen. The seventeenth-century palace houses one of the most important private Italian collections open to the public: the prestigious collection donated by the painter Francesco de Mura includes works from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, including Giordano, Ribera, Vaccaro, Stanzione. Of notable importance is the painting by Caravaggio "The Seven Works of Mercy" (1607).

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train CVE station near the apartment get off at the first MONTESANTO station then continue crossing the decumani of the historic center and the pedestrian areas.

Palazzo Reale di Napoli  Piazza del Plebiscito 1

The Royal Palace of Naples was founded as the palace of the King of Spain Philip III of Habsburg in the year 1600, on the initiative of the viceroy Fernando Ruiz de Castro. 

The architect Domenico Fontana designed a civil residence with late Renaissance forms with classical columns and ornaments. Even today you can admire the halls, the royal apartment, the hanging gardens, the splendid marble staircase and the small court theatre.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train CVE station near the apartment get off at the first MONTESANTO station then continue crossing the entire pedestrian shopping area of via Toledo up to piazza del Plebiscito.

Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte Via Miano 2

The construction of the Royal Palace of Capodimonte dates back to the reign of Charles Bourbon in order to house the art collection of the Farnese family. 

The Palace was then enriched with furnishings and objects transferred from the ex-Bourbon royal sites and is the only museum of ancient art in Italy to have a section dedicated to contemporary art. 

Great names of Italian and international painting are on display including Raphael, Titian, Parmigianino, Bruegel the Elder, El Greco, the masters of the Neapolitan School and that of the Neapolitan Gallery such as Simone Martino and Luca Giordano. 

Andy Warhol's Vesuvius is also located here.

Dont' miss a visit to the amazing Stufa dei Fiori Garden Tea Bar.Breakfast and Lunch.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train C.V. Emanuele station get off at the first MONTESANTO station then BUS nr 204 from SANT'ANNA DEI LOMBARDI get off stop nr 15 COLLI AMINEI C.T.O. MUSEO CAPODIMONTE

Biblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III Piazza del Plebiscito 1

The National Library occupies the eastern wing of the Royal Palace, which is identified with the eighteenth-century expansions, probably by Fernando Fuga, of the ancient quadrangular plan by Domenico Fontana. The Library is accessed from the nineteenth century garden. Today's Distribution Room is part of the group of four rooms which, together with the large ballroom (now the reading room), constituted the Party Rooms.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train CVE station near the apartment get off at the first MONTESANTO station then continue crossing the entire pedestrian shopping area of via Toledo up to piazza del Plebiscito.

Museo del Tesoro di San Gennaro  Via Duomo 149

Right next to the Cathedral of Naples is the exhibition dedicated to the Treasure of San Gennaro. 

The museum area is over seven hundred square meters and displays his works in the rooms below the Treasure Chapel, for a series of art collections including jewels, statues, busts, fine fabrics and paintings of great value.

 Among the most interesting items is a miter from 1713 by the goldsmith Matteo Treglia, in which numerous precious stones are set. One of a kind is the valuable collection of silver which, spanning a period of time from 1305 to the contemporary age, is intact having never been tampered with due to theft and is almost entirely the work of masters of the Neapolitan school. .

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Metro line 2 from Mergellina station stop at CAVOUR station

Complesso Monumentale di Santa Chiara  Via Santa Chiara 49

The basilica and monastic complex of Santa Chiara were built between 1310 and 1340, on a Roman thermal complex from the 1st century AD. 

The complex winds inside the Franciscan citadel and includes the Opera Museum, the archaeological area, the majolica cloister and the 18th century nativity scene room.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train CVE station near the apartment get off at the first MONTESANTO station then continue crossing the decumani of the historic center and the pedestrian areas.

Castel dell'Ovo  Via Eldorado 3

One of the most imaginative Neapolitan legends traces its name to the egg that Virgil hid inside a cage in the castle's basement. The place where the egg was kept was closed with heavy locks and kept secret because "all the facts and fortune of the sea castle hung on that egg". The fortress today hosts contemporary art exhibitions, the Museum of EthnoPrehistory as well as being a fantastic observation point of the city.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

it is located on the Lungomare about 25 minutes walking from the apartment

Ipogeo dei Cristallini necropoli ellenistica    via dei cristallini 133

The Cristallini Hypogeum is a rare and incredible testimony of Hellenic painting and architecture, located in the heart of the Sanità-Vergini district.

 The four spaces of the Hypogeum reveal to visitors a world that is still alive, rich in decorations and highly refined trompe l'oeil effects. Also on display is the rich collection of ancient finds and vases still magnificently preserved. A journey back in time 2300 years: an experience that will allow you to descend into the mysterious "underground world", contemplating the extraordinary beauty of ancient art and crafts, understanding the timeless meaning of life and death, of love and of care, family and friendship.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Metro line 2 from Mergellina station get off at CAVOUR station

 San Giovanni a Carbonara Via Carbonara 4

The church of San Giovanni a Carbonara is a monumental church in Naples located in the street of the same name in the historic center.

 Although the foundation dates back to the fourteenth century, the sixteenth-century sculptural and pictorial works that decorate the interior make it one of the most artistically important Renaissance churches in the city.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Metro line 2 from Mergellina get off at CAVOUR station

Palazzo dello Spagnolo   Via Vergini 19

The Palazzo dello Spagnolo or Spagnuolo (formerly Palazzo Moscati) is a monumental palace in Naples, located in via Vergini at number 19 in the Sanità district, in the old town. So beautiful.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Metro line 2 from Mergellina get off at CAVOUR station

The MUSA The Anatomical Museum of the University of Campania   via luciano armanni 5

The MUSA  is an educational institution located in the city of Naples, located at the human anatomy institute in the cloisters of Santa Patrizia of the University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" .

It is one of the most important anatomy museums in the world and also contains a humerus prepared by the great Flemish anatomist Andrew Vesalius in the 16th century.

Created between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, mainly for educational purposes and thanks to a series of collections that were placed there following the affirmation of Charles Darwin's evolutionary theories.

Closed after a long period of restoration, it was reopened to the public in 2015. In 2020 it received Tripadvisor's Travellers' Choice Awards.

In the museum there is a section relating to normal anatomy, where it is possible to find, among other things, a collection of wax organs curated by Francesco Citarelli and a sequence of internal organs, many of which are dried.

Then there is a section interested in pathological anatomy; here are preserved malformed fetuses, cyclopean heads and numerous finds of "monstrosities" in formalin or alcohol.

Entrance is free but online booking is required.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana  train from C.V. station Emanuele get off at the MONTESANTO station

then walking until the entrance to the Santa Patrizia Complex. The Museum is on the first floor.

Doll Hospital    Via San Biagio Dei Librai 39

The Doll Hospital is a museum in Naples, whose headquarters are in Palazzo Marigliano in the central Spaccanapoli.

 It contains vintage toys and dolls, the Grugnette from the Lenci company and the Barbie from the Mattel company. Attached to the museum there is a laboratory which provides for the restoration of the collected material, but also for the care of dolls, of citizens who use this structure as if it were a real hospital, mainly repairing porcelain, plastic, wood and papier-mâché dolls. 

With a century-old tradition, it is one of the most specialized, equipped and famous doll repair centers in Italy.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Mergellina Metro station line 2 get off at CAVOUR station then continue walking to the destination (10 minutes)

A'Mbasciata   via benedetto croce 19

“T'aggia fa n'ambasciata”

"i need to talk to you about a thing..." is one of the most classic expressions of our dialect, which indicates the act of “bringing news”. And it is precisely starting from this way of saying that A'Mbasciata was born in 2016, a cultural and social promotion association which, thanks to passion and dedication, has made it possible to revalue a space of almost 500 m2. This suggestive lounge is located inside one of the oldest buildings in the historic center of Naples, Palazzo Venezia which, built in the 14th century, was for over 400 years historical testimony to a set of political and economic relations between the Republic of Venice and the Kingdom of Naples. The palace, in fact, was used as a home for the

Venetian ambassadors in Naples, therefore, an Embassy in name and in fact!!

In one of the streets most frequented by city tourism, a beautiful location for a cultural association with multipurpose spaces capable of hosting cultural and spectacular events of various kinds and allowing for pleasant entertainment also with bar service. The modern furnishing elements scattered throughout the rooms are valuable. "embassy" in the dialectal sense of embassy, message, not "embassy".

It is located in the same historic building as Palazzo Venezia, a "hidden" place accessible by knocking or bell. The atmosphere is enveloping and the staff is really very friendly.

it is truly a spectacular place in the heart of Naples. They organize many heterogeneous events from music to poetry, film clubs and stand-up comedy, Neapolitan dialect courses... You have to follow social media to be updated on events and it is best to book.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V Emanuele station get off at the first MONTESANTO station then continue walking through the historic center to your destination in via benedetto croce between piazza del gesu andpiazza san domenico.

Gesù Nuovo   Piazza del Gesù Nuovo 2

The church of Gesù Nuovo, or of the Greater Trinity, is a basilica church in Naples, located in Piazza del Gesù Nuovo in front of the obelisk of the Immaculate Conception and the basilica of Santa Chiara.

It is one of the most important and largest churches in the city, among the greatest concentrations of Baroque painting and sculpture, on which some of the most influential artists of the Neapolitan school worked.

Inside is the body of Saint Giuseppe Moscati, canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1987.

The mystery of the signs on the ashlar In the Renaissance there were some stone masters in Naples who were believed to be able to charge it with positive energy to keep negative energies away. The strange engraved signs that can be recognized on the façade on the sides of the "diamond-point" ashlars (arranged in such a way that they seemed to repeat themselves according to a particular rhythm that suggested an occult reading "key") have given rise to a curious legend.

Legend has it that whoever had the palace built (which at this point we must assume was Roberto Sanseverino), wanted to use master pipers during the construction phase who also had knowledge of esoteric secrets, secrets handed down only orally and under oath from the masters to the apprentices, capable of charging the stone with positive energy. The mysterious signs graffitied on the pyramids of the facade, according to legend, had to do with these magical arts or alchemical knowledge; they had to channel all the positive and benevolent forces from outside to inside the palace.

Due to the incompetence or malice of the builders, these marked stones were not placed correctly, so the effect was exactly the opposite: all the positive magnetism was conveyed from the inside to the outside of the building, thus attracting all kinds of misfortunes to the place.

This would be the reason why over the centuries so many misfortunes have befallen that area: from the confiscations of the assets of the Sanseverinos, to the destruction of the palace, from the fire of the church, to the repeated collapses of the dome, to the various expulsions of the Jesuits, and so on.

In 2010, however, the art historian Vincenzo De Pasquale and the Hungarian musicologists Csar Dors and Lòrànt Réz identified in the Aramaic letters engraved on the bosses, notes from a score made up of the facade of the church, to be read from right to left and from bottom to top. 'high. It is a concert for plectrum instruments lasting almost three quarters of an hour, which the scholars who deciphered it gave the title of Enigma. In this painstaking work, the art historian was supported by the mathematical knowledge of Assunta Amato, the architectural knowledge of Tullio Pojero and the legal knowledge of Silvano Gravina.

This interpretation was questioned by the scholar of hermeticism and esoteric symbolism Stanislao Scognamiglio, who argued that the signs on the bosses are not characters of the Aramaic alphabet, but that instead they can be superimposed on the operational symbols of the alchemical laboratories in use until the eighteenth century .

The symbols engraved on the facade of the Gesù Nuovo church (1584) in Naples are letters of the Aramaic alphabet which can also be "played". Their combination would create a "symphony" called Enigma. 

you can listen to the symphony by searching on YouTube.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V.Emanuele station  get off at MONTESANTO station and continue waling to Piazza del Gesu

Murales Banksy Napoli  Via dei Tribunali 115

Banksy's only Italian work in Naples For some years now, Naples has been a city where Street Art is at home, and where real masterpieces can be found almost everywhere. In fact, there is the beautiful San Gennaro by Jorit a Forcella or the new works in the neighborhoods of Materdei and Ponticelli by Zed or Rosk and Loste up to the latest works by Roxy in the box who, in the Spanish neighborhoods, created stencils of famous people all sitting outside the bass. But in Piazza Gerolomini, in the historic center of Naples, there is a unique work: a Madonna by Banksy. The English artist Banksy is perhaps the most famous exponent of Street Art in the world, and important cities such as New York, London or Paris and New York or even the West Bank are full of his works.

Banksy in Italy

And perhaps not everyone knows that Banksy's only works in Italy are in Naples. In the city the artist created a first work near Via Benedetto Croce, a stencil which was his interpretation of the ecstasy of Bernini's Blessed Ludovica Albertoni, a current representation with chips and a sandwich in his hand as an emblem of consumerism. Unfortunately, as happens with the best works of Street Art, Banksy's ecstasy was erased by another writer, a certain Hes who covered it with his large mural. It seems that the work at his time was valued at around 100,000 dollars. The work was a rereading of Bernini's Saint Teresa and was frescoed in front of the cloister of Santa Chiara and was a biting criticism of consumerism: Saint Teresa was depicted in a lying position with a coke, a sandwich and some McDonald's chips in her lap .

The canceled work

The Madonna with the Gun in the historic center Today it seems that the only remaining work in Italy by Banksy, the anonymous artist from Bristol, is in the great historic center of Naples in Piazza dei Girolamini, where on an anonymous wall there is a stencil of his called the "Madonna with the gun". On this old, slightly peeling building in Naples, a stone's throw from Via Duomo where the enormous San Gennaro by Jorit can be admired at the beginning of Forcella, there is therefore BanKsy's only remaining work in Italy, the Madonna instead of the halo he drew a gun. Near the work of the English artist there is also an old votive shrine with an image of a Virgin with Child who "looks" perhaps perplexed at BanKsy's Madonna

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from CVE station near the apartment get off at the first MONTESANTO station then continue crossing the decumani of the old town and the pedestrian areas.

Music conservatories of Naples  via san pietro a majella 35

The Conservatory of San Pietro a Majella is a higher institute of musical studies founded in Naples in 1808. It is located in the Old Town, in the former Celestine convent annexed to the church of San Pietro a Majella.

The conservatory was born in 1808 with the name of Real College of Music from the unification of four other pre-existing musical institutions born as orphanages and in which catechism and singing lessons had begun to be given to abandoned children as early as the sixteenth century: the " Santa Maria di Loreto", that of the "Pietà dei Turchini", that of "Sant'Onofrio a Capuana" and that of the "Poor of Jesus Christ". The ancient seat was that of the nearby convent of San Sebastiano.

In 1825 the world premiere of Adelson and Salvini by Vincenzo Bellini took place.

From 1826, by order of Francesco I, the complex was transferred to its current location, in via San Pietro a Majella 35, taking on the name of Royal Conservatory of Music of San Pietro a Majella

A plaque placed at the entrance to the building reads:

«This ancient building, already venerable convent of the Celestine fathers of San Pietro a Majella in 1826 by will of Francis, King of the Two Sicilies, was destined to house the glorious Neapolitan school and to conserve the precious testimonies of the ancient conservators of the Poor of Jesus Christ, Holy Maria di Loreto, Sant'Onofrio a Capuana, Pietà dei Turchini.»

Precisely during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the complex was enriched with works. Busts, portraits of musicians and instruments of illustrious personalities were, in fact, donated from time to time by the artists themselves with the aim of letting theroyal college preserve their works or their history] In this sense, the letters preserved in the archive are different of the conservatory, which testify to the aforementioned donations.

The conservative precedents

Some graduates from the Naples conservatory. Clockwise, starting from the top left image: Saverio Mercadante, Vincenzo Bellini, Ruggero Leoncavallo and Riccardo Muti

The oldest conservatory was that of "Santa Maria di Loreto" (1535), which Ferdinand IV of Bourbon decreed to be closed in 1797, transforming it into a military hospital and incorporating it into the conservatory of Sant'Onofrio a Porta Capuana. The conservatory stood near via Marina.

The conservatory of the Pietà dei Turchini (1573) was born with the intention of hosting orphaned or abandoned children. Its headquarters was in the religious complex of the same name, whosename originates from the color of the uniforms of the orphans hosted there; it was the last institution to survive and welcomed the students of the others which over time were closed.

 Theconservatory was then moved and changed its name.The conservatory of Sant'Onofrio a Porta Capuana (1578) was created to help the neediest children by seventeenth-century religious brotherhoods, and was located inside a pre-existing fabric factory. Having become a conservatory in the first half of the  seventeenth century, entry to the institute was open to everyone upon payment of a fee; in 1797 it merged with that of Santa Maria di Loreto.

The Conservatory of the Poor of Jesus Christ was founded in 1589 by a Franciscan tertiary and was suppressed in 1743 following riots. The complex was born in today's Largo dei Girolamini, close to the church of the same name and also in this case, the aim of the institute was to welcome orphaned and poor children. 

Upon its closure, the children housed in the facility were divided among the remaining three conservatories in the city. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart often traveled in Europe: his first period abroad (which began when he was seven years old) lasted three and a half years, from 1763 to 1769, between Germany, Belgium, France,England, Holland and Switzerland. Leopold “exhibited” his child prodigy as a harpsichordist to obtain earnings and honors. And it went well, since upon returning toSalzburg, little Wolfgang had become famous throughout Europe for his incredible virtuosity.

 The legend of the "divine child" was born and would enter the imagination of Western culture.However, the most sought-after destination was Italy, there cognized homeland of letters and the arts, especially music. Between 1769 and 1773, Wolfgang and Leopold made three trips to Italy. 

In December 1769 Leopold and a fourteen-year-old Wolfgang left for the first "Grand Tour" of the Peninsula, which lasted sixteen months; they were in Verona, Milan, Florence, Rome and finally Naples, reaping successes everywhere. Eighteenth-century Naples was then experiencing one of the most prosperous periods in its history. After the accession to the throne of Charles of Bourbon, it had become the destination for famous artists in every field, from painting to sculpture to architecture. But the city was first and foremost the capital of European music and boasted an advanced system of musical studies (the four conservatories) where he taught had the greatest composers of the time, and where students came from all over Italy and Europe. 

It was therefore natural that Leopold Mozart (always looking for a place to live for himself and his son) considered it important for Wolfgang to fit into an environment so rich in intellectual stimulation and opportunities. But the problem was precisely the competition, so much so that in a letter to his son, Leopold wrote: «Now the question is only: where can I have the most hope of emerging? Maybe in Italy, where in Naples alone there are certainly 300 Maestros [...] or in Paris, where about two or three people write for the theater and the other composers can be counted on the fingers?".

 The Mozarts stayed in Naples for six weeks, from 14 May to 25 June 1770; as soon as they arrived they contacted Lord Hamilton, the British ambassador (known in London), and Bernardo Tanucci, prime minister of King Ferdinand IV, to ask to be received at court. While waiting, Leopold never missed the opportunity to have Wolfgang play in public: an anecdote tells that, while he was playing at the Conservatorio della Pietà de' Turchini, those present insinuated that his astonishing virtuosity was due to the magical virtues of a ring worn on the finger by boy, who however took it off proving that he was good without supernatural help. 

The very young Wolfgang was deeply fascinated by Naples: he liked walking around the streets full of people, listening to the calls of the sellers, observing the nobles strolling along the seafront. But what was more important was his contact with the musical milieu: he played both in public places (at the Turchini and at the Cappella Palatina in Portici) and in private homes (a famous painting portrays him while playing at the home of Lord Fortrose, a friend of Hamilton)and went to see the operas performed at the Teatro San Ferdinando and the Teatro di San Carlo. He attended the first performance of Niccolò Jommelli's Armida abandoned, and was very impressed by it, even if he judged it "too serious for the theatre". He praised the innovations of Tommaso Traetta, Pasquale Cafaro and Ciccio de Majo, and liked the comic operas of Cimarosa and Paisiello: from the latter, according to Hermann Abert, the young Mozart learned new expressive means as well as "the dramatic use of psychology of instruments".They did not fail to visit Vesuvius, the excavations of Pompeii, and then Baia, Herculaneum, Virgil's tomb, Lake Fusaro; all places that filled the eyes and hearts of the two Mozarts. However, as the expected invitation to play before the king did not arrive, and Leopold decided that they could not stay any longer in the city. The outcome of the stay was nevertheless positive: if it is true that Ferdinand IV did not receive them at court (he met them fleeting lyin the Royal Palace of Portici), it is also true that the Neapolitan public celebrated Mozart as a young concert pianist. But it was above all the exchanges he had with the great composers of theNeapolitan School, who represented the pinnacle of international music, and with the cultural environment that surrounded them,that had a great influence on his artistic maturation. He himself confessed the admiration he had for the city when some time later he wrote: «When I have composed an opera for Naples I will be looked for everywhere: with an opera in Naples one gets more honor and credit than by giving a hundred concerts in Germany"

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

C.V.Emanuele station, Cumana train  get off at the first MONTESANTO station and continue walking through the ancient center limited to traffic

Galleria Umberto I  via santa brigida 68

The Umberto I gallery is a commercial gallery built in Naples between 1887 and 1890. It is dedicated to Umberto I of Italy, as a tribute to the King and in memory of his generous presence during the cholera epidemic of 1884, which showed the the need for a "Redevelopment" of the city.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train CVE station near the apartment get off at the first MONTESANTO station then continue crossing the entire pedestrian shopping area of via Toledo up to piazza del Plebiscito.

Palazzo Venezia Napoli   via benedetto croce 19

In the heart of the Ancient Center of Naples there is a magical place, a unique Palace of Wonders which, with its scenic Loggia, the splendid terrace, the enchanting Casina Pompeiana and the splendid hanging garden, will be able to surprise, excite and take all those who visit it back in time…

Palazzo Venezia, donated in 1412 by King Ladislaus II of Anjou Durazzo to the Serenissima Republic of Venice to serve as the residence of its consuls general in the city, was the seat of the Venetian embassy in the Kingdom of Naples for approximately four hundred years.

In the courtyard, the central façade has a lower profile than the two lateral ones, marking the entrance to what were probably the stables. On the left side the monumental staircase presents one of the typical architectural systems that characterize the stairs of the buildings in the city of Naples. Along the walls of the courtyard and the staircase there are various plaques commemorating the various renovations and changes of ownership of the building.

We will then go up to the first floor where we will cross the rooms of the palace to reach the famous hanging garden where we will admire the Casina Pompeiana, in neoclassical style, which was used in the 19th century by the Capone nobles as a coffee house and concert room, given the excellent acoustics. In the space in front of the Casina there is a small chapel called the "Madonnina cave". 

Many possibilities are offered by the lush and evocative roof garden of the building, from aperitifs to dinners to a concert to integrate with the guided tour. Part of the building on the first floor can now be visited for free as a historic apartment, also serving as a venue for permanent or temporary exhibitions of applied arts (cribs, porcelain, etc.); it also permanently hosts a classical music festival conceived for the dissemination of the musical heritage and the sustenance of the activities carried out at the building itself in the form of selffinancing.

The Neapolitan entrepreneur Gennaro Buccino reopened the rooms of the palace to the public on the occasion of the "May of monuments 2009" and then used them for the organization of evenings, musical events and exhibitions with the aim of promoting culture, tradition, so such as the entry of new artists into the Neapolitan panorama through the exhibition of their works in the palace.

The interior is surprising with gardens you can't imagine. An enchanting and fascinating place to visit and where you can relax both alone and in company.

The atmosphere of the interiors and the garden is a real blast from the past.

Absolutely worth visiting.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V Emanuele station get off at the first MONTESANTO station then continue walking through the historic center to your destination

Madre del Buon Consiglio    Via Capodimonte 13

CATACOMBS OF SAN GENNARO

A thousand-year history that lives underground in Naples, a journey to discover the close bond of faith between the city and its patron San Gennaro.

The city in layers Naples is one of the most striking examples of a city in which history can be retraced through its "layers".

Between the Greek Neapolis and the city of today there are not millennia, but meters of underground. The past is not put in a case or forgotten, but peeks out in some points of the city of the present.

This co-presence of eras has acquired more and more value in the city's economy, through the integration of archaeological finds in contemporary public works, such as the Municipio station of the Metro Line 1.

The two worlds

The world underground is the place of the ancestors not only in terms of archaeological remains.

In Naples, underground is above all the place of burial of loved ones and of meeting with their souls. Just as the remains overlook the city, the souls are also inhabitants in all respects, since the relationship with the afterlife is part of everyday life.

Between sayings, devotions and ancient rituals, dialogue with the deceased has always accompanied the life of the city.

In the same way, the saints are always present in the daily life of theNeapolitans, whether it is to intercede for important graces or for minor requests. Small sacred images are jealously guarded in wallets, while the votive shrines scattered among the alleys are like small altars.

«You have an impression of transcendence as liberation from the earth's weight: matter was and will become dust.»

One hundred steps to travel through time

A short flight of stairs is enough to descend to the roots of Naples'relationship with faith.

The Catacombs of San Gennaro are arranged on two nonoverlapping levels, both characterized by extremely large spaces, unlike the more famous Roman catacombs. This is thanks to the workability and solidity of the tuff .

The original nucleus of the Catacombs of San Gennaro dates back to the 2nd century AD. 

It is probably the tomb of a noble family who then donated the spaces to the Christian community. The expansion began in the 4th century AD. following the deposition of the remains of Sant'Agrippino, the first patron saint of Naples, in the underground basilica dedicated to him. A single nave dug into the tuff , which still preserves a bishop's chair carved into the rock and the altar with an opening, in which the faithful could see and touch the saint's tomb. In the lower catacomb Even today, mass is celebrated in the underground Basilica of Sant'Agrippino. 

The underground Basilica in the lower catacombs. 

The catacombs of San Gennaro dug into the tuff .14 thousand these are the years since the appearance of Neapolitan Yellow Tuff Type: Vulcano clastite

First appearance: its availability and easy extraction favored its usealready for the first Greek settlements.

Famous uses: Basilica of Santa Chiara, San Domenico Maggiore,Castel dell'Ovo, Castel Sant'Elmo, underground works such as the Crypta Neapolitana.

The lower catacomb, a dense network dug into the tuff The lower catacomb developed around the Basilica of Sant'Agrippino, according to a grid structure. The breadth of the spaces and the regularity of the shapes silently welcome the visitor into a timeless place.

The imposing lower vestibule, with ceilings up to 6 meters high,houses a large baptismal font commissioned by Bishop Paul II, who in the 8th century took refuge in the Catacombs of San Gennaro due to the iconoclastic struggles. 

The temperature in the catacombs of San Gennaro.15°C it is the minimum temperature in the catacombs The temperature in the catacombs varies between 15 and 22degrees. 

To best enjoy your visit, we recommend wearing comfortable shoes and a sweater even in the hottest periods.

The lighting of the site: Lux in tenebrisLight and shadow define and enhance, hide and show the forms ofthe archaeological site.

The lighting in the catacombs of San Gennaro.

 The lighting wascurated by Offi cina dei Talenti.

The lighting system Created in 2009 by Officina dei Talenti, a cooperative of young people from the Sanità district, using LED technology to preserve the vast pictorial and mosaic heritage. The lights used, therefore, do not expose the works to infrared and ultraviolet radiation.

Radon detection Video surveillance

 Lighting managed via app Humidity detection

 Audio and video cabling 

 Wi-Fi connection

The upper catacomb, the burial place of the bishops 

The upper catacomb originates from an ancient tomb, dating backto the 3rd century AD, which preserves some of the first Christian paintings of southern Italy.

Its expansion began with the translation of the remains of SanGennaro in the 5th century. 

The presence of the martyr meant thatthe upper catacomb became a pilgrimage destination and acoveted place for burial. 

Two examples of the expansion of Catacomba are the Crypt of the Bishops, where the bishops of the city were buried and the majestic basilica adjecta, an underground basilica with three naves, built after the translation of the remains of San Gennaro.

During the visit Discover the early Christian Basilica of San Gennaro Extra Moenia.

The Basilica of San Gennaro Extra Moenia, a door between past andfuture.

 Explore the Basilica Fresco of Christ at the original entrance to the catacombs.3 thousand these are the burials counted in the archaeological site 

This is a rough estimate, since not all the environments have yetbeen brought to light.

The tomb of San Gennaro 

The tomb of San Gennaro was identified through the study of a homily from the 9th/10th century. and a passage from the Chronicon of the bishops of Naples.

From an 8th century homily  and from a passage in the Chronicon of the bishops of Naples it appears that the tomb was in a cubiculum,identified as the one below the basilica of the bishops.

Starting from the tomb, the changes to the level above arose, with the creation of an area reserved for the burial of bishops and basilicas, larger spaces than the other chapels reserved for common deceased.

The cubiculum where the tomb of San Gennaro is located.

The cubiculum and the tomb of San Gennaro.

Yellow face Among all the saints, a special place is occupied by San Gennaro,patron saint of Naples.

San Gennaro is aff ectionately called Yellow Face due to the color of the face of the statue that is carried in procession.

The travels of San Gennaro Before arriving in their defi nitive "home", in the Cathedral of Naples,the remains of San Gennaro were moved several times to diff erent points in Campania.

The origins of San Gennaro are still uncertain, he was probably bornin 272 AD. and was bishop of Benevento. 

In the 4th century he wasarrested for professing the Christian faith and beheaded in Pozzuoli in 305 AD.

Part of the martyr's blood was preserved in two vials and the remains buried in the Agro Marciano.

In the 5th century he was brought to Naples by Bishop John I and buried inside the Catacombs, which became a place of pilgrimage. The remains were stolen in 831 AD. by the Lombard prince Sicone Iand taken to Benevento. They were subsequently moved to thesanctuary of Montevergine, where they remained almost forgotten for over two centuries. After many years of negotiations with the monks of Montevergine, the bones were returned to the city ofNaples in 1497.

The 52 patrons of NaplesDespite being the most loved and popularly recognized patron  saint, San Gennaro is not the only one. Naples has 52 patron saints,including Santa Maria Assunta, the first patron saint, Sant'Aspreno,the first bishop of the city, San Tommaso d'Aquino, San Francesco di Paola and San Francesco d'Assisi, San Severo, Santa Patrizia, San Vincenzo Ferrer and others.

The only Italian city that comes close to having such a high number of patrons is Venice, which has 25.

The 51 silver busts depicting the co-patrons of Naples are kept inthe Cathedral, and all are carried in procession on the Saturday preceding the first Sunday in May, to accompany San Gennaro.

Invoked to stop plagues and eruptions San Gennaro becomes the patron saint of Naples in 472 AD.

The statue of San Gennaro placed on his tomb.SAN GENNARO IN NUMBERS472 AD: San Gennaro becomes patron saint of Naples

25 million devotees spread all over the world 

21,612: ex voto, jewels, jewels kept in the Treasure Museum of SanGennaro 

13 links of solid gold, 700 diamonds, 276 rubies and 92 emeralds: theSan Gennaro Necklace is the most precious jewel in the world

1389: first documented blood liquefaction 

3: the blood liquefies 3 times a year, on the Saturday before the first Sunday in May, on September 19th, on December 16th

1527: the great plague epidemic stops 

1631: his relics are carried in procession and the lava of Vesuvius stops

HOW TO GET IT  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana C.V. station Emanuele get off at the fi rst stopMONTESANTO station then take BUS no. 204 from the SANT'ANNADEI LOMBARDI stop and get off at stop no. 12 CAPODIMONTEBASILICA DELL'INCORONATA MADRE DEL BUON CONSIGLIOLE

Stadio San Paolo  via gianbattista marino

Via Giambattista Marino

The Diego Armando Maradona stadium is an Italian multi-purpose sports facility in Naples. 

Owned by the municipality, it is located in Fuorigrotta, district of the X Municipality. Equipped with multifunctional gyms, spaces for martial arts and a basketball court, it has hosted Napoli's internal football matches since its inauguration.

Originally named Stadio del Sole in 1959, it was renamed Stadio San Paolo in 1963. On 4 December 2020, the Municipality of Naples named the stadium after the former captain of Napoli, Diego Armando Maradona, who died the previous 25 November.

HOW TO GET IT  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V. station Emanuele get off at MOSTRA STADIO MARADONA station

Teatro Bellini, Naples    Via Conte di Ruvo 14

Wonderful 19th century theatre, well maintained and with decent acoustics.

It is one of the most famous theaters in Naples. Bewitching and suggestive facade. And inside the boxes are a real marvel.

The ancient building has become a true hub of culture, a point of reference and crossroads for a decidedly transversal public. 

The "Italian-style" architecture of the theater hall is notable for its beauty and size, with its typical horseshoe structure that develops in height over six tiers of boxes.

The room preserves the original nineteenth-century frescoes, among which the portrait of Vincenzo Bellini, located in the center of the scenic arch, and the numerous floral tempera decorations stand out.

 Its stage, the third largest among the city's theaters, is suitable for hosting the most diverse setups. the Bellini Theater is an international point of reference for culture and the excellence of live entertainment.

 It offers innovative, participatory and inclusive multidisciplinary entertainment. Bellini is a physical and virtual place of aggregation and original participation on the national scene, where you can feel like protagonists of an xceptional narrative.

Check the schedule online

HOW TO GET IT  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V. station Emanuele get off at the first MONTESANTO station  or

Mergellina Metro station line 2 get off at CAVOUR station

Botanical Garden of Naples    Via Foria 223

The Botanical Garden of Naples is a living museum. Protects biodiversity through the introduction, care and conservation of plant species; its activities are carried out through the protection, cataloging and increase of its living plant heritage and its herbarium, scientific research, botany teaching, the conservation of rare or endangered species, the holding of cultural events, opening to the public. In the historic street of Naples called Via Foria, animated by antique shops, rotisseries and pastry shops, stands a surprising natural oasis of peace and well-being: the Royal Botanical Garden of Naples, an area that extends over 12 hectares and 25,000 specimens.

Alternating a walk in the lively historic center just outside, where art and folklore shine, with a relaxing walk in the greenery, is undoubtedly a pleasant way to spend a day in the city.

Origins and history of the Botanical Garden of Naples Founded by Giuseppe Bonaparte, the Botanical Garden of Naples saw its beginnings in 1811, during French rule, with the aim of multiplying spices useful for health, agriculture and industry.

The first director of the Garden, Michele Tenore, emphasized scientific activity in terms of research and teaching. Many species of interest in the medical field were cultivated, alongside exotic plants.

He also dedicated himself significantly to foreign relations, which took place with the major botanical institutions in Europe. At the end of his experience as director of the structure, in 1860, the Botanical Garden of Naples boasted a rich range of cultivated species, which still today amount to almost 9,000.

Today it is part of the structures of the Federico II University and is part of the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences.

Exhibition areas

The Botanical Garden of Naples offers various keys to understanding its routes. Remarkable plants, bioinvasions or the influence of water on biodiversity are just some examples of the thematic walks that can be carried out.

Greenhouses and other structures

Plants whose vital optimum does not belong to the Mediterranean climate are cultivated in the greenhouses. Inside them the temperature and humidity are carefully regulated so as to recreate the ideal conditions for the survival of exotic species of particular interest.

The Botanical Garden of Naples includes five greenhouses: 

the Merola Monumental Greenhouse or Temperate Stove; the Serre Califano; the greenhouses for reproduction and multiplication offerns and orchids; the Greenhouses of useful plants and the Mexican Tropical Greenhouse – Mangrove.

Another interesting building that can be visited is the Castle built between the 16th and 17th centuries, today home to administrative and technical activities, as well as the Museum of paleobotany and ethnobotany.

In the experimental section of medicinal plants, seeds of many useful plants and other types of plant specimens are kept. 

Here we find: Officinal plants 

Poisonous plants Chromo-sensory garden Area of the progenitors of the main fruit trees Orchard Experimental fields

Other structures host the C.I.S.M.E. (Interdepartmental Service Center for Electron Microscopy) and the Plant Biology Section of the Department of Biological Sciences – University of Naples Federico II 

HOW TO GET IT  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Mergellina station, Metro Line 2, Cavour stop, walk 800 meters towards Piazza Carlo III 

From Monday to Friday from 9am to 2pm

On the Sundays of May of Monuments, reservations are not necessary.

For exceptional openings, consult the official website.

Entrance to the park is free.

Spaccanapoli, a straight line, made up of six consecutive streets that go from the Quartieri to Forcella, where Naples comes in its thousand colors showing off a poignant beauty that coexists withage-old problems... thus revealing its "split" nature, like those beautiful souls and a little cursed.

SPACCANAPOLI IS A LONG STREET THAT CONNECTS THE SPANISHDISTRICTS TO FORCELLA AND DIVIDES THE CITY IN TWO. 

IT IS VERY CLEARLY VISIBLE FROM SAN MARTINO AND HAS VERY ANCIENT ORIGINS: THE ROMANS BASED THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CITY ON THIS ROAD.

WALKING THROUGH SPACCANAPOLI YOU CROSS THETHOUSAND-YEAR HISTORY OF NAPLES. YOU CAN ADMIRE VERY ANCIENT PALACES AND CHURCHES AND SMELL THE TYPICAL SMELLS OF NEAPOLITAN CUISINE COMING FROM THE LOWERS(SMALL POPULAR APARTMENTS AT STREET LEVEL). YOU WILL MEET ARTISANS AND SELLERS OF ALL KINDS AND YOU WILL BESURPRISED AT EVERY STEP.THE APARTMENT IS LOCATED ONLY ONE STOP FROM THE HISTORIC CENTER OF NAPLES (MONTESANTO STATION) A FEW MINUTES WALKING FROM SPACCANAPOLI, TO LET YOU EXPERIENCE THE CITY AS THE NEAPOLITANS LIVE IT. SPACCANAPOLI IS A LONG, NARROWAND CHAOTIC STREET, BUT WALKING IT IS THE BEST WAY TO SAVOR THE HISTORY AND SOUL OF THE CITY.

The Sansevero Stables, home to the atelier and laboratory of Maestro Lello Esposito, are located inside Palazzo Sansevero, in the rooms used, since the 16th century, for the shelter and care of horses.

 In the atelier rooms, the rings to which the horses were tied are still visible along the walls, as are the original piperno mangers, lava stone of Phlegraean origin extracted and used in city buildings until the 17th century. 

In these rooms, as in the adjacent ones, works from the private collection of the artist are exhibited, who for over thirty years has placed the relationship between contemporary art and tradition at the center of his research through the reflection and artistic reworking of the symbols of culture Neapolitan:

Pulcinella, the mask, the egg, the skull, the volcano, San Gennaro and the horn, in their various and possible declinations and metamorphoses.

 In the entrance hall of the building, mirroring those of the atelier, there are the other original rooms of the Stables, which today host the artistic laboratory of Maestro Esposito, as well as yesterday the scientific and alchemical laboratory of Prince Raimondo di Sangro. In these rooms there is space for materials, tools and supports of the artistic work of the Maestro, who in continuity with the work of Raimondo di Sangro, donates and shares his creations with the city, which over time have become artistic elements representative of the Neapolitan culture itself. 

The ex novo creation of the missing mangers in the laboratory premises fits into this trend, metaphorically understood by Esposito as possible containers of artistic nourishment offered to Naples and theNeapolitans.

lelloesposito com

HOW TO GET IT  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V. station Emanuele get off at the first MONTESANTO station stop then continue walking (10 min) towards Piazza Domenico Maggiore

Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta    Via Duomo 147

THE CATHEDRAL OF NAPLES IS A TRUE MONUMENTAL MASTERPIECE NOT TO BE MISSED WHEN YOU VISIT THE CITY OFNAPLES.

 SITUATED IN THE HISTORICAL CENTER, ON VIA DUOMO, IT IS DEDICATED TO THE ASSUNTA MARIA, AND AT A SECOND TIME IT WAS CONSECRATED TO THE PATRON SAINT OF THE CITY, SANGENNARO. ITS CONSTRUCTION DATES BACK TO THE 13TH CENTURY AT THE WILL OF CHARLES II OF ANJIÒ AND PRESENTS DIFFERENT STYLES,FROM GOTHIC TO BAROQUE, UP TO THE 19TH CENTURY NEOGOTIC. THE FACADE OF THE CATHEDRAL, RENOVATED SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE CENTURIES, IS ABOUT 50 M HIGH AND IS BUILT IN MARBLE AND HAS THREE PORTALS AND TWO BELL TOWERS. 

THE CENTRAL PORTAL IS SUPPORTED BY TWO MARBLELIONS, THE WORK OF THE TUSCAN SCULPTOR TINO DI CAMAINO. THE INTERIOR HAS THREE NAVES: THE CENTRAL IS ABOUT 100 M DEEP AND HAS A WONDERFUL 17TH CENTURY COFFEE CEILING. IN THE SIDE NASES THERE ARE TEN CHAPELS, FIVE ON EACH SIDE,AND ALTARS WITH WORKS BY THE MAJOR ARTISTS FROM THE13TH TO THE 19TH CENTURY. 

THE TREASURE MUSEUM OF SAN GENNARO WAS OPEN TO THEPUBLIC IN 2003 AND IS THE RICHEST TREASURE IN THE WORLD. INADDITION TO HOLDING THE AMPOULES WITH THE BLOOD OF THEPATRON SAINT, IT IS RICH IN MARBLES, STATUES, RELICS ANDVARIOUS SILVER THAT THE DEVOTEES HAVE PROTECTED DURING THE NUMEROUS LOOTINGS OF THE CITY. 

WITHOUT A DOUBT THEMOST PRECIOUS OBJECTS KEPT IN IT ARE THE MITER OF SANGENNARO, IN WHICH 3964 STONES ARE SET: DIAMONDS, RUBIES AND EMERALDS, AND THE NECKLACE, SYMBOL OF FAITH AND DEVOTION, MADE FROM 1679 TO 1929, TO WHICH THE SOVEREIGN,POPES HAVE ADDED GEMS AND PRECIOUS STONES OF PRICELESS VALUE.

THE NEAPOLITANS HAVE A DEEP AND SHARED FEELING FOR SANGENNARO AND CONSIDER HIM A CLOSE AND REASSURING PRESENCE, WHOM TO RELY ON IN MOMENTS OF NEED AND FOR CONSULTATION.

 THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE PATRON SAINT IS SEPTEMBER 19TH. THREE TIMES A YEAR, I.E. THE FIRST SATURDAY OF MAY, 19 SEPTEMBER AND 16 DECEMBER, THOUSANDS OF FAITHFUL GATHER IN THE CATHEDRAL TO WATCH THEPHENOME NON OF THE BLOOD MELTING DURING A SOLEMN CELEBRATION LED BY THE ARCHBISHOP OF THE CITY.

 THE RITUALCONSISTS OF TAKING THE AMPOULES FROM A SAFE PLACEDBEHIND THE ALTAR OF THE TREASURE CHAPEL OF SAN GENNARO.AT THIS POINT THE ARCHBISHOP BEGINS TO SHAKE THE AMPLE SOAS TO ALLOW THE LIQUEFACTION OF THE SUBSTANCE CONTAINED IN IT: ACCORDING TO POPULAR TRADITION, THE DISSOLVING OF THE BLOOD INDICATES GOOD AUSPICES FOR THE CITY, ON THE CONTRARY, IF IT DOES NOT DISSOLVE, DRAMATIC EVENTS WOULD OCCUR.

 HISTORY HAS REPORTED SEVERAL CASES OF CATASTROPHES COINCIDENT WITH THE FAILURE TO DISSOLUTE THE BLOOD, SUCH AS THE START OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR AND THE ENTRY OF THE CONFLICT IN ITALY IN 1939- 1940; THE NAZI OCCUPATION IN ITALY IN 1943; THE OUTBREAK OF

THE CHOLERA EPIDEMIC IN NAPLES IN 1973 AND THE EARTHQUAKE IN IRPINIA IN NOVEMBER 1980 WHICH CAUSED ALMOST 3000 DEATHS.

HOW TO GET IT  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Metro station MERGELLINA Line2 get off PIAZZA CAVOUR then walk to Duomo direction for 7/8 minutes

Molo Nord Bagnoli    Via Coroglio 28 - 30

North pier of Bagnoli

The north pier is a concrete structure approximately 900 meters long used as a panoramic walk. Located in the Bagnoli district of Naples, it is located in the area that in the past housed the Italsider steel plant, which was definitively closed in 1993.

HOW TO GET IT  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana behind the house towards TORREGAVETA and get off at the fifth stop BAGNOLI (about 12 minutes) then about 7/8 minutes on foot.

check the opening days and times on G Maps

Certosa e Museo di San Martino   Largo S. Martino 5

CERTOSA MUSEUM OF SAN MARTINO AND CASTEL SANT'ELMO

The Neapolitan charterhouse, dedicated to San Martino bishop of Tours, was founded in 1325 at the behest of Charles, son of Robert of Anjou. The nativity scene section is housed in the ancient kitchens, the initial nucleus of which, composed of the important Cuciniello collection, is enriched over time with donations until it becomes the most complete and important of the Italian public and private collections.

 It is located on the Vomero hill which can be reached by taking the funicular from Montesanto station.

 It appears to be one of the largest religious monumental complexes in the city, counting within it one hundred rooms, two churches, a courtyard, four chapels, three cloisters and hanging gardens.

At the end of the visit it is highly recommended to take the ancient Pedamentina stairs to return to the historic center of Naples: a spectacular walk through ancient ruins, rural buildings and ultrapanoramic vegetable gardens overlooking the Gulf of Vesuvius.

HOW TO GET IT  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from CVE station near the house get off at the first Montesanto station stop and then swap to the cable railway (funicolar) to Vomero

Pedamentina a San Martino  Via Pedamentina San Martino

Of the many stairs that cross Naples, there is one that really cannot be missed: it is the Pedamentina di San Martino which descends, imperviously, from Castel Sant'Elmo to Via Toledo.

Naples is an oblique city, crossed by stairs, steps, steps, ramps, more or less well-known ascents and descents, in a complex and articulated system of connection between the hills and the sea, between the chaos of traffic and the peace of the viewpoints.

Thus another Naples is revealed, to be discovered at a slow pace and with an open gaze towards the sea.

Born in the 14th century by the architects Tino di Camaino and Francesco de Vito, as an artery to facilitate the transport of the materials necessary for the construction of the Certosa di San Martino, the Pedamentina was equipped several times with defense systems against those who intended to besiege Castel Sant'Elmo , evolving over the centuries until it was covered with stairs and took on its present appearance.

This is the first road ever built on the hill: the Arenella and Vomero neighborhoods were then just an expanse of monasteries, farmhouses and cultivated fields and the Castle and the Certosa dominated in solitude over the Gulf of Naples.

Walking along the Pedamentina, therefore, it is possible to admire not only a spectacular panorama of the gulf, but also the vegetable gardens and gardens of the Certosa: the view over the entire old town of Naples is unique, with Santa Chiara and Spaccanapoli easily recognizable from the top of the steps.

Naturally, before starting the hike that leads to the heart of the city, a visit to Castel Sant'Elmo and the Certosa di San Martino is a must.

The first is a medieval castle, now used as a museum, which stands in the place where there was, starting from the 10th century, a church dedicated to Sant'Erasmo (hence Eramo, Ermo and then Elmo).

The first by extension among the castles of Naples, partly obtained from the typical Neapolitan yellow tuff, originates from a Norman observation tower of strategic importance for the defense of the city from invasions coming from the sea.

The second, founded in Gothic style by Tino di Camaino in 1325 at the behest of Charles of Calabria, eldest son of Robert of Anjou, and enlarged in its current and refined Baroque guise in 1581 by the architect Giovanni Antonio Dosio, was the home of Carthusian monks until 1836 when it became state property.

 The Certosa di San Martino has around one hundred rooms, two churches, a courtyard, four chapels, three cloisters and hanging gardens, still representing one of the largest religious monumental complexes in the city and one of the most successful examples of baroque architecture and art, the fulcrum of seventeenth-century Neapolitan painting whose works can be visited in the adjacentNational Museum of San Martino. 

The Pedamentina steps Walking up the over 400 steps that lead from the square in front of the Certosa to the Montesanto station is certainly a fascinating experience. This evocative route connects different small "worlds" through passages and narrow passages that seem to have a life of their own, far from the hustle and bustle of the city. 

The staircase, made of enormous steps that descend steeply downwards, represents an important historical and urban testimony, as well as offering a different landscape point of view, running alongside the vegetable gardens of the ancient farmhouses and the gardens of the Certosa.

 Baudelaire stayed in one of the buildings overlooking the Pedamentina stairs and here Marguerite Yourcenar set "Anna, soror",one of the three stories that make up "Like Water That Flows". Written in 1982, the text talks about an aristocratic Naples at the end of the sixteenth century and the family of the Spanish marquis Alvaro De la Cerna. 

Today, to defend the staircase from degradation, a citizens'committee was also created to protect the Pedamentina andvarious actions have been implemented to re-evaluate this magical and unmissable route.

 From Corso Vittorio Emanuele to Piazza Dante In the final part the Pedamentina emerges on Corso Vittorio Emanuele behind the Military Hospital; from here, other stairs cross the popular Montesanto district, characterized by the Art Nouveau station of the Cumana Railway and the folkloristic Pignasecca district.  Thus you reach that core of alleys, streets and ravines that MatildeSerao defined as "the belly of Naples": from here you can no longer  see the gulf, the sea and thesun, but only tall, decadent building sleaning against each other. 

This fascinating pedestrian itinerary, however, allows you to discovera diff erent Naples and marvel at the richness of its "worlds" whichrange from the top of the gardens to the oldest part of the city,from the rare silent corners spared by cars to the city chaos typicalof the historic centre.Once again, in short, Naples never ceases to amaze and fascinatewith its authenticity.

HOW TO GET IT  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V. Emanuele station  get off at the first stop MONTESANTO station then swap to the Montesanto cable railway  to Vomero Hill (Morghen station, continue on foot to Largo San Martino fora bout 7 minutes walking).

When to go: at any time of the year (mostly recommended in springand autumn).

How to dress: sports shoes and comfortable clothing.Duration: 25 minutesWhat to visit: Castel Sant'Elmo; Certosa and Museum of San Martino.

Check this out on the end of the route to restore:  SALUMERIA MALINCONICO Delicatesses in Corso Vittorio Emanuele

Salita Petraio, Napoli NA, Italia

Petraio stairs

In the city of Naples there is an invisible village hidden behind the buildings that climb up the Vomero hill. It is Petraio, a true "oblique city" which, through 503 steps, connects the hilly area with Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the Chiaia district. It is a characteristic hamlet from which you can admire suggestive views along a descent channeled between flowered terraces and ancient houses.

It is called Petraio because the rains deposited the pebbles here: the route of the climb, in fact, follows the route of one of the many alluvial riverbeds of the Vomero. The stairs were built between the 15th and 16th centuries and were populated by shepherds and washerwomen (the first Neapolitan song is called "Canto delle laundresse - lavandaie - del Vomero"). Only later were the steps enlarged and improved to connect the then Vomero countryside to the new district of Chiaia.

Between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Petraio became a place inhabited by wealthy families who built delightful Art Nouveau villas which can be seen especially along Via Palizzi and Via Sanfelice. After the Second World War, the area was the victim of building speculation which made it an area with a high residential density.

The spectacle that opens before your eyes once you enter Via Gradini del Petraio is unexpected and therefore even more fascinating: a long staircase with a central handrail divides a series of buildings with bright colors ranging from ocher to brick red and in the background the recognizable purple silhouette of the Nino Bixio barracks in Pizzofalcone. Even further down, the sea and the Sorrento peninsula.

The final stretch of the descent culminates with Largo del Petraio and here the wonder is even greater: looking towards the left, the hill begins to gently thin out towards the sea, now clearly visible, having the imposing profile of Vesuvius as its backdrop.  The suggestive perspective over the entire gulf has changed, leaving room only for the imagination of what lies beyond the hill. Then there remains the silence of the morning that fills the air: this oasis of peace far from the bustle of the city and the crowding of the most visited tourist sites never ceases to amaze and excite.

 The journey continues. From the terrace of the Largo you take the Salita del Petraio, among lemon trees, votive chapels, sacred images, dead-end alleys, popular lowlands characterized by the inevitable clothes hanging at the entrance and the steps that gradually become less steep until you reach the crossroads with Corso Vittorio Emanuele. 

The contrast with the upper part of Petraio is evident: tranquility and silence give way to the daily life of cars and motorbikes that cross this important urban artery. But the uproar doesn't last long. Once you pass the Corso and take Via San Carlo alle Mortelle, you come across the monumental church of the same name built in the seventeenth century: it is one of the main points of reference for Baroque art in the city which owes its name to the ownership of the Spanish Trojanis family y Death her.

Continuing further downhill and reaching Piazzetta Mondragone, continue first on the left - along Vico Mondragone - and then on theright on to Via Santa Caterina da Siena. The urban landscape has now changed and has given way to narrow alleys that climbdownwards and which only allow a few threads of sunlight topenetrate. Via Santa Caterina da Siena then takes the name of Gradoni di Chiaia, narrowing more and more up to Via Chiaia itself, the pulsating commercial heart of the city and fundamental connection with Piazza del Plebiscito. 

The sea, previously so faraway and seemingly unreachable, is now just a stone's throw away. Here is how the poet Carlo Bernari described Petraio:“Napule is all ramps, stairways, stairs, gradune, grade, gradiatelle. Sagliute, Sagliutelle, descended, dark, lowered, vicule 'and coppa, 'and below, viculille, vicule store, vicule cecate (...) Napule saw it grow between ramp and ramp Lots of fi lèr' 'and panne spase, a culata 'and houses

HOW TO GET IT  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V. Emanuele station get off at the first stop ( 4 min) MONTESANTO station, then swap to the Montesanto cable railway to Vomero hill  (Morghen station. Behind the station, crossing Via Annibale Caccavello and immediately turning left, the so-called Petraio staircase begins)

VIA SAN GREGORIO ARMENO 

WHEN YOU VISIT NAPLES, YOU CANNOT NOT GO TO SAN GREGORIO ARMENO STREET, FAMOUS THROUGHOUT THE WORLDFOR ITS COUNTLESS NATIVITY SHOPS, AND JOINS VIA DEI TRIBUNALI WITH PIAZZA SAN GAETANO AND SPACCANAPOLI.

ACCORDING TO TRADITION, VIA SAN GREGORIO ARMENO WAS BORN ON THE REMAINS OF THE TEMPLE OF CERES, GODDESS OFFERTILITY, TO WHICH CITIZENS BROUGHT HUMAN-SHAPED TERRACOTTA FIGURINES AS AN EX VOTO. 

OVER THE CENTURIES, THIS CUSTOM HAS CHANGED AND THE FIGURINES WERE DELIVERED TO SAINT PATRIZIA, COMPATRONA OF NAPLES AND TOSAINT GREGORIO: THIS LEAD TO THE CREATION OF NUMEROUS WORKSHOPS OF ARTISANS SPECIALIZED IN MAKING FIGURINES. DURING THE 10TH CENTURY, THE NUNS OF THE ORDER OF SAINT BASIL, WHO ESCAPED FROM CONSTANTINOPLE,  DECIDED TO BUILD A MONASTERY ON THE REMAINS OF THE TEMPLE, ALSO KNOWN TODAY BY THE NAME OF THE CHURCH OF ST. PATRIZIA, IN WHICH THE REMAINS OF SAINT GREGORIO BISHOP TO BE PLACEDOF ARMENIA. 

THE CHURCH, IN BAROQUE STYLE, IS DEVELOPED AROUND THE CLOISTER, BUILT AROUND THE 11TH CENTURY, IN  THE CENTER OF WHICH THERE IS A FOUNTAIN ADORNED WITHTWO SCULPTURES REPRESENTING THE CHRIST AND THE SAMARITAN WOMAN BUILT BY THE SCULPTOR MATTEO BOTTIGLIERI. THE NUNS' ROOMS, THE KITCHEN, THE PHARMACY AND THE ABBESS'S LOUNGE LOOK INTO THE CLOISTER. THE CHURCH IS OPEN FROM MONDAY TO FRIDAY FROM 9.30 TO 12.00 AND ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FROM 9.00 TO 13.00, WHILE THE CLOISTER CAN BE VISITED EVERY DAY FROM 9.30 TO 12.00. 

WALKING ALONG THIS STREET YOU WILL BE ABLE TO BREATHE THE MAGICAL CHRISTMAS ATMOSPHERE THROUGHOUT THE YEARAND OBSERVE THE ARTISANS WHO CREATE AND SELL THE NATIVITY CHARACTERS, STRICTLY HANDMADE IN TERRACOTTA,OF DIFFERENT SIZES, WITH EMBROIDERED AND CUSTOM-SEWED CLOTHES. YOU CAN ALSO FIND MANY DECORATIONS, SUCH ASCORK HOUSES OR WINDMILLS OR WATERFALLS THAT CAN BE OPERATED BY ELECTRICITY.

 AN UNMISSABLE CHARACTER IN THE NATIVITY TRADITION IS BENINO, THE SLEEPING SHEPHERD,GENERALLY POSITIONED IN THE HIGHEST PART OF THE NATIVITY SCENE: ACCORDING TO A LEGEND, IT IS SAID THAT THE NATIVITY SET IS NOTHING BUT A DREAM OF HIS AND IS THE SYMBOL OF A HUMANITY READY TO AWAKEN WITH THE BIRTH OF THE LORD. OVER THE YEARS, THE CUSTOM OF CREATING STATUETTES OF POLITICAL, ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS CHARACTERS HASSPREAD, IN A MIX OF SACRED AND PROFANE, TYPICAL OF THE CITYOF NAPLES

HOW TO GET IT  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

 Cumana train from CVE station near the apartment get off at the first MONTESANTO station then continue crossing the decumani of the historic center and the pedestrian areas

Procida Island 

When beauty chose its home, it sought it away from the noise, it protected it with the sea and the wind so that nature reigned supreme. But the man discovered it! On tip toe he touched its warm beaches, respecting its silences. He settled there, giving life to a union that still lasts today, and which has led that place to become the symbol of the perfect fusion between dream and reality. This paradise, which the cold of progress does not touch, overlooks the Gulf of Naples, where, together with Ischia, Capri, Vivara and Nisida, it forms the archipelago of the Flegrean Islands. 

I'm talking about the small island of Procida, chosen as the 2022Italian Capital of Culture. 

It's easy to get there via ferries or hydrofoils, the difficult thing is to leave because Procida will steal a part of your heart. 

About 3 km from the mainland, it manages to enchant tourists with the rainbow of its colours; the green of the vegetation and the blue of the sea and sky seem to blend with the pastel colors characteristic of its homes. Like lighthouses guarding a hidden treasure, some of the most important monuments of the island stand out among these: PalazzoMontefusco, the Church of Santa Maria della Pietà and the fortified village of Terra Murata,  where we can admire Palazzo D'Avalos andthe abbey of St. Michael the Archangel.

The characteristic village of Casale Vascello, located at the foot of Terra Murata, revives the severity of the city walls with its relaxing colors.And what about the various beaches that seem to surround the hinterland like a crown around the head of a queen? 

Chiaiolella beach, Chiaia, Ciraccio, Postino beach and many others; their volcanic sand, well protected by jagged cliffs, becomes the  ideal place for those who need to spend their holidays in perfect relaxation. 

Since the time of the ancient Romans this small island nestled in the Tyrrhenian Sea has been chosen as a tourist destination. The magical aura that envelops it has inspired many famous artists who, respecting its peculiarities, have chosen this land as the stage for their works. 

Elsa Morante, for example, set the novel "Arturo's Island" here, which earned her the witch prize in 1957. 

Alphonse de Lamartine wrote his “Graziella”, published in 1849,taking inspiration from a girl from Procida with whom he had fallen in love. 

And how can we forget the great Massimo Troisi who staged "ThePostman" in Marina di Corricella, one of the masterpieces of Italian cinema? 

Despite these footsteps of fame, however, the island has not shedits soul, which we still find today in the simplicity of the life lived there. 

So let's delve into its narrow streets full of history and culture, let us be pampered by its tastes and scents, let's get lost among its stars and its sunsets, because Procida is a dream within the reach of anyone who still wants to dream.

HOW TO GET IT  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

a few steps from the Mediterraneo Loft, take the Cumana train at the Corso Vittorio Emanuele CVE station to the port of Pozzuoli (15-20 min) and then 25 minutes by ferry! It's a wonderful fisherman island, very small, you can rent electric bikes at the port to get around.

DOWNLOAD THE PROCIDAISLAND APP FOR YOUR SMARTPHONE

To rent Ebikes on Procida port i suggest SPRINT da Michele, near Bar del Cavaliere.

Riserva Naturale Statale Isola Di Vivara, Procida Island

The island of Vivara, belongs to the Flegrean islands, is an enchanting place, still not too frequented by tourists; it is an appendix of the island of Procida, connected to it via a bridge just over 100 meters long, which can only be explored on foot.

The island has a characteristic shape, that of a crescent; it is a green lung of 32 hectares, and has been a State Natural Reserve since 24 June 2002. Fortunately, its truly unique naturalistic beauty is still

intact today. Its name seems to derive from the Latin term vivarium, meaning a place where animals live.

 The island is nothing more than a western edge of a volcanic crater now submerged and dating back to 55,000 thousand years ago.

It is a place of great beauty, not only from a naturalistic point of view, but also with regards to its archaeological and historical heritage.

Different species of birds live on the island, such as wheatears, warblers and reed warblers. It is therefore possible to admire the flora and fauna that make this island magical, located in one of the most beautiful points of the Mediterranean Sea.

So if you are a lover of nature, animals, but also archaeology, this is the place for you. The finds on the island of Vivara are studied by archaeologists from the University of Naples Suor Orsola Benincasa and during the visit you will be able to learn about their history.

In addition to remains of Neolithic origin, scholars are working to bring to light an ancient Mycenaean village. You will also be able to admire several ruins dating back to the 1600s as well as look at the horizon and enjoy a breathtaking view towards the islands of Ischia, Capri and also see Vesuvius and Naples.

How and when to visit the island of Vivara

Today it is possible to visit the island of Vivara on some days of the week by reservation and accompanied by an expert hiking guide.

Vivara can be visited every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm and its guided tour lasts two hours. 

Prices vary: 10 euros for non-residents, 7 euros for those residing in Procida, free access for children aged 0 to 6 and reduced rates of up to 50% for children, university students up to 25 years of age age and teachers.

You are enchanted by the beauty of the landscape, but the excursion is not for everyone. 

It is good to evaluate whether you are really fit and whether you do not suffer from particular pathologies, precisely because the route is not easy to travel.

 It is also necessary to observe a series of behavioral rules, to be known before starting the guided tour, among these: have comfortable shoes, appropriate clothing for the excursion, do notbring food or drinks (just metal water bottle, do not eradicate the flora present and do not bother the animals.

More infos and tickets   https://tickets.vivarariservanaturalestatale.it/ 

HOW TO GET IT  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train station from the C.V. Emanuele station towards Torregaveta get off at Pozzuoli station and after a few steps you will find the port with the embarkation and ferry ticket offices. You can reach the island of Procida by sea from Naples and Pozzuoli. Given the large influx of tourists heading to Procida, especially in the summer, it is a good idea to book online to be sure of finding a place on ships to reach the green lung of the island of Vivara. You reach the island by walking across the bridge which has finally been repaired after many years and made safe for visitor access.

Riserva Naturale WWF Cratere degli Astroni  Via Agnano Agli Astroni  468

The Cratere degli Astroni nature reserve is a protected natural area located in the municipalities of Pozzuoli and Naples, in the metropolitan city of Naples. The reserve was established by the Ministry for the Environment in 1987, managed by WWF Italy.

It is a crater, one of the largest among the approximately thirty that are found in the Campi Flegrei area and certainly the best preserved in its structure. It is crossed by nature trails and bird observatories, equipped with explanatory panels and noticeboards, for a total of 15 km of diversified routes. Until 2005 it was home to an important wildlife recovery center.

The crater has an extension of approximately 250 hectares and a perimeter of approximately 6.5 km.

Inside the crater there are 3 hills (Imperatrice, Rotondella, Pagliaroni) which occupy a large part of its surface. The south-western area is flat with three small ponds (the largest is called "Lago Grande") rich in animal and plant species. During the reign of the Bourbons it was one of the royal hunting sites, where the sovereigns organized hunts especially for wild boars and deer.

 The eruptive activity of the Astroni manifested itself with 7 different eruptions, which began about 4100 years ago and ended about a century later. The eruptions were mainly of a phreatomagmatic (explosive) nature and partly effusive, with lava emissions that generated some internal reliefs, the Colle dell'Imperatrice, the Pagliaroni and the Rotondella, and the Caprara lava dome.

The Reserve, which falls within the municipality of Pozzuoli, borders to the south with the Agnano crater (Bagnoli district of Naples), to the east with the Pianura district of Naples, to the north with the Via Montagna Spaccata/Pisani area, to the west with the crater of Cigliano. The Naples ring road runs alongside the crater from Pozzuoli / Via Campana to Agnano.

Fauna

The Bourbon Path

These are some of the species of birds, both sedentary and migratory, that can be found in the crater: warbler, wren, blackcap, blackbird, robin, chaffinch, great tit, blue tit, long-tailed tit, jay, great spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, ferruginous duck, mallard duck , coot, moorhen, little grebe, gray heron, little egret, little bittern, water rail; among the birds of prey: sparrowhawk, buzzard, kestrel, peregrine falcon, marsh harrier, tawny owl, barn owl, owl, scops owl.

Furthermore, we note the presence of the fox, the weasel, the hedgehog, the dormouse, the oak mouse, the dormouse, the moleand the Etruscan mustiolo. Flora Vegetation in one of the ponds The vegetation is characterized by the phenomenon of vegetation inversion due to its basin-shaped morphology, the presence of bodies of water and a superficial aquifer and the high humidity in the bottom of the crater.

 For this reason, on the edge of the crater,which is drier and sunniest, Mediterranean scrub vegetation grows, while on the bottom of the crater, mixed deciduous forest prevails. These are some of the species that can be found in the crater: chestnut, oak, white hornbeam, black hornbeam, oriental hornbeam, field elm, field maple, manna ash, aspen, holm oak, tree heather, myrtle, strawberry tree, privet, willow, straw swamp, whitewater lily.

 Some species have been introduced by man and should be eradicated: black locust, American red oak, Canadian poplar.

for more infos how to visit check here

 https://crateredegliastroni.org/

HOW TO GET IT  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V. Emanuele station towards Pozzuoli/Torregaveta get off at the MOSTRA STADIO MARADONA station then walk to Piazzale Tecchio and take BUS no. 106 and get off at stop no. 13 Napoli - Via Nuova Agnano 270 then continue walking fora bout 15/20 minutes to the entrance of the Astroni Park WWF Natural Reserve

Ercolano Scavi station

Archaeological Park of Herculaneum: Archaeological Area

The Roman city of Herculaneum, destroyed and buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, was brought back to the chronicles of history in the eighteenth century thanks to Bourbon explorations.

Equipped with modest walls, the inhabited center was built on a volcanic plateau overlooking the sea at the foot of Vesuvius, limited on the eastern and western sides by two streams; two river inlets constituted natural and safe landing places. The dimensions of the city were actually rather modest: it has been hypothesized that the total surface area enclosed by the walls was around 20 hectares, of which around 4.5 hectares are now visible in the open air, for a population of around 4000 inhabitants.

Despite the centuries-old history, therefore, the excavations have brought to light only a part of the ancient city, so that a large part of the ancient Herculaneum still remains buried underground, preserving among other things the entire forensic area, the sacred and civil buildings with their precious furnishings and decorative devices.

Currently, the majority of the archaeological park that can be visited is made up, with the exception of the baths and the gymnasium, of private homes from the imperial age, characterized by a great typological variety: houses with traditional layouts, multi-family blocks, large residences which develop part of their neighborhoods in dominant position overlooking the sea and astride the walls.

Despite the limits of extension of the city brought to light, it seems that the urban layout was divided into at least three decumani (only two excavated in the open: the inferior decumanus and the maximum decumanus, partly pedestrianized with the four-fronted arch to the west and the access to the temple of the Magna Mater to the East) intersected by five hinges (of which only three are openair), perpendicular to the decumani and the coastline. Even the southern limit of the city is sufficiently well known, with its powerful vaulted substructures (fornici), the terraces above with the suburban baths and the large private domus, also divided into several levels. Dionysius of Halicarnassus attributes the mythical foundation of the city to Heracles returning from Iberia, while Strabo reports that the city was first in the hands of the Opici-Osci, then the Etruscans and the Pelasgians and finally the Samnites.

Like Pompeii and Stabiae, Herculaneum also had to return to the orbit of the Nucera confederation. Having rebelled against Rome during the Social War, it was attacked and conquered in 89 BC. by the legate of Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Titus Didius, and was therefore affected by the municipalization process conducted by the Romans which affected all of central-southern Italy.

The life of the city was finally abruptly interrupted by the eruption ofVesuvius in 79 AD. Over time the memory of the location of the ancient Roman city was lost, and only in 1710 a farmer, Ambrogio Nucerino, digging a well to irrigate his vegetable garden, recovered many valuable marble fragments, which only later were understood to belong to the theater of the ancient city. 

Informed of the discovery, the noble Emanuel-Maurice of Lorraine, prince of Elboeuf, purchased the welland for nine months conducted tunnel excavations in the area at his own expense, thanks to which he recovered nine statues with which he paid homage to the powerful of the time. 

But only in 1738, at the behest of King Charles III of Bourbon, did systematic explorations of the ancient site begin. 

In 1828 under the reign of Francis I of Bourbon, "open-air"excavations were undertaken for the first time, carried out until1875.  After a very long interruption, the works were resumed in 1927 by Amedeo Maiuri, who conducted them until 1958 , but already in 1942 almost the entire area that constitutes the current archaeological park had been brought to light and simultaneously restored and covered.

Between 1960 and 1969 further works were carried out in the northern sector of Insula VI and along the decumanus maximus, while in the last twenty years the ancient beach, coinciding with thesouthern most band of the archaeological area, has been explored. In this area, twelve rooms with arched entrances (the fornici), boat shelters and warehouses were brought to light, where many people from Herculaneum fleeing the eruption had sought shelter.

In the years 1996-1998, open-air excavations were carried out in the area conventionally called "Scavi Nuovi", connected to the archaeological park itself through a narrow and deep trench which, joining at the height of Aristide's House, continues with a tunnel below the modern Vico Mare. In this area, where new excavation, restoration and valorization works were carried out by theSuper intendence in the years 2007-2009 thanks to funding from theEuropean Community, structures belonging to the Villa dei Papiri are currently being brought to light (atrium district, lower first floor and terrace overlooking the sea), already explored for underground tunnels in the eighteenth century, but also part of a thermal complex in north-western Insula and a luxurious residential building in Insula I. 

None of these sites could be brought to light in its entirety, as the structures mostly develop beneath land that has not been expropriated. A system of water pumps, in fact, must permanently keep the aquifer of water emerging due to the collapse of the ancient coastline following the eruption of 79 AD. and the phenomena connected to it.

The reopening of the Decumanus Maximus - the main road of the ancient city of Herculaneum - marks the final step in the return ofthe Roman roads to visitors and concludes an important chapter relating to the works carried out which affected the shops along the northern slope and some of the most interesting Roman residences of the archaeological site, including the House of the Double Portal,now finally accessible in all its splendor with its exceptional entrance, columned portico and wooden elements still intact, while important restoration works are underway in the famous House ofthe Bicentenary.

 Further extraordinary maintenance work is also underway on the infrastructural systems and conservative restoration of the buildings of the ancient city, as well as archaeological research activities as part of the inter-institutional Herculaneum Conservation Project, conducted thanks to the co-financing of the Packard Humanities Institute, in collaboration with the British School at Rome and other Italian and foreign universities.

HOW TO GET IT  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Metro L2 from Mergellina station to Piazza Garibaldi Central Station then take the Circumvesuviana train Napoli_Poggiomarino line and get off at Ercolano Scavi Parco

Pompeii, with its 66 hectares of which approximately 50 are excavated (including suburban areas), is a unique set of civil and private buildings, monuments, sculptures, paintings and mosaics of such relevance for the history of archeology and antiquity to be recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The ash and lapilli that buried the city following the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, narrated in the two famous epistles of Pliny the Younger but also remembered by historians of the time, have in fact allowed for exceptional conservation, allowing us to have a vivid image of the organization of Roman cities, as well as of the daily life of its inhabitants.

HOW TO GET POMPEI  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT:

 it takes about 1 hour starting from Mediterraneo Loft, take the L2 metro at Mergellina station to the Central Train Station/Piazza Garibaldi. Then swap to the train for Salerno which makes an intermediate stop at Pompeii station

Many times you can be lucky enough to find the train from Mergellina that passes through Salerno/Pompeii without having to get off at the central station

The entrance to the excavations is near the train station.

Mercato di Resina Via Pugliano

Very popular with young people from all over Naples, naturally, and with costume designers from Cinecittà: here they manage to find authentic period treasures to dress the protagonists of films set in the past.

It is the Resina market, in Ercolano, a splendid town in the shadow of Vesuvius . Here is a paradise for vintage lovers, from 60s glasses to sequined dresses and colorful wigs.

But there are also stalls dedicated to fine linens and modern antiques.

The Resina market is perhaps the most famous of the markets for used things, second-hand clothes and military surplus in the entire central-south.

It takes place throughout the week, including Sunday, among the crowded streets and squares. It was born during the Second World War, in 1944, when objects and clothes stolen from passing American convoys were sold in this Neapolitan center and it grew in the following years to become an institution.

 Having overcome a moment of crisis after the earthquake of the 1980s, when the buildings in via Pugliano had suffered extensive structural damage, the market was reborn after 1996 thanks to an intense restructuring and redevelopment programme.

 In Resina you can find practically everything you've ever wanted, from furs to Chanel dresses, from Seventies jeans to Manolo Blahnik shoes, from bon ton patent leather bags to the wool hats of Afghan fighters. Characteristic and full of charm is the opening of the "bales", that is, the merchandise enclosed in cloth bags and held with the strings that will be cut at the moment, announced with shouts by the many sellers of what were once called "pezze" (rags ) and which are now highly sought after items of clothing

HOW TO GET IT  FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Metro L2 from Mergellina station to Central Station/Piazza Garibaldi then swap to the Circumvesuviana train and get off at Ercolano station

Vesuvio, 80056 Ercolano NA, Italia

"Take Vesuvius away from Naples, and the enchanted voice of the siren will have lost its sweetest harmonies for you... Vesuvius is the heart, it is the soul, it is the summary of all the splendors of the

gulf..."

[Renato Fucini, Naples with the naked eye, 1877]

The profile of "the formidable Monte Sterminator Vesevo"

[Leopardi]  is imprinted in the collective imagination of the wonders of the universe, a natural emblem of the Gulf of Naples, a pilgrimage destination for travelers of all times, a permanent scientific investigation laboratory, an icon of painting of view from ancienttimes to contemporary artists.

From the peaks of Vesuvius, a three hundred and sixty degree viewpoint which alone would be enough to repay the ascent, opens up the horizon towards the eastern plain, from the thick curtain of the Vesuvian municipalities to the metropolitan city, up to the enchantment of the gulf, the area flegrea, Ischia, Procida, to the west, to the magical profile of Capri, to the south.

It is the most famous volcano in the world, the protagonist of over two millennia of natural, anthropological and social mutations that still capture the collective imagination and threaten surprises.

THE PATHS

The Vesuvius National Park Trail consists of 11 trails for a total length of 54 km of walking.

THE GREAT CONE

Going up the Gran Cono path represents a unique experience, for the thrill of walking along the crater of an active volcano and for the view that can be enjoyed over a good part of Campania up to Lazio.

The main itinerary runs along the western part of the crater rim, while an alternative route, currently under construction, will allow you to travel around the entire circle of the crater with a guided tour.

Characteristics of the trail

overall length: 3,807 m

maximum altitude: 1,170 m above sea level

difference in altitude: approximately 140 m

average slope: 14%

difficulty: medium

travel times: 3 hours return

weather conditions

The temperature on the crater in autumn and winter is lower than at the base of the volcano, even the wind can unexpectedly increase in intensity. In the event of a weather warning for adverse conditions issued by the civil protection of the Campania Region, access to the path will be prohibited.

NOTE In consideration of the characteristics of the path and above all the particularly steep slope, the climb to the crater is not recommended for people with complex pathologies such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases

The climb to Vesuvius will be done on foot up to approximately 1000meters above sea level. It is therefore advisable to bring comfortable shoes, appropriate clothing and water.

ATTENTION Entrance tickets to visit the "Great Cone" can be purchased exclusively online!

TICKETS HERE     https://vesuviopark.vivaticket.it/

HOW TO GET VESUVIUS FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Metro L2 from Mergellina station to Piazza Garibaldi/Central Stationthen take the Circumvesuviana Naples-Sorrento line and get off atErcolano then take a BUS/SHUTTLE to Vesuvius from the externalsquare of Ercolano station"

Beginning of The Path of the Gods trail ,   Piazza Paolo Capasso 7

The Path of the Gods is a hiking trail that runs along the Lattari Mountains, winding between the Amalfi Coast and the Sorrento Coast, in the Campania Region.

About 7.8 km long, it connects the town of Bomerano (fraction of Agerola) with the town of Nocelle (fraction of Positano), crossing several coastal villages and is considered among the most beautiful

hiking trails in the world.

Maintenance is entrusted to volunteers from various local associations and hiking clubs such as the CAI.

The name derives from the legend according to which it was the road that the Greek divinities took to save Ulysses from the sirens who were on the island of Li Galli.

The path was for centuries the only connection between the villages of the Amalfi Coast, until the construction of the current coastal state road by the Bourbons. For years it continued to be used as a mule track but was rediscovered in recent times and adapted into a hiking trail.

"High" and "low" path

The path that from Bomerano leads to Montepertuso (Positano) is often called the path of the Gods, dividing it into the "high" path of the gods and the "low" path of the gods (the one from Bomerano to Nocelle), but the most famous stretch and the so-called "low" one is certainly famous, as well as the most suitable from a traditional point of view to boast the name.

"High" path

The route that winds from Bomerano to Montepertuso is perhaps more tiring than its lower counterpart, also due to a high altitude range, which goes from 636 m in Bomerano to 1111 m above sea level. of Monte Tre Calli, to then reach 397 m above sea level. of Montepertuso, the arrival point of this high route.

"Low" path

The stretch that goes from Bomerano to Nocelle is certainly less tiring and perhaps even more suggestive, being almost entirely downhill, although when taken from Vettica Maggiore or Praiano (one of the many possible variations to the main route) it forces you to face stairways and climbs to reach the actual path; the advantages of these solutions are purely scenographic and subjective, even if going up from Praiano it is also possible to visit the convent of San Domenico.

From the tiny and characteristic village of Nocelle you can continue  to arrive, after about half an hour's walk up some stairs, up toPositano.  The Path of the Gods is suitable for everyone, but requires caution and the ideal is to tackle it in company. The duration may vary depending on several factors, but at a moderate pace, it can be completed in approximately two hours (one way). The last stretch features a descent of 1500 steps that lead to Positano. Along the way, there are tables with benches and springs of fresh,drinkable water. It is advisable to wear hiking clothing and shoes,bring a backpack with food, water and equipment to capture the breathtaking natural views along the trail, as well as sunscreen and rain gear, depending on the season.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Metro station from Mergellina get off at GARIBALDI CENTRAL STATION and take the CIRCUMVESUVIANA train towards Sorrento and get off at CASTELLAMARE DI STABIA station then take BUS no.5080 and get off at stop no. 23 PIAZZA P. CAPASSO - BOMERANO Centro (2 hours and 40 minutes about)

Reggia di Caserta ,  Piazza Carlo di Borbone

The Royal Palace of Caserta, with its gardens, represents one of Vanvitelli's happiest projects. The rooms, finely decorated, still retain the Bourbon furnishings and provide a splendid example of an 18th century royal residence. His park is divided into three areas: a large lawn behind the palace which includes the old forest, the Briano hill, which extends up to the foot of the fountain covered in bushes, and the English garden.

HOW TO GET REGGIA DI CASERTA FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

from Mergellina station Metro line 2 to the central station/piazza garibaldi then swap to the train for Caserta

Sorrento 

Sorrento is a beautiful town overlooking the Gulf of Naples. The city, in addition to having an important historical and architectural heritage, is the gateway to the Sorrento peninsula.

Conquered first by the Greeks then by the Romans and, finally, by the Normans and the Aragonese, Sorrento is a small town overlooking the Gulf of Naples. The city stands on a hill overlooking the sea and is the gateway to the picturesque and famous Sorrento Peninsula.

It seems that the name Sorrento derives from the true Greek "surreo" which means "to flow", referring to the waters that descended from the nearby valleys and flowed into the sea.

Sorrento, birthplace of the writer Torquato Tasso (1511-1595), who wrote "La Gerusalemme Liberata", since the nineteenth century has been the destination of many intellectuals from northern Europe who came to these areas of southern Italy to do the ''Grand Tour'' and learn more about the history of the Mediterranean.

 Thanks to this past, the city stands out compared to other cities in Campania, for its quiet and organized atmosphere characterized by a small centre, gardens with citrus trees and the sound of the sea always in the background.

The heart of the city of Sorrento is Piazza Tasso where today you can admire the monument dedicated to the writer Torquato Tasso which is the work of the sculptor Gennaro Calì. Here once stood the Aragonese Castle built by Ferdinand of Aragon in the 15th century and demolished at the end of the 19th century. 

In the 19th century there was an urban restructuring of the city which led not only to the destruction of the castle, but also to the demolition of the city walls and Porta Piano. Important buildings overlook the square such as the church of Santa Maria del Carmine, Casa Correale and the refined Grand Hotel Vittoria. Corso Italia, the most famous shopping street in Sorrento, also starts from this square, where there are numerous restaurants serving the famous Sorrento gnocchi.

Baths of Queen Giovanna

You cannot come to Sorrento without visiting the famous Baths of Queen Giovanna which have been known since ancient times and take their name from Queen Giovanna D'Angiò who loved to come and bathe in this uncontaminated area. This ancient corner of paradise, characterized by clear waters, can be reached by arriving at Capo di Sorrento and then proceeding from there for a stretch on foot along a path.

 The itinerary to reach the baths is well signposted and is located on a very wild stretch of coast which was also hit by a landslide, so before going to the baths it is a good idea to find out about accessibility. Given the few parking spaces in this area, you can opt to reach the bathrooms via a bus ride.

Beaches of Sorrento 

In addition to the famous Bagni della Regina Giovanna, the city of Sorrento is home to many other beaches where you can relax and sunbathe. 

A few steps from the historic center and the port is the Spiaggia di San Francesco, a strip of volcanic sand also known as Spiaggia di Marina Piccola. This lido consists of a free area and an area equipped with several private establishments that provide all the necessary services.

The beach can be easily reached from the Villa Comunale, on foot or with the convenient lift, or from the port of Sorrento. 

Another very popular beach, both by tourists and locals, is the Puolo beach, renowned throughout the Sorrento Peninsula for its crystal clear waters. Located a few kilometers from the center of Sorrento, this coast has a mixed beach of sand and pebbles and several equipped establishments that alternate with free beach areas. In this area you can also find many restaurants serving typical local dishes, bar sand clubs.

Finally, not far from Bagni della Regina Giovanna, nestled in the beautiful natural landscape of the Sorrento peninsula, is thes mall Baia La Solara. This beach, surrounded by the ruins of a Roman villa and by cultivations of olive and lemon groves, is a place characterized by rocks and large rocks and a truly stupendous sea. Here there is a lido equipped with sunbeds, umbrellas and an excellent restaurant.

From Sorrento it is possible to reach the towns of the Amalfi Coast

HOW TO SORRENTO FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Mergellina Metro station Line 2 get off at GARIBALDI / CENTRALSTATION then take the Circumvesuviana train Naples-Sorrento line and get off at the last stop   

or

from the port of Naples MOLO BEVERELLO hydrofoil to SORRENTO(about 45 minutes of navigation company Alilauro)it is recommended to buy tickets online on the ALilauro website

Costiera amalfitana, Via Positanesi d'America

AMALFI COASTAMALFI COAST IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES IN ITALY AND OFFERS BREATHTAKING LANDSCAPES WITHOUT EQUAL.

ON TOP OF THE LIST OF THE DESTINATIONS TO VISIT THERE IS AMALFI, WHICH THE MOST IMPORTANT MONUMENT IS THE DUOMO THAT IS LOCATED IN THE HOMONYMOUS PLACE AND IT WAS BUILT AROUND IX CENTURY. 

A PICTURESQUE SPOT WHERE EACH CORNER, EACH STREET AND PLACE ARE CHARACTERISTICS.

THE OLD MARITIME REPUBLIC IS FAMOUS FOR ITS TRAFFIC, A PASTFULL OF HISTORY, BUT ESPECIALLY FOR ITS ART AND TRADITIONS. 

 IN AMALFI IS POSSIBLE TO VISIT THE WELL-KNOWN MUSEUM OF PAPER WHERE MANY YEARS AGO WAS ORIGINALLY PRODUCED A PRECIOUS TYPE OF PAPER STILL USED TODAY. INSIDE THE MUSEUM THERE ARE MACHINES AND EQUIPMENT TO PRODUCE PAPER BYHAND.

ONE OF THE MOST SUGGESTIVE PLACES OF THE COAST IS POSITANO, FAMOUS AROUND THE WORLD NOT ONLY FOR ITS BEAUTY BUT ALSO FOR THE HANDMADE PRODUCTION OF DRESSES AND SANDALS, THE ORIGINAL TREND OF THE SO CALLED MODA POSITANO. WHAT CHARACTERIZES THIS PLACE IS THE CONSTRUCTIONS OF THE HOUSES ALONG THE ROCK. THEY ALL SEEM TO BE CONSTRUCTED ON TOP OF EACH OTHER. 

BETWEEN THE STREETS AND THE BEACHES IN THE HEART OF POSITANO THERE IS THE CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA ASSUNTA WITH ITS PARTICULAR DOME IN YELLOW, BLUE AND GREEN MAJOLICA THAT IT CAN BE SEEN FROM ANYWHERE IN THE CITY. THE NEOCLASSICS TRUCTURE BETWEEN COLUMNS AND DOMES, INSIDE HOLDS AN IMPORTANT BYZANTINE PAINTING THE MADONNA NERA.

 THE LEGEND NARRATES THAT THE PAINTING CAME IN POSITANO BY THE WILL OF THE VIRGIN. 

THE COLOURS AND THE SCENT THAT YOU BREATH IN THE LITTLE STREETS OF POSITANO CARRIES YOU IN A MAGIC ATMOSPHERE.

GOING UP THE COAST IS LOCATED RAVELLO WITH ITS AMAZING GARDENS OF VILLA CIMBRIONE AND VILLA RUFOLO WHICH OFFER A STUNNING VIEW AND THE PARTICULAR ARCHITECTURE MAKES RAVELLO A TREASURE OF THE COAST.

 IN THE CENTRAL PLACE THERE IS THE DUOMO ONE OF THE MOST ANCIENT CATHEDRAL OF ITALY AND IN IT THERE ARE TWO MUSEUMS: THE OPERA MUSEUM WITH ROMAN URNS, RELICS AND ANCIENT ARTEFACTS,AND THE PINACOTECA OF MEDIEVAL AND MODERN ARTENRICHED BY PAINTINGS FROM XVI TO XIX CENTURY. 

EACHCORNER OF THIS LITTLE VILLAGE DESERVES TO BE VISITED TOGETHER WITH OTHER ENCHANTING NEIGHBOURING PLACES.

IN THE CENTRE OF THE AMALFI COAST THERE IS MINORI A LOCATION FULL OF BOUTIQUES, SHOPS, RESTAURANTS AND THE DELICIOUS BAKERY OF SAL DE RISO WHERE TO TASTE DESSERTS AND TYPICAL LOCAL PRODUCTS. 

ANOTHER TWO NEARBY VILLAGES ARE CETARA AND MAIORI. THEY ARE FAMOUS AND POPULAR SEASIDE TOWNS, QUIETER BUT EQUALLY FULL OF HISTORY AND ATTRACTIONS. THE CHARACTERISTIC OF THESE TREE LOCATION IS THAT THEY ALL HAVE A LARGE PROMENADE/SEAFRONT AND WIDER BEACHES.

VIETRI SUL MARE IS WELL-KNOWN IN THE WORLD FOR THE PRODUCTIONS OF HAND PAINTED PORCELAIN AND ITS HISTORIC CENTRE REPRESENTS ONE OF THE MAIN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS.

HERE THERE IS THE MUSEUM OF CERAMICS, THE FACTORY OF SOLIMENE AND THE CHURCH OF SAN GIOVANNI BATTISTA IN DUOMO’S PLACE WHICH HAS A SPECIAL MAJOLICA DOME THAT SEEMS TO TOUCH THE SKY. 

BESIDES CERAMICS THERE ARE TWO FUNNY LEGENDS THAT TELL THE HISTORY OF THE TWO FAMOUS IDENTICAL ROCKS IN THE SEA “THE BROTHERS OF VIETRI”. THE FIRST ONE DATES BACK TO GREEKS AND NARRATES THAT WHILE TWO SHEPHERDS WERE PASTURING THEIR FLOCKS, THEY SAW A GIRL SWIMMING IN THE SEA, WHEN SUDDENLY A STORM BROKE OUT, THEY TRIED TO SAVE HER IN THE WAVES BUT BOTH DROWNED.

 THE GIRL WAS THE DAUGHTER OF POSEIDON THE GOD OF SEA, SHE SURVIVED AND HIS FATHER TO HONOUR THE SACRIFICE OF THE TWO GUYS TRANSFORMED THEIR BODIES INTWO ROCKS THAT WE STILL SEE TODAY. 

THE SECOND ONE TELLS THE SIEGE BY THE SARACENS TO TAKE THE CITY OF SALERNO.AFTER MONTHS OF WAR TWO LEADERS FOUGHT UNTIL THEY DECIDED TO REST ON TWO ROCKS, BUT THEY WERE CAPTURED BY THE SEA AND BEFORE DROWNING THEY FOUND OUT THAT THEY HAD THE SAME COAT OF ARMS ON THEIR ARMOR AND JUST BEFORE THEY DIED, THEY REALIZED TO BE BROTHERS, SO THEROCKS WERE BUILT IN THEIR HONOUR.

HOW TO GET TO AMALFI COAST FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT:

CIRCUMVESUVIANA: TAKE METRO FROM MERGELLINA STATION DIRECTION TO PIAZZA GARIBALDI/CENTRAL STATION THEN TAKE THE CIRCUMVESUVIANA LINE NAPOLI-SORRENTO. ONCE ARRIVED IN SORRENTO TAKE THE BUS OF LINE SITA OR BOAT/FERRIES FROM THE PORT TO AMALFI,POSITANO,MAIORI,MINORI, ETC. 

BY THE SEA: FROM NAPOLI BEVERELLO PORT FERRIES AND HYDROFOILS EVERYDAY TO SORRENTO (ALILAURO,NLG,CAREMAR) 

TRAIN: FROM MERGELLINA STATION OR FROM PIAZZA GARIBALDI CENTRAL STATION TAKE THE TRAIN TO SALERNO. ONCE ARRIVED IN SALERNO TAKE BOATS/FERRIES FOR AMALFI, POSITANO ETC. FROM THE PORT A FEW STEPS FROM THE STATION. OR TAKE THEBUS OF LINE SITA

Scoglione di Marechiaro

THE CITY OF NAPLES HAS BEEN CHOSEN BY TOURISTS FOR YEARS AS A SUMMER HOLIDAY DESTINATION, NOT ONLY FOR THE ATTRACTIONS AND MONUMENTS PRESENT IN THE CITY, BUT ALSO FOR ITS WONDERFUL BEACHES, ALL VERY PANORAMIC. THE MOST KNOWN ARE:

SCOGLIONE DI MARECHIARO (CALATA A PONTICELLO A MARECHIARO 38):

 IT IS A LARGE TUFA ROCK THAT IS LOCATED NEAR THE MARECHIARO BEACH AND CAN ONLY BE REACHED BY BOAT: THE ROUTE STARTS FROM CALATA PONTICELLO AND COSTS €5 return. 

ONCE YOU ARRIVE, YOU CAN PLAN UMBRELLA AND/ORRENT SUNBEDS AND DECK CHAIRS.

HOW TO MARECHIARO BEACH FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

BY BUS: C16 FROM CORSO VITTORIO EMANUELE)+ 140 FROM PIAZZA VITTORIA/MERGELLINA, GET OFF to COROGLIO-MARECHIARO

Spiaggia della Gaiola

14 Discesa Gaiola

10 persone del luogo consigliano

THE CITY OF NAPLES HAS BEEN CHOSEN BY TOURISTS FOR YEARS

AS A SUMMER HOLIDAY DESTINATION, NOT ONLY FOR THE

ATTRACTIONS AND MONUMENTS PRESENT IN THE CITY, BUT ALSO

FOR ITS WONDERFUL BEACHES, ALL VERY PANORAMIC. THE MOST

KNOWN ARE:

LA GAIOLA (DISCESA GAIOLA): ALSO KNOWN AS THE

UNDERWATER PARK OF GAIOLA, IT IS LOCATED IN POSILLIPO. THE

BEACH IS FAMOUS FOR ITS TWO ISLANDS CONNECTED THROUGH

A SMALL BRIDGE. TO GET INFORMATION AND BOOK ACCESS TO

THE BEACH IN THE UPDATED NATURE RESERVE CONSULT THE SITE:

AREAMARINAPROTETTAGAIOLA it

HOW TO GET GAIOLA FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

FROM MERGELLINA TAKE BUS 140 GET OFF AT THE DESCIS COROGLIO-ISTITUTO DENZA STOP AND THEN WALKING FOR 20 MIN.

Bagno Sirena, Via Posillipo 357

IT IS LOCATED ON THE SIDE OF THE WONDERFUL PALAZZO DONN'ANNA AND HAS BOTH AN AREA EQUIPPED WITH SUNBEDS AND CATERING SERVICE AND A FREE BEACH WITH FREE ACCESS. SINCE IT IS A SMALL BEACH, TO BE SURE OF FINDING A PLACE IT IS BEST TO GO DURING THE WEEK OR EARLY IN THE MORNING. ENTRANCE TO THE EQUIPPED AREA COSTS €10.

HOW TO GET BAGNO SIRENA FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

BY BUS: C16 FROM CORSO VITTORIO EMANUELE GET OFF AT THE LARGO SERMONETA STOP or BUS nr 140 FROM PIAZZA VITTORIA/MERGELLINA GET OFF AT THE POSILLIPO-PALAZZO DONN'ANNA 

Bay of Green Rocks Villa Fattorusso , via posillipo 68

THE BAY IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL IN POSILLIPO AND IS LOCATED NEAR THE SCOGLIONE DI MARECHIARO. IT IS PARTICULARLY KNOWN FOR ITS CRYSTALLINE WATER AND BECAUSE THERE ARE TWO SALT WATER POOLS. NEXT TO THEM THE TERRACE WITH THE BAR/RESTAURANT, EXCELLENT FOR APERITIF AND/OR DINNER DURING THE HOT SUMMER EVENINGS.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

BY BUS: C16 FROM CORSO VITTORIO EMANUELE + 140 FROM PIAZZA VITTORIA/MERGELLINA, POSILLIPO-RIONE PRIMAVERA

THE NAPLES KAYAK ASSOCIATION ORGANIZES KAYAK EXCURSIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO OBSERVE THE CITY OF NAPLES FROM A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, FROM THE SEA, AND EXPLORE PLACES UNREACHABLE ON FOOT. THE TOURS START FROM BAGNO SIRENA AND BAIA DELLE ROCCE VERDI AND INCLUDE SEVERAL ITINERARIES. IN ADDITION TO THE GUIDED TOURS, KAYAK NAPLES ALSO OFFERS THE POSSIBILITY OF RENTING KAYAKS OR STAND UP PADDLES TO EXPLORE THE SPLENDID NEAPOLITAN COAST IN ABSOLUTE FREEDOM.

www.kayaknapoli.com

THE NAPLES KAYAK ASSOCIATION ORGANIZES KAYAK EXCURSIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO OBSERVE THE CITY OF NAPLES FROM A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, FROM THE SEA, AND EXPLORE PLACES UNREACHABLE ON FOOT. THE TOURS START FROM BAGNO SIRENA AND BAIA DELLE ROCCE VERDI AND INCLUDE SEVERAL ITINERARIES. IN ADDITION TO THE GUIDED TOURS, KAYAK NAPLES ALSO OFFERS THE POSSIBILITY OF RENTING KAYAKS OR STAND UP PADDLES TO EXPLORE THE SPLENDID NEAPOLITAN COAST IN ABSOLUTE FREEDOM.

HOW TO GET KAYAK NAPOLI FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

BY BUS: C16 FROM CORSO VITTORIO EMANUELE +

140 FROM PIAZZA VITTORIA/MERGELLINA, POSILLIPO-RIONE PRIMAVERA STOP (VILLA FATTORUSSO)

Bagni Elena, Via Posillipo 14 

IT IS LOCATED IN POSILLIPO AND IS VERY FAMOUS BECAUSE IT IS SURROUNDED BY NUMEROUS LIBERTY STYLE BUILDINGS. ON THE BEACH THERE IS A PRIVATE PONTARY WITH SOLARIUM AND THE RESTAURANT (RISTORANTINO DEL BAGNO ELENA), WHERE YOU CAN ENJOY EXCELLENT TRADITIONAL MEDITERRANEAN DISHES WITH A VIEW OF THE SEA.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

BY BUS: C16 FROM CORSO VITTORIO EMANUELE or also BUS 140 FROM PIAZZA VITTORIA/MERGELLINA, LARGO SERMONETA STOP

RIVA FIORITA IN POSILLIPO (VIA FERDINANDO RUSSO 21)

KNOWN AMONG THE NEAPOLITANS AS "GIUSEPPONE A MARE", DUE TO THE WELL-KNOWN RESTAURANT THAT OVERLOOKS THE RIVA, IT IS THE IDEAL PLACE FOR THOSE WHO LOVE DIVING. THE BEACH IS SURROUNDED BY SUMPTUOUS VILLAS, SUCH AS VILLA ROSEBERY SUMMER RESIDENCE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC, AND VILLA VOLPICELLI, SET OF THE WELL-KNOWN NEAPOLITAN SOAP OPERA "A PLACE IN THE SUN". 

FREE ENTRY.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

BY BUS: C16 FROM CORSO VITTORIO EMANUELE + 140 FROM PIAZZA VITTORIA/MERGELLINA, POSILLIPO STOP

BAIA CASTLE BEACH, Via Lucullo 75 BACOLI

IT IS LOCATED AT THE FOOT OF THE FAMOUS CASTLE AND CAN BE REACHED BY A BOAT MADE AVAILABLE AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY €5. THE BEACH IS SMALL IN SIZE AND ALSO OFFERS A RESTAURANT SERVICE

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V.Emanuele station towards Torre Gaveta get off at FUSARO station then take BUS no. 144 and get off at stop no. 7 Bacoli - Via Salita Castello 26

LOST PARADISE (VIA CASTELLO 95, BACOLI):

IT IS LOCATED IN BACOLI, CLOSE TO THE CASTLE OF BAIA.  IT OFFERS VARIOUS SERVICES: YOU CAN CHOOSE CLASSIC SUN BEDS OR SEA VIEW LATVIANS; COMPLETELY FREE CANOES FOR THOSE WHO LOVE SPORTS. THE SOLARIUM IS EQUIPPED WITH TWO POOLS, ONE WITH A WHIRLPOOL, AND A DINING AREA. ENTRANCE COSTS BETWEEN €10 AND 15.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V.Emanuele station towards Torre Gaveta get off at FUSARO station then take BUS no. 144 and get off at stop no. 10 Bacoli - Via Risorgimento, Rotonda

SCHIACCHETIELLO BEACH NEAR THE MIRABILIS POOL: IT IS LOCATED IN BACOLI IN FRONT OF THE ISLAND OF PUNTA PENNATA WHICH CAN BE REACHED ON FOOT AT LOW TIDE. THE BEACH IS COMPOSED OF ENTIRELY TUFF ROCKS AND HAS A RESTAURANT OPEN IN THE SUMMER MONTHS. ENTRY IS FREE. THIS IS A MAGICAL PLACE

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V.Emanuele station towards Pozzuoli get off at the last station TORREGAVET then take BUS nr. 102 get off at stop no. 20 of Bacoli - Via Miseno, AGIP then continue walking for about 15 minutes to reach the beach. very near to the famous Schiacchietiello beach there is also the PISCINA MIRABILIS and an excellent fish restaurant LA CATAGNA

Villa Ferretti

Strip of sand nestled between the Villa and the Castle The Villa Ferretti beach is one of the most sought after on the Campi Flegrei coast. It is located in Baia, in the Municipality of Bacoli, within the complex of the public park of the same name. It is a small free beach and open during limited hours, from 9am to 6pm, six days a week (closed on Mondays for weekly rest), as it is supervised by the Municipality.

It has become one of the most popular destinations, one of the most clicked on the web thanks to the notoriety it has gained as it too is among the assets confiscated from organized crime together with the entire complex of the park and the nineteenth-century villa.

The beach has very small spaces: it is less than 50 meters long, just over 5 meters wide. Precisely because of the small spaces, it is a beach that risks becoming crowded quickly, especially in the hottest hours of the day and during holidays and pre-holidays.

If you want to avoid crowds, it is best to go during the week or, alternatively, you can make free use of the umbrellas, deckchairs and sunbeds on the terrace or garden of the park, made available by the Municipality. However, since they are also limited to about ten units, it is difficult to find space in this case too. But you can set up on the lawn with towels

The emerald water and the seabed mixed with sand and small stones, paying attention to the small rocks scattered here and there, characterize the inlet in which the Villa Ferretti beach stands out. An enchanting place, especially at first light in the morning and in the evening hours. The beach is accessed via the staircase that overlooks the park terrace. It is shared with a private property adjacent to the entire complex.

Located at the foot of the Aragonese Castle of Baia, home to the Archaeological Museum of the Phlegraean Fields, with Rione Terra, the Gulf of Pozzuoli and the remains of submerged Baia in the background, the beach of Villa Ferretti is a place of leisure and relaxation for local residents and visitors. It is possible (with your own equipment) to snorkel or scuba dive among the small coves and the Roman remains at the foot of the Castle, where an ancient villa once stood which is said to have belonged to Julius Caesar. You just need to pay attention to the boats that, within the route marked with buoys, transport swimmers towards the small beach of the Castle, near the red lighthouse, a bathing establishment that can only be reached by sea.

As part of a territorial marketing strategy, the enhancement of the Villa Ferretti complex, including the park and the beach, is built on four fundamental pillars: education, culture, leisure and tourism. The transformation from an asset confiscated from the Camorra to a place of social gathering as well as educational and cultural activities.

Villa Ferretti, headquarters of the Federico II University of Naples. The assignment of the Villa Ferretti residence, which towers over the sea that washes the beach, to the Federico II University of Naples contributes to this, while maintaining free access to both the park and the beach. The objective of the assignment to the Federician university is to promote high-level study courses dedicated to submerged archaeology, becoming a global point of reference for young students, researchers and university andscientific institutions. 

Villa Ferretti complex.

Ultimately, a valorization strategy that aims to transform the entire Villa Ferretti complex into a multifunctional center where training,culture, leisure and tourism intertwine, contributing to the regeneration of the territory and offering unique experiences toboth residents and visitors.

HOW TO GET VILLA FERRETTI FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V.Emanuele station towards Torre Gaveta get off atFUSARO station then take BUS no. 144 and get off at stop no. 7Bacoli - Via Salita Castello 26

SOON IN SUMMER 2025 THERE WILL BE A NEW "BAIA"CUMANA STATION NEAR TO VILLA FERRETTI AND BAIA PORT

Stufe di Nerone,Via Stufe di Nerone 45 Lucrino, Pozzuoli

Treat yourself to a day of total relaxation right from the morning in the wonderful SPA park of Stufe di Nerone in Lucrino.

The Terme Stufe di Nerone is an ancient Roman spa center located between Bacoli and Pozzuoli in the metropolitan city of Naples. They were created mainly for spa treatments using thermal waters and mud from springs and lakes.

On the site, in Roman times, there were the so-called Silvane Baths dedicated to Rhea Silvia (mother of Romulus and Remus).

The bare essentials to bring Bathrobe and/or towels, swimsuit (it is advisable to bring an extra one to replace the wet one), pool slippers, cap.

It is also possible to purchase the necessary items at the spa or rent a bathrobe (5 euros) or a towel (3 euros).

At the entrance you will be assigned a personal locker with lock and key where you can change and store all your things.

Password, Relax!

HOW TO GET STUFE DI NERONE THERMAL SPA PARK FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

You can reach the Stufe del Nerone with the Cumana behind the house, towards Torre Gaveta, stop nr 12 LUCRINO in about 25 minutes then about 5/10 minutes walking to reach the SPA in a beautiful landscape.

Sorgeto Bay is a real open-air thermal park, free and therefore open all year round. For this reason in Sorgeto you will find people immersed in water even in the coldest months, even in winter because the temperature inside the pools can reach up to 37 degrees.

In summer it is advisable to go down to Sorgeto Bay very early, otherwise you risk not finding a place, while it is absolutely obligatory, at least once in your life, to take a bath in the evening in the moonlight immersed in the natural pools between the sea and the spa

HOW TO GET SORGETO BAY FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT NAPOLI

Ischia is very well connected with Naples and Pozzuoli by Ships and Hydrofoils. 

The natural SPAs of Sorgeto Bay are free and open to the public, but these waters, like everything in life, have a price. And this is paid for in the effort required to reach them.

The bay is not exactly easy to reach:

If you have arrived at the Punta Chiarito clearing, from which you will have a beautiful view of the entire bay, you will have to climb more than 250 steps to get to the sea. And if the descent seems difficult, wait until you finish your thermal baths to discover the effort of the return (according to the law of physics, there are more than 250 steps up).

In the summer, the laziest can get around with the taxi boat service available that connects the nearby village of Sant'Angelo to Sorgeto Bay by sea at very affordable prices.

The Bay can be reached by bus with lines CS, CD, 1 or 23 that will not take you right in front of the steps but about a kilometer away.

By taxi or private car you can reach Punta Chiarito, following the signs for the locality of Panza and then Baia di Sorgeto. There are also paid parking lots if you do not want to leave your car along the road.

Between Punta Serra and the promontory of Santa Margherita Vecchia, the Chiaiolella Beach, whose “real” name is Ciracciello, is the longest and most popular coastline on the island of Procida. The coast is characterized by shallow waters, ideal for safe swimming, and by the presence of rocky areas and others covered with lush Mediterranean scrub that makes the landscape even more suggestive.

The Chiaiolella Beach is bordered by the larger Ciraccio Beach by two characteristic tuff stacks, formed as a result of a landslide of the rocky ridge that originally separated the two beaches. As already mentioned for Ciraccio, the sun shines at all hours on this portion of the beach, while in the afternoon the mistral often rises, making the sea a little rough, but no less fascinating.

From here, in fact, it is possible to enjoy a unique view of the Isolotto di Vivara, a nature reserve, and the very nearby island of Ischia. Behind the beach there is also a romantic dock overlooking numerous tourist facilities, bars and restaurants. Walking along the dock or along the promenade, especially in the evening, allows you to enjoy the magical atmosphere of this fascinating corner of Procida.

HOW TO GET Donn'ANNA BEACH FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT 

a few steps from the Mediterraneo Loft, take the Cumana train at the Corso Vittorio Emanuele CVE station to the port of Pozzuoli (15-20 min) and then 25 minutes by ferry! It's wonderful island, verysmall, you can rent electric bikes at the port to get around the island.

DOWNLOAD THE PROCIDA ISLAND APP FOR YOUR SMARTPHONE , ferry timetable etc.

Bagno Donn'anna FREE BEACH, Via Posillipo 19, Napoli

Mysteries and marine flashes in a famous palace in Posillipo

The Donn'Anna palace, in addition to being one of the most famous monumental palaces in Naples, is located on the sea in one of the most evocative places in the world, the coast of the Posillipo peninsula. 

The fame of the palace, which was built in the 17th century, is due to many popular legends, to the literature that from 1800 made it a typical and recurring element, in particular with reference to the work of Matilde Serao "Neapolitan Legends". 

In popular beliefs, however, Donn'Anna is confused with the famous and controversial Queen Giovanna d'Angiò who here met her young lovers, chosen from among handsome fishermen and with whom she spent passionate nights of love, and then killed them at dawn by making them fall from the palace.

It was built starting from 1642 by order of Donna Anna Carafa, Princess of Stigliano, who married the Duke of Medina, Don Ramiro Núñez de Guzmán, appointed viceroy of the Kingdom of Naples by Philip IV.

In the beginning part of  Via Posillipo ( The Beverly Hill of Napoli) you will find a Treasure Gate for an Amazing free Beach!

Take the stairs and turn on the right , you will find a small beach but if you pass under the wooden sunbed terrace bridge of Bagno le Sirene you can get the other part of the Beach (Amazing). There was a gate always locked but now it is opened for all 24 hours a day ! Enjoy it

HOW TO GET Palazzo Donn'ANNA BEACH FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT .

BY BUS: C16 FROM CORSO VITTORIO EMANUELE GET OFF AT THE LARGO SERMONETA STOP or BUS nr 140 FROM PIAZZA VITTORIA/MERGELLINA GET OFF AT THE POSILLIPO-PALAZZO DONN'ANNA 

or it's 25 minutes walking trough Mergellina Touristic Port

Campi Flegrei, Pozzuoli NA

The Phlegraean Fields have enormous historical, landscape and territorial importance for many reasons which made this part of Campania a destination for the Grand Tour from the 17th to the 19thcentury, attracting visitors from all over Europe.

Among these Goethe who gives an extensive description of it in his Journey to Italy. In 2003, in implementation of the Regional Law of Campania n. 33 of1.9.1993, the Campi Flegrei Regional Park was established. 

Areas of important biological and natural value are Capo Miseno, the submerged park of Baia, Monte Nuovo and the Cratere degli Astroni. Spa activities Although smaller than in ancient times, there are still numerous thermal water springs that flow there. In addition to the most famous thermal springs scattered throughout the island of Ischia, on the mainland the Terme di Agnano are very renowned, mainly therapeutic in nature, the Terme Puteolane and finally in Lucrino,very popular for relaxation and therapies are the "Stufe di Nerone", where in addition to the modern diving facilities, there are saunas that correspond to the ancient facilities of the Roman era, and the"Lido Nerone – Lo scoglio", where it is possible to immerse yourself in the boiling waters in special tubs located on the beach.

Location of historical and archaeological interest The city of Pozzuoli was Rome's port towards the East until Emperor Trajan built the artificial port of Ostia. 

In Pozzuoli there are many monumental buildings from the Roman era, including the ancient market (Macellum) called "Temple of Serapis", the Temple of Augustus, later transformed into the city's cathedral and recently restored, large spa buildings, stretches of Roman roads , large  monumental necropolises (including the necropolis of via Celle), and two amphitheaters of which the Flavian Amphitheater is the third largest in Italy; The connection between the Phlegraean Fields and Naples occurred through the Crypta Neapolitana, a tunnel dug into the tuff rock in Roman times. At the entrance to the crypt there is a columbarium from the imperial era identified as the tomb of the poet Virgil.

Ruins of the "temple of Apollo" on Lake Avernus Lake Averno, which occupies an extinct volcanic caldera, had an advantageous strategic position and in Roman times for a short period was used together with the nearby Lake Lucrino as a military port of ancient Rome, a base called Portus Julius. 

On Lake Averno stands out the ruins of a large Roman thermal room called the Temple of Apollo. An artificial cave built in Roman times was mistakenly considered the cave of the Sibilla Cumana. Legend also has it that this was the entrance to the underworld described by Virgil in the sixth book of the Aeneid where the hero Aeneas goes. 

 The Mirabilis Pool in Bacoli Baia (falling within the municipality of Bacoli) represented thefavorite place of stay of the Roman aristocracy and of various  emperors, who came here to delight in the sea and leisure, building luxurious holiday villas and numerous spa facilities of which the monumental rooms are still today improperly called "Temple": those of Mercury, Venus, Diana stand out. 

In Baia, the suspensurae were invented by Sergio Orata to keep the thermal rooms warm, and new architectural solutions of domes were experimented to a limited extent, which were then applied in Rome for example in the construction of the Pantheon. 

The ruins of the remains of the ancient city of Baia can now be visited at the archaeological complex of Baia, while currently an important part of the ancient Baia is submerged by the sea due to bradyseism: due to the numerous underwater archaeological presences, recently the gulf of Baia has been declared a marine protected area and the Baia submerged park has been established. 

Some particularly significant monuments have been the subject of underwater excavations: worthy of mention is the Nymphaeum of Punta Epitaffio whose reconstruction, complete with the marble sculptures found there, is visible in the Archaeological Museum of the Phlegraean Fields located in the Aragonese Castle of Baia. 

Also within the municipality of Bacoli there is the ancient Misenum, a village built in Roman times, home to the emperor's important praetorian fleet. The beach of Miliscola still preserves in its name the memory of the training sessions that Roman sailors carried out there (militum schola). 

The Sacellum of the Augustals of the ancient military village was brought to light, splendidly reconstructed in a special room of the Archaeological Museum of the Phlegraean Fields. 

Among the most representative monuments remains the Piscina mirabilis, the largest known cistern ever built by the ancient Romans with a capacity of 12,600 m³, which supplied drinking water to the ships of the Roman navy that docked in the port of Miseno.

The current hamlet of Miseno is located at the foot of the Capo Miseno promontory which represents the last off shoot of the mainland that encloses the Gulf of Pozzuoli, extreme tip of the Gulf of Naples.

Among the other Roman monuments in Bacoli are the "Cento Camerelle", an ancient cistern of an important villa from the imperial era, and the so-called "Tomb of Agrippina", actually part of an odeion of an ancient Roman villa. 

After Lake Fusaro there is the ancient city of Cuma, which is the oldest Greek colony in Magna Graecia, famous since its origins as the seat of the oracle where the Cumaean Sibyl prophesied. 

Of the ancient city, little excavated, the lower part of the city from the Roman era can be visited, with the area of the Forum and its public buildings, the Roman Crypt, and above all the acropolis with the Sibyl's cave and the temples of Apollo and of Zeus.

 The splendid Arco Felice acts as a gateway to the city, a monumental brick arch from the Roman era built in the cut that the Romans made in the hill, through which the ancient Via Domiziana entered Cuma.

Other locations of historical interest

The Casina Vanvitelliana on Lake Fusaro

North of Miseno, in Lake Fusaro, on an islet, there is the lovely Casina Vanvitelliana built in the 18th century by King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon as a support house for his coot hunting or fishing trips on the lake.

THERE'S AN AMAZING BOOK AT HOME ABOUT CAMPI FLEGREI ,ITINERARIES, ETC

HOW TO GET CAMPI FLEGREI PHLEGREAN FILEDS FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

The Campi Flegrei are easily reachable by the Cumana train towards Pozzuoli / Torre Gaveta (last station) which leaves from the CVE station 70m from the apartment! The Cumana makes many intermediate stops in as many places of historical and naturalistic interest.

Archaeological Museum of Campi Flegrei In the Castello Aragonese, Via Castello 39 Bacoli

The Archaeological Museum of the Phlegraean Fields is a museum housed in the Aragonese Castle of Baia, in the municipality of Bacoli (NA). Since December 2014, the museum has been managed by the Campania Museum Centre.

Collections

The castle, due to its central position in relation to the main archaeological sites of the Campi Flegrei (near the Terme di Baia and halfway between Cuma and Pozzuoli) visible from the terraces and bastions, was chosen as the seat of the Archaeological Museum of the Campi Flegrei. It involves the progressive topographical exposure of the most significant finds found in the archaeological sites of the Phlegraean area. The rooms activated so far concern: the numerous finds from the Rione Terra in Pozzuoli; the Shrine of the Augustals of Miseno; the plaster casts found at the Baths of Baia (remains of work carried out by local sculptors engaged in making copies of Greek works); the Nymphaeum of Punta Epitaffio in Baia.

The Liternum and Baia sections are closed[2].

In particular, the reconstructions of the Sacellum of the Augustals and the Nymphaeum of Punta Epitaffio are worth seeing. The first room, located in the so-called Tenaglia Tower of the castle, houses the reconstruction of the façade of the Sacellum of Miseno; it is made up of a pronaos behind which stand some statues originally placed in the cell inside the temple itself, including the statues of Vespasian and Titus portrayed in heroic nudity.

The Nymphaeum, on the other hand, was commissioned by Emperor Claudius and today it is sunk 7 meters below sea level due to bradyseism. It shows a rectangular plan, closed by an apse where a scene from the Odyssey was recalled; the niches of the long walls were decorated with statues inspired by Hellenistic prototypes from the 2nd century BC, of which only some have been recovered.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V. Emanuele station, 1 minute from the apartment, get off at the last Torregaveta station (about 40 minutes by train) then take the BUS nr. 101 and get off at the BAIA/CASTELLO DI BAIA stop

Rione Terra - Archaeological Path, Strada Duomo 1  Pozzuoli

The Rione Terra is an urban agglomeration that constitutes the first residential nucleus of Pozzuoli, in the metropolitan city of Naples, inhabited since the 2nd century BC.

Physical geography

The fortress, built on a tufaceous spur at around 33 meters above sea level, dominates the Gulf of Pozzuoli on three sides. The strategic position allowed its inhabitants to effectively control maritime and land traffic and to constitute a valid defensive bulwark. The seismic area is classified as grade 2: quite strong earthquakes can occur in this area.

History

In the entire Puteola area, the fortress of Rione Terra is the only place that has been the protagonist of all historical evolutions, from the first years of Greek and Roman colonization up to the modern era. According to the Greek historian Strabo, the fortress was to be considered a landing place dependent on Cuma[1] and it was here that in 529 BC. in all probability the exiles from the island of Samos landed and founded the Dicearchia[2].

In Roman times Pozzuoli and the fortress experienced their period of greatest splendor. The city, in fact, was for centuries, until the birth of Ostia, the largest commercial port of Rome. The then Puteoli was converted into a Roman colony in 194 BC. and it had its beating heart right in the fortress. With the birth of the port of Ostia first and then the decay of the Roman Empire, Pozzuoli (which then extended to the territories of modern Bacoli) quickly fell into decline and was reduced to the small fortress of the Terra district.

Closed on the top of the hill on which it stands and without the possibility of expansion outside it, the city therefore began to stratify. The cultures that followed one another built their shops and homes on what were once the Roman walls.

The most striking example of this phenomenon is undoubtedly the cathedral of the city of Pozzuoli, which was built right on the walls of the temple of Augustus. The cathedral, built at the time of Spanish domination, incorporates the Roman-era temple, which in turn incorporated a Republican-era temple dating back to 194 BC[3], which was already renovated by Silla in 78 BC.

20th century

Until the 1960s, the Terra district was still the pulsating, albeit popular, center of the city and the passing of the centuries had now hidden the buildings from Roman times. In May 1964 a fire destroyed the Cathedral.

On March 2, 1970, the fortress was evacuated following the news of an alleged bradyseismic crisis, announced by geologists and spread through massive use of the media of the time. Among the reasons that led the authorities to evacuate the entire neighborhood were the precarious sanitary conditions and the poor state of conservation of the buildings. Further damaged by the 1980 Irpinia earthquake and by a new resurgence of bradyseism in the 1980s,the entire district was definitively abandoned in 1983.

 Since thatmoment, it has been the subject of systematic and vandalistic plundering. In 1993, an archaeological excavation campaign was started which allowed the recovery of a good part of the ancient urban fabric,bringing to light an underground city from the Roman era about 15meters from the foundations of the seventeenth-century buildings[4].21st century The Rione Terra seen from the dock.

 The district, undergoing renovation for many years, was partially reopened to the public starting from May 2014[5]. Nowadays only some external areas are accessible, the Cathedral of San Procolo Martire, the Chapel of San Giacomo Apostolo, the Diocesan Museum and the archaeological park.

The archaeological route: the ancient decumanus. Excavated in the tuff rock there is an entire perfectly preserved archaeological route of the ancient Roman city of Puteoli, founded in 194 BC.

 Crossing the portal of Palazzo De Fraja-Frangipane you access the archaeological site; walking along the decumanus maximus up to the intersection with the so-called cardo of San Procolo, it is possible to relive events and environments, thanks to the panels scattered along the archaeological route.

 Numerous buildings are visible, the grain warehouses, the oven for processing and baking bread (pistrinum) with the millstones almost intact, the crypto porticus, the shops and warehouses.

On 27 July 2021, the expansion of the archaeological route was inaugurated, with the new sections corresponding to two of the main road axes of the Roman city: the final part of the cardo of via San Procolo and the decumanus of via Duomo, north of the Cathedral, whose alignment is exactly traced by the modern road that runs a few meters higher. 

The route is completed by the tuff podium of the Capitolium, the main religious building of the Roman colony of 194 BC, incorporated into the marble temple ofAugustus under the Cathedral, and a small Museum of the work which traces its history.

HOW TO GET RIONE TERRA POZZUOLI FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V Emanuele station towards Torregaveta get off at GEROLOMINI station THE SWAP TO shuttle BUS or take Metro from MERGELLINA STATION get off POZZUOLI then swap to Shuttle Bus

Tempio del Macellum di Serapide , Via Serapide 13 Pozzuoli

The Macellum of Pozzuoli is an archaeological site located in the municipality of the same name in the metropolitan city of Naples.

Due to the dual interest it has, archaeological and scientific, it is one of the best-known monuments of the entire ancient world.

The building has long been improperly called the Temple of Serapis, due to the discovery of a statue of the Egyptian god in 1750, at the time of the first excavations. Subsequent studies have instead ascertained that it is the ancient Macellum, that is, the public market of Roman Puteoli. In terms of size, it is the third most important Neapolitan monument of this type.

On a scientific level, it has represented for some centuries the most precious and precise metric index available to measure the phenomenon of bradyseism.

Structure

Dating back to the 1st - 2nd century AD, it looks like a square courtyard, surrounded by a portico overlooked by the shops which open alternately now inwards and now outwards; two public latrines are located on the sides of the rear apse. While remains of stairs that led to the upper floor of the portico are preserved on the sides of the monumental entrance that opened towards the port; finally, in the center of the courtyard there is a raised circular construction, once surrounded by columns on which a podium could be climbed via four stairways arranged in a cross.

The entire building recalls in its plan other markets of ancient cities, such as those of Pompeii, Morgantina, Rome and Cremna. Among these, the Macellum of Pozzuoli remains one of the grandest and

most intact, thanks also to the bradyseismic submersion which in past centuries has preserved it from a greater despoliation of its architectural elements.

HOW TO GET TEMPLE OF MACELLUM POZZUOLI FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V Emanuele station towards Torregaveta get off at GEROLOMINI station THE SWAP TO shuttle BUS or take Metro from MERGELLINA STATION get off POZZUOLI then swap to Shuttle Bus

Piscina Mirabilis , Via Piscina Mirabile 27 Bacoli

The Piscina mirabilis is a Roman archaeological site located in the municipality of Bacoli, in the Campi Flegrei area. Built in the Augustan age in Miseno, on the north-west side of the Gulf of Naples, it was originally a drinking water cistern.

History

It is the second largest known cistern ever built by the ancient Romans after the Basilica Cistern of Istanbul and had the function of supplying water to the numerous ships belonging to the Classis Misenensis of the Roman Navy, which later became Classis Praetoria Misenensis Pia Vindex, which found mooring and shelter in the port of Miseno. The current name was given to it in the late seventeenth century.

Structure

The cistern was entirely dug into the tuff of the hill overlooking the port, 8 meters above sea level. With a rectangular plan, it is 15 meters high, 70 meters long and 25 meters wide, with a capacity of over 12,000 cubic metres. It is topped by a barrel-vaulted ceiling, supported by 48 cruciform-section pillars, arranged in four rows of 12.

The water was taken through the wells created on the terrace overlooking the vaults with hydraulic machines, and from here channeled towards the port. The wall structure is made of opus reticulatum and, like the pillars, is covered in waterproofing material. A series of windows along the top of the side walls and the upper wells themselves provided lighting and ventilation of the environment. At the bottom, in the central nave, there is a limar pool measuring 20 by 5 metres, 1.10 meters deep, which was used as a settling and draining tank for cleaning and periodic emptying of the cistern.

The swimming pool mirabilis was the terminal reservoir of one of the main Roman aqueducts, the Augustan aqueduct, which brought water from the sources of Serino, 100 kilometers away, to Naples and the Campi Flegrei. Part of the ancient cistern is open to visitors.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana C.V.Emanuele station towards Pozzuoli get off at the last station TORREGAVETA station then take BUS nr. 102 get off at stop no. 20 of Bacoli - Via Miseno, AGIP then continue walking for about 15 minutes to reach the Piscina Mirabilis.

 near to the archaeological site there is also the Schiacchietiello beach and a delicious fish restaurant, La Catagna

Archelogic site old town of Cuma

Cuma (Latin: Cumae) is an archaeological site in the metropolitan city of Naples, in the territory of the municipalities of Bacoli and Pozzuoli, located in the volcanic area of the Campi Flegrei. The various discovery campaigns have brought to light the archaeological excavations of Cuma which fall within the CampiFlegrei archaeological park.

The name derives from the Greek name Κύμη (Kýmē), meaning "wave", referring to the shape of the peninsula on which it is located.

Geography

The city of Cuma was entirely stretched out towards the acropolis, the upper part of every Greek city, located in a very favorable geographical position, that is, on a hill and close to the sea. Furthermore, this housed the temple of Jupiter.

Geology

The relief on which the acropolis of Cuma is located (80 m above sea level) is made up to the north and east of pre-calderic trachytic lavas associated with breccias and scoria referable to the "First Flegrean Period" (dated between 42,000 and 35,000 years ago), while its core and its eastern and southern part is characterized by post-calderic yellow tuffs of the "Second Phlegraean Period", remains of the primordial volcano of the Campi Flegrei whose crater (having a diameter of approximately 15 kilometers and epicenter Pozzuoli) is made up of the Licola - San Severino mountains, the northern ridge of Quarto, the Camaldoli hill, the Posillipo hill, and Monte di Procida.

History

The temple of Apollo

The territory where this Greek colony arose was inhabited since prehistoric and protohistoric times. Of all the Hellenic colonies of Magna Graecia, Cuma, located on the Campania coast facing the island of Ischia, was one of the oldest and furthest from the motherland.

The city, as demonstrated by the most recent archaeological evidence, was founded around 750 BC.

According to legend, the founders of Cumae were the Euboeans of Chalcis, who under the guidance of Hippocles of Cumae (it is debated whether it was Euboean Cumae or Aeolian Cumae) and Megasthenes of Chalcis, chose to land at that point on the coast because they are attracted by the flight of a dove or according to others by the clang of cymbals.

These founders found particularly fertile soil on the edge of the Campania plain. While continuing their maritime and commercial traditions, the settlers of Cuma strengthened their political and economic power precisely through the exploitation of the land and extended their territory against the aims of neighboring peoples. 

Cuma was the colony that spread Greek culture to Italy, spreading the Chalcis alphabet, which was assimilated and adopted by the Etruscans and Latins. Intimately linked to Cuma is the myth of the Cumaean Sibyl. Already from the third book of the Aeneid it is written that Aeneas, if she finally wants to find the land destined for her people by her gods, will have to go and question the oracle of Cumae (Aeneid, III, 440-452).

 Currently the Sibilla's cave is a tourist attraction of considerable interest. There were many battles that the Cumans fought to defend their land from the attacks of the Etruscans of Capua, the Aurunci and the internal populations of Campania. The cave of the Cumaean Sibyl As time passed, Cuma established its dominance over almost the entire Campania coast up to Punta Campanella, reaching the maximum of its power. The recovery of the neighboring peoples,however, did not wait long, in fact in 524 BC. the Etruscans of Capua formed a league with other populations, to conquer Cuma and expand both territorially and commercially.

 The clash was resolved favorably for the Cumans, thanks also to the strategic ability of the future tyrant Aristodemus, known as Malakos, i.e. the effeminate. After this battle, two more victorious ones followed for the Cumans, the first alongside the Latins in the Battle of Aricia against the Etruscans[7] and a second in 474 BC. alongside the Syracusans who had always sent their fleet against the Etruscans, defi nitively managing to expel them from Campania. Clash remembered as Battle of Cuma. The glorious victories of the colony had increased its prestige, so much so that according to what Diodorus Siculus reports, the name 'Cumaean campaign' used to indicate the entire region of thePhlegraean Fields. However, Cuma's fortune did not last long since, around 421 BC, it succumbed to the advance of the Campanians who conquered it. 

Tarquinius Superbus, the last king of Rome, lived the last years of his life in exile in Cuma after the establishment of the Roman Republic. In the Roman conquest of Campania, Cumae was given (in 334 BC)the civitas sine suffragio and when, over a century later, Hannibal tried in every way to conquer it together with Puteoli, it resolutely opposed him inflicting, near Hamae (which some scholars identify in the vicinity of the current Tower of Santa Chiara, while others further north, towards the Volturno) a harsh defeat to the troops of Capua who allied themselves with the Carthaginians (215 BC).

The Sacred Way Since then Cuma used the Latin language in its official acts and was a faithful ally of Rome of which it became a municipium. Also in 215BC, the 300 Campanian knights who had completed military servicei n Italy and had gone to Rome were granted Roman citizenship and were registered in the municipality of Cuma.[8] In that period Campania was in full economic development and Cuma, which on the one hand enjoyed an excellent strategic position for military actions, on the other suff ered from the difficult commercial communication due to the presence of the Silva Gallinaria and the marshes from which it was surrounded.

During the civil wars Cuma was one of the most valid strongholds that Octavian opposed to Sextus Pompey, but after Octavian's victory, it became a place of rest and quiet, a refuge from the stormy and agitated life of Puteoli, a city so quiet that Juvenal, in the third satire, he cannot help but envy one of his friends. It later became one of the major centers of Campania Christianity and a bastion of civilization.

 It is also the place where, according to tradition, The Shepherd of Hermas, one of the first Christian writings, was inspired by a vision. During the war between the Goths and the Byzantines, Cuma was the scene of ups and downs in the struggle for a long time. It fell under the power of the Byzantines and in 558 AD. it was fortified by the prefect of the fleet Flavius Nonius Erastus, until, after the Lombard invasion, it was governed first by the Duchy of Benevento and then by the Dukes of Naples (717)[9].

The raids of the Saracens gave it the final blow. Settled on the acropolis where they could find a safe refuge in the tunnels of the mountain, the pirates spread terror in the Gulf of Naples for a long time, until the Neapolitans in 1207, under the command of Goffredo di Montefuscolo, managed to put an end to the raids and incursions, flushing out the Saracens in their hideouts, thus freeing the gulf[10].

With this pretext, which probably hid political interests, the city was destroyed. Numerous fugitive Cumans found hospitality in Giugliano, together with the Clergy and the Cathedral Chapter, also transferring the cult of San Massimo and Santa Giuliana there[11].

The excavations of the lower city (2021)

From that moment Cuma was almost uninhabited, the siltation of the waters of the Clanis and the Volturno meant that the city and its territory, especially in the lower part, became a marshy area. The coast was finally reclaimed with the construction of the Regi Lagni, in the first half of the 17th century, during the Spanish dominance in Italy, with the viceroy of Naples Pedro Fernández de Castro, under the direction of the architect Domenico Fontana; in fact the Clanis, which in ancient times flowed into Lake Patria, was regulated and led to flow 9 km further north, in Pinetamare).

During the Second World War it was exploited for its strategic position and used as a bunker for the use of cannons.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from station of the C.V. Emanuele towards Torregaveta get off at ARCO FELICE station then take bus 909 and get off at stop no. 11 Pozzuoli - Cuma Scavi CL

Antro della Sibilla , Via Licola Cuma 3

The Sibyl's Cave is an artificial tunnel from the Greco-Roman era, discovered following archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Cuma: it is identified as the place within which the Cumaean Sibyl operated and disseminated her oracles.

The room of the Cumaean Sibyl 

The date of construction is somewhat uncertain: according to Amedeo Maiuri it was built between the 7th and 6th centuries BC, as evidenced by the type of cut of the trapezoidal-shaped tuff stone, while others indicate the period of its construction between the 10th and 4th centuries B.C.; according to tradition, this was the place where the Cumaean Sibyl resided, famous for her oracles and for being mentioned in the Aeneid of Publius Virgilio Marone, who describes a place very similar to the cave: near the entrance there are in fact placed two marble plaques bearing this description; other scholars have instead hypothesized that it was simply a military structure with defensive purposes for the city and the port below. The gallery underwent renovations in the Roman era, particularly in the Augustan era and during the Byzantine domination: it was then abandoned following the depopulation of Cuma starting from the 13th century and only rediscovered and explored in 1932 by the archaeologist Amedeo Maiuri.

The cave, which collapsed in the initial part, is entirely dug into the tuff and has a perfectly straight line, even if it tends to descend towards the terminal part: it has a trapezoidal shape in the upper part, an anti-seismic stratagem used by the Greeks, and rectangular in the lower part , the result of the lowering of the walking surface during the Augustan period; the entire structure is therefore one hundred and thirty-one meters long, five meters high and two and a half meters wide. Along the west wall, at regular intervals, with the same shape as the cave, nine openings were created by the Romans, three of which were walled up, with the aim of illuminating the environment, allowing air exchange and reaching the terrace on the which war machines were positioned; on the east wall there is a room which in turn gives access to three rooms, with lowered floors, used as cisterns and then as a burial place, as well as the rest of the structure: along the same side there is a small room, with a stone seat, although due to the low ceiling it is impossible to sit and its function therefore remains unknown.

 The cave ends with a room with a flat vault, in which three niches open: the one on the east side serves to illuminate the room, the one on the south side has a blind end and the one on the west side has the dimensions of a cubicle, with tripartite shape and preceded by a vestibule probably protected by a gate of which the holes of the jambs in the wall can still be seen and according to tradition this would be the room where the Sibyl resided, even if its construction probably dates back to the late imperial age.

The Cumaean Sibyl (gr. Σίβυλλα, lat. Sibylla), priestess of Apollo, isone of the most important Sibyls, prophetic figures of the Greekand Roman religions. The title of Cumaean Sibyl came from the Italian high priestess, who presided over the oracle of Apollo (Hellenic solar deity) and Hecate(ancient pre-Hellenic lunar goddess), located in the Magna Graecia city of Cuma.  She carried out her oracular activity near Lake Avernus, in a cave known as the "Sibyl's Cave" where the priestess,inspired by the divinity, transcribed her prophecies in hexameterson palm leaves which, at the end of the prediction, were mixed by the winds coming from the hundred openings of the cave, making the prophecies "sibylline", that is, difficult and uncertain to interpret. 

Her importance in the Italian world was equal to that of the famous oracle of Apollo of Delphi in Greece. These Sibyls were young virgins, who were thought to be able to live longer than ordinary mortals (for this reason they are sometimes depicted as decrepit old women), who carried out mantic activity,entering a state of trance (furor).

The etymology of the Italian Sibilla derives from the Latin Sibylla, which in turn refers to the ancient Greek Σῐ́ βυλλᾰ (Síbulla). Although the hypothesis remains uncertain, going back to the Doric Σίοβολλα(Síobolla), it is hypothesized that its meaning can be found in theAttic Θεοβούλη (Theoboúlē), i.e. "divine will". Some names that have remained for us from the Cumaean Sibylsare: Amalthea, Demophila and Apenninica (of which we have evidence in Lycophro and Heraclitus). 

In book VI of the Aeneid, Virgildefi nes her as a "long-lived priestess" [1] with the name of«Deiphobe of Glaucus»[2] and «Amphrysia»[3], a name originating from the Thessalian river Amfriso, near whom Apollo guarded Admetus' flock. 

In the poem the Cumaean Sibyl first acts as a seer: she takes refugein the cave "with a hundred doors" and is invaded by Apollo, changing her appearance and timbre of voice. There she solicits the questions of a frightened Aeneas and responds with dark prophecies, promising him that he will reach his goal, but with new bloody battles and a new Achilles (Turnus), but also help from a Greek city (Evandro). 

The sibyl then advises Aeneas to bury his dead companion (Miseno) and to obtain a magical golden branch in the sacred grove, to offer to Proserpina, queen of Hades. With this mythical pass, she will be his guide in the Kingdom of the Underworld, until his return. The presentation of the oracle is accompanied by the dark portrait of the places in which he lives and which form a whole, to suggest an image of fear but at the same time of mystery.

A legend is also linked to her figure: «Apollo, in love with her, offered her anything as long as she became her priestess, and she asked him for her immortality. But she forgot to ask for her eternal youthand, therefore, he grew older and older until, in fact, her body became small and worn like that of a cicada. 

So they decided to puther in a cage in the temple of Apollo, until her body disappeared and only her voice remained. Apollo, however, gave her a chance: if she had become completely hers, he would have given her her youth. However, in order not to give up her chastity, she decided to refuse"[4].

Furthermore, in Ovid, in book however, forgetting to request eternal youth, the Sibyl was destined to age for a very long time. Dante, constant evoker of Virgilian myths, sometimes also quotes the Sibyl, with particular references to the difficulty of grasping the thread of his responses:«So the snow unseals in the sun,so you lift the leaves in the wind Sibilla's sentence would be lost."(Dante, Paradise XXXIII, 64-66) 

She is also remembered in a famous passage by Petronius, which is quoted in the epigraph by Thomas Stearns Eliot in his The Waste Land:«Nam Sibyllam quidem Cumis ego ipse oculis meis I saw it hanging in the bottle, et cum illi pueri dicerent:Σίβυλλα τί θέλεις; respondebat illa: ἀποθανεῖν θέλω.»(T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land, 1922[5])

The cave of the Cuman Sibyl is located in the hamlet of Cuma,between the municipalities of Pozzuoli and Bacoli, in the metropolitan city of Naples. 

A Cumaean Sibyl is also remembered in Ponte Arche (Trentino), home to the Terme di Comano[4].

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V. Emanuele station towards Torregaveta get off at ARCO FELICE then take bus 909 and get off at stop no. 11Pozzuoli - Cuma Scavi CL

AMP Parco Sommerso di Baia INFO

The submerged park of Baia is a marine protected area located on the coasts of the metropolitan city of Naples north of the Gulf of Naples. It is also called "the submerged Pompeii", since it has a structure similar to that of the Roman city.

History and description

Established in 2002 by joint decree of the Minister of the Environment and Land Protection and that of Cultural Heritage and Activities, the area represents, together with the Gaiola submerged park, a unique example in the Mediterranean area of archaeological and naturalistic protection underwater.

The two protected areas, inserted on land in the broader context of the Campi Flegrei park under the jurisdiction of the Campania Region, aim precisely at the protection and study of the archaeological finds submerged in these areas together with the protection of marine and coastal ecosystems. Statue of Baios, Punta Epitaph Nymphaeum, Baia.

The particularity of these areas is linked to the volcanic phenomenon of bradyseism which has always affected the entire northern coast of the Neapolitan area. This phenomenon has caused vertical movements of the area with positive and negative excursions of many meters, causing the Roman coastline to sink by approximately 6/8 meters over the last 2000 years. Around the first century BC. in fact the entire coastal area north of Naples was a thriving health resort, made fashionable also by the presence of an imperial villa, the Pausilypon which gave its name to the Posillipo Promontory, built by the rich freedman Publius Vedius Pollione. Upon his death, in 15 BC, he appointed Augustus as heir of all his assets, including Pausilypon. Later enlarged and embellished as an imperial property, this place seems to have seen the tragic end of the conspiracy against the emperor Nero.

Among the most valuable environments, which today are sunk, there is the nymphaeum of Punta Epitaffio, a triclinium with the function of a banquet hall dating back to the time of Emperor Claudius, whose statues were transferred inside the Archaeological Museum of Campi Flegrei where the environment was reconstructed.

Furthermore, the remains of the commercial ports of Baia (Lacus Baianus) and Portus Julius are submerged on this coast. Further north was the port of Capo Miseno, the historical seat of the Roman imperial fleet.

The extraordinary value of these sites is given both by the remarkable state of conservation of the archaeological finds, as well as by their objective historical archaeological value. Mosaics, traces of frescoes, sculptures, road layouts and columns are submerged at about 5 meters below sea level among anemones, starfish and schools of damselfish. Furthermore, the presence of valuable submerged ecosystems such as the pre-coralligenous seabed and communities of seagrasses (essentially Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa) make these places environments of significant naturalistic value, recognized as such by both Italian national and Community legislation. The place is extraordinarily evocative, and makes this stretch of sea bed a small Roman Atlantis. 

It is possible to visit the ruins on the seabed at about 6/7 meters deep either with rental equipment from the accredited diving centers (SUBAIA Diving Center) in the port of Baia or via the CYMBA boat which has a transparent hull.

HOW TO GET IT FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from C.V. Emanuele station towards Torregaveta get off at FUSARO then walk to the port of Baia (about 15/20 minutes) SOON THERE WILL BE A NEW "BAIA" CUMANA TRAIN STATION IN SUMMER 2025

Casina Vanvitelliana, Piazza Gioacchino Rossini 1 Bacoli

The Casina Vanvitelliana is a hunting lodge located on a small island on Lake Fusaro, in the municipality of Bacoli.

The Casina Vanvitelliana in the painting Ferdinand IV hunting coots on Lake Fusaro, created by Jakob Philipp Hackert in 1783

Starting from 1752, the Fusaro area, sparsely inhabited at the time, became the hunting and fishing reserve of the Bourbons, who entrusted the first works for the transformation of the place to Luigi Vanvitelli. Once Ferdinand IV ascended to the throne, the interventions were completed by Carlo Vanvitelli, son of Luigi, who in 1782 built the Casino Royale di Caccia on the lake, a short distance from the shore.

The building, known as Casina Vanvitelliana, was used as the residence of illustrious guests, such as Francis II of Habsburg-Lorraine, who stayed here in May 1819. Gioachino Rossini and, more recently, the President were welcomed inside the building of the Republic Luigi Einaudi. Mozart visited Lake Fusaro, but, in reality, his trip to Naples and its surroundings took place in 1770 when the transformation phase of the Fusaro area had already begun, but the Casina had not yet been built.

Description

La Casina at sunset

From an architectural point of view, the Casina is among the most refined eighteenth-century productions, with some references to the conformation of the Stupinigi hunting lodge, designed a few years earlier by Filippo Juvarra using plastic volumes and large windows.

The building wanted by the Bourbons in fact has a very complex plan, composed of three octagonal bodies that intersect one at the top of the other, narrowing into a sort of pagoda, with large windows arranged on two levels. From the Circular Hall on the lower floor, animated in the Bourbon age by social and gallant meetings, a ramp leads to the main floor, in the so-called Hall of Wonders, accessible exclusively to the royal family.

 Here the Bourbons could thus relax in a more private area (on the same floor there was a service room and a private study) as well as contemplate the pleasantness of the surrounding landscape, also reproduced by the paintings on the walls centered on the theme of the Four Seasons, awork by the landscape artist Jakob Philipp Hackert.

HOW TO GET CASINA VANVITELLIANA FROM MEDITERRANEO LOFT

Cumana train from station of the C.V. Emanuele towards Torregaveta get off at the FUSARO station