Culture and Traditions of Naples

Have you ever been in Naples? If the answer is no, you really should!
Naples is a very great city located in the south part of Italy and, in spite of its stereotypical bad description, it is a wonderful city to find culture, good food and enjoy life!

It is called “the city of the sun, the sea and coffee” by Neapolitans

This denomination really fits the city; in fact even in winter Naples is sunny most of the time, always offering good weather for a visit. Mergellina, is a part of the city at the seaside of Naples and here you can find the most ancient Castle of Naples called “Castel dell’Ovo” that, according to the tradition, contains a big egg, which linked the impossible love between a mermaid and a merchant.
Near the sea, you can also find the royal castle called “Maschio Angioino” built under the order of the King Charles I.
Not far away from the seaside, there is the most important square of Naples, “Piazza del Plebiscito” that often hosts thousands of people for having concerts, exhibitions and cultural representations.
Going on the way you will be in “Via Toledo”, here you will find the most beautiful metro of Europe and every kind of shop for enjoying your free time!

The historical centre is another important stopover to do in Naples!
Here you will find an important way called “Spaccanapoli” that divides the city equally in two parts and on this way, you will find the most important churches and museums of the city. One of this is the Chapel of San Severo; the artist was a chemist and his most beautiful work is “The veiled Christ” which is a real-life representation of the death of Christ carved from marble.
On the same way you will find the “Chiostro of Santa Chiara” with its wonderful majolica and not far from it you can find the “Church of Jesus” famous for containing the room and all the objects of the famous Neapolitan doctor Giuseppe Moscati.

In the historical centre, you will not spend your time only visiting churches and museums, but you will find the reason for coming back with more weight at home! Sorbillo, Il presidente, De Matteo, Vesi, Michele are the most awesome pizzerias where you can eat a really great pizza at a very cheap prize!
Pizza and coffee are, in fact, the two main traditions in Naples, it is considered to be the best city for drinking a great coffee. Many experts said that it is for the quality of the water but if you ask to a Neapolitan barman why his coffee is so good he will tell you that it is because he made it with his heart!
There are also a lot of traditions linked to the coffee and one of this is that of the “pending coffee” ( il caffè sospeso ): it is a cup of coffee paid for in advance as an anonymous act of charity, so the next customer can decide to take the pending coffee or save it for the next one!

So, we can say that everything is wonderful in Naples, but what will leave you even more breathless is the love of people that will host you like you were a new part of
a big and awesome family!

By: Giovanna Persico

Source pictures: Google