A cultural powerhouse

Discovering the Baroque beauty of a revived Naples

NAPLES, Italy — On a trip to this thrumming city about 15 years ago, art historian Michael Stoughton hoped to visit a famous Baroque church in the Sanita neighborhood. An Italian friend said no — the area was too dangerous. If you must, the friend added, then take a taxi and make the driver wait for you.

Today that same neighborhood attracts thousands of tourists every year, drawn by the lovely basilica, the Santa Maria della Sanita, and two nearby catacombs that are among the most remarkable in Europe.

Sanita’s evolution is just one measure of the way Naples has transformed itself in the past decade, from a grimy and dangerous city to a destination that is worthy of travelers who are serious about European history, Baroque art and Italian street life.

For years, this southern Italian capital was a tourist afterthought. Venice had canals. Rome had the Vatican. Naples had … smog, litter, street crime, flies, graffiti and crazed Vespa drivers.

That began to change in 2013, when Neapolitans staged a series of street demonstrations to demand a crackdown on organized crime and pollution. Since then, Naples authorities have scrubbed the Centro Storico, flooded the sidewalks with police and Carabinieri and converted some of the hectic streets to placid pedestrian zones.

Tourism is on the rebound, and it’s easy to understand why. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Naples was a cultural powerhouse. It was the third largest city in Europe, after London and Paris, and served as a second capital for mighty families such as the Hapsburgs and the Bourbons. Late Renaissance artists drifted down from Florence and Rome, seeking commissions from its wealthy bankers and merchants. Together, they left behind a remarkable collection of palaces, castles, churches, frescos, sculptures and paintings, including three masterpieces by the late Renaissance genius Caravaggio.

And did I mention pizzerias? We had the best pizza of our lives. Three days in a row. Without trying hard.

To be sure, Naples is still crowded and gritty. If you’ve been to Rome and found it overwhelming, you probably shouldn’t venture farther south where, as one writer put it, Italy only gets more Italian.

But we came away from a five-day visit intoxicated by Naples’ vibrant street life, charmed by its garrulous people and dazzled by masterpieces from the early Baroque.

And if you do begin to feel that Naples is crowding you, it’s easy to escape for day trips to Pompeii and the breathtaking Amalfi Coast.

Seeing the sights

Naples’ cultural pearls are small and scattered, but mainly located in the city’s old section, so it’s easy to string them together in a one-day or two-day walking tour.

A day might start at the Museo Archeologico, one of the great archaeological museums of Europe. It occupies a magnificent 17th-century palazzo in the center of town and houses artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum, including some extraordinary mosaics and the monumental sculptures, Toro Farnese and the Farnese Hercules.

From there, it’s a short stroll to Naples’ cathedral, the Duomo, a breathtaking Baroque church; to the Sansevero Chapel, with the extraordinary sculpture Veiled Christ; and finally to Santa Chiara, where you can catch your breath and relax in the large, lovely garden cloisters.

Break up the day at whatever point you like with lunch at any one of several simple but outstanding wood-fire pizzerias along Via Tribunali. (Our favorite: Pizzeria de Matteo.) Follow that with gelato, espresso and peoplewatching on the Spaccanapoli — the longest, straightest street in Naples and the perfect place to rub shoulders, literally, with Neapolitans out for a stroll.

A second day might start at the Capodimonte, a palatial Bourbon hunting lodge that sits on a hilltop above Naples and houses the finest art collection in southern Italy, including stupendous works by Titian, Raphael and Caravaggio.

The aforementioned Naples catacombs are down the hill not far away. The most famous of the two, the Catacombs of San Gennaro, was founded to house the relics of Gennaro, the city’s patron saint, but soon became the favored burial place of Neapolitans who wanted to rest in eternity alongside the holy items. It is vast and more than a little creepy. A newer discovery, but in some ways more interesting, is the Cata

The working class Sanita neighborhood, once considered too dangerous to visit, now attracts tourists to its stunning churches and catacombs.

This densely packed salumeria is typical of the small shops that line the Spaccanapoli.