OPERATING FROM THE 15th OF APRIL TO THE 15th OF OCTOBER


Operating on the following days:
Monday | Thursday

-Private transportation in small groups (max 18 person);
-Lunch (pizza and soft drink included);
-Drinks on board (beer – coke – water);
-Professional Driver;
-English speaking guide on board;
-Snack (typical Neapolitan cake sfogliatella and coffee).

 

Suggested Visits (not included): Santa Chiara cloister (6 €), The Veiled Christ (7 € ), Basilica San Lorenzo Maggiore ( 9 €)

Do not forget: Passport; Camera; Confortable shoes, knees and shoulders covered in the churches.

 

 

An excursion from Sorrento to Naples provides the opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful and famous cities in the world. Naples was founded by the Greeks more than 2,500 years ago, and was the capital of a kingdom for a thousand years. The city, home to rich and poor alike, is also considered the birthplace of Italian lyric opera and traditional song. A journey from Sorrento to Naples, even if only for one day, is a journey through history, tradition and culture.

In Naples you may choose to begin at Maschio Angiono, a castle constructed by the French rulers to guard the port. These same French were responsible for making Naples the capital of the Kingdom of Sicily in 1300, one of the largest kingdoms in Europe, which lasted until 1860 when it was conquered by Garibaldi and unified with the rest of Italy. The castle’s main entrance takes the form of a triumphal arch, an extraordinary work of sculpture that dates back to the fifteenth century. The Castel dell’Ovo (meaning ‘castle of the egg’) was also built to defend the city, and like Maschio Angiono, is now a source of Naples’ beauty. Naples’ seafront extends for several kilometres, looking out to what Goethe called the most beautiful bay in the world, with views of Capri and the towering figure of Vesuvius.

You can also visit the city’s historic centre which maintains its ancient Greek structure, with two main streets going along the seafront and another intersecting it, climbing from the sea to the hills. While walking around the historic centre you can experience life in a city whose inhabitants are vivacious, bright and energetic, but are still firmly attached to their traditions. Take a look at the alleys leading up the hill, the grand entrances to the mansions of the nobility side by side with the houses of the people, the artisans’ workshops, the multitude of pizzerias offering delicious food to passers-by and the washing hung out between one house and another. Naples also features glorious churches filled with works of art that date from the fourteenth century to the Baroque period, including San Giorgio Maggiore, San Domenico Maggiore, San Paolo and the Cappella di San Severo.

During your excursion from Sorrento to Naples it is essential that you eat pizza: some of the pizzerias are centuries-old institutions, where alongside the tourists you find people of all types and nationalities, including locals catching a quick bite to eat and intellectuals and artists in rapid conversation. In Naples pizza is not a dish but a piece of history.

To witness another tradition that has maintained its high standard throughout the centuries, visit the Via San Gregorio Armeno, also known as the “street of cribs” or “Christmas Alley”. Here, merging art with craftsmanship, artisans continue the work that has been done for generations, creating by hand figures for the nativity scenes that all Neapolitan families prepare during the Christmas period.

If you have time for a brief pause you must try a Neapolitan coffee (which is black, strong and extremely hot), and a traditional pastry such as sfogliatella or babà.

Other highlights of Naples (which you could visit during a longer stay) include the Archeological Museum with its relics from Pompeii and the Capodimonte Museum, which contains exceptional paintings from Tiziano to Brughel and Caravaggio. Before leaving Naples, however, it is essential to walk through the large piazza del Plebiscito, where you can find the Royal Palace of Naples, the Teatro San Carlo (the temple of Italian opera) and a view of the Gulf of Naples, the most beautiful bay in the world.