This morning, we traveled to Naples by train – about two and
a half hours from Rome. We’ve visited
Naples only briefly in the past, and found that its chaos made Rome look like
childsplay. We’ve come back in hopes
that a longer visit will help us understand why this city has so many staunch
devotees.
We met the owner of our apartment at the appointed time and
place, right in the heart of the Centro
Storico, or historic center of the city, just a couple of blocks from the
duomo. Here, the streets are narrow, too
narrow for cars, but choked with motorcycles, people, and life. Our temporary home is a thoroughly modern,
architect-designed apartment in an old building on a street about five feet
wide (that’s building - to- building!)
We could not be more perfectly situated to see what Naples is really
like.
After settling in, we set out to explore the neighborhood a
bit. We walked along the Spaccanapoli,
the arrow-straight narrow street that bisects the city. We stopped at the TI in Piazza del Gesu for
maps and information and then visited the cloister of Santa Chiara next
door. The cloister consists of gardens
and fountains traversed by benches and columns covered in beautiful majolica
tiles. The passageway bordering the
gardens contain more wonderful tiling, vaulted ceilings, and frescoed
walls. It is a tranquil spot, both
literally and figuratively walled off from the bustle of the city. The Santa Chiara complex also includes an
archeological site, as it is partially built above Roman thermal baths, a
museum containing remnants of the original church, damaged by bombing during
World War II, and an elaborate Neapolitan Christmas crèche.
Just across the street was the church of the Gesu, the
Jesuits’ home in Naples. As are so many
of the Jesuits’ churches in Italy, its baroque ornamentation was a response to
the Protestant Reformation -- architecture as evangelization. Especially interesting to us was the altar
and display dedicated to the life of St. Giuseppe Moscati, a local doctor and
scientist who served the poor of the city and is the first modern doctor to
have been canonized. He is buried in the
church.
Then, it was time to head to our chic apartment, retreat
from the streets, do some laundry and enjoy happy hour and dinner at home.
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