By Alfonso De Angelis
©Photos by Danilo Scarpati
Journey by land and sea to discover the city of mysteries -- from votive offerings, to charming B&Bs and starry nights.
Hotel Bellini
Hotel Bellini
Via Santa Maria di Costantinopoli 101
tel. 081.451732
The Hotel Piazza Bellini is located in the cultural center of Naples, in a building dating from the 1500s. The reception opens onto a beautiful 16th century courtyard housing art installations, and the rooms are all different, decorated by contemporary graphic designers.
Art And Books Cafe
Spazio Nea
Via Santa Maria di Costantinopoli 53
tel. 081.0332399
An art gallery that always surprises. Not only with its exhibitions, intelligently curated by Luigi Solito and Bruno La Mura, the founders of the space. But also for the small, charming bistro that awaits us around the corner, overlooking Piazza Bellini. Nea Art Gallery is a cultural center from every point of view: as well as exhibitions there are also concerts, theater performances, video projections and a publishing house. Attracting the kind of carefully selected crowd one would expect.
Secret Rooms
Museo Hermann Nitsch
Vico Lungo Pontecorvo 29/d
tel. 081.5641655 museonitsch.org
In the city of mysterious blood (San Gennaro’s blood miraculously liquifies almost every year), the Morra Foundation has created a museum dedicated to Hermann Nitsch, the father of the Vienna Activists and the Theatre of Orgies and Mysteries, with its rites of collective and individual atonement. From the roof of the former power station, where the museum is located, you can enjoy a spectacular view of the city.
Votive Offerings
Via Santa Maria di Costantinopoli 29
tel. 081.457954
A boutique offering creations by emerging designers for those who love a mix of the sacred and the profane. Tiled floors and walls covered in votive offerings (in this city they can be found everywhere) greet those who come to search out the tailored pieces selected by Italo and Ghenet, the store’s founders.
The House Of Taste
La Stanza del Gusto
Via Santa Maria of Constantinople 100
tel. 081.401578
Created by chef Mario Avallone, The Stanza da Gusto is a Pop Art restaurant, with polka dots on the walls and mismatched tables and chairs, offers fine cuisine inspired by the traditions of the south. The recipes are renewed and corrected, almost corrupted by the alchemical touch of Mario, who sources his ingredients from small producers, rediscovering forgotten flavors and bringing new life to them in incredible combinations.
At Midnight...
Corso Vittorio Emanuele 240
tel. 338.5621757
Having miraculously survived the disastrous building boom, the ancient Vigna San Martino is a green hill in the heart of the city at the foot of the Certosa monastery. It is run by the Piedi Per la Terra (Feet On the Ground) cooperative that cultivates the vineyards, producing Aglianico and Falanghina, and that carries out an environmental education program aimed mainly at children, who can help with the harvest and farming. You can spend the night here in tents, to discover the stars, play in a natural playroom or attend special performances.
Sweet!
Gay Odin
Via Roma 427/428
tel. 081.5513491
An Art Nouveau monument to the sweet tooth, with mouthwatering window displays. Gay Odin has been in Naples since the 19th century. Don’t miss the chocolate forest, the acorns and walnuts.
