Last stop, Naples

The day after leaving Santorini we spent at sea, relaxing and reading in lounge chairs by the pool.  A bit sad to realize the cruise was coming to a close.  That evening was a “Formal Night” with the passengers all dressed to kill, and dinner especially elegant.  We splurged on the wine, enjoyed our meal and dessert, and after dinner strolled along the decks admiring all the tuxedos and evening gowns, stopping for a drink in one of the bars in an effort to prolong the experience. 

Naples harbor

The morning found us moored in the ancient port of Naples, and since our guided tour of Herculaneum was scheduled for the afternoon, the four of us walked off the ship and through the Stazione Maritima to do some exploring.  The first edifice we beheld was the massive stone fortress, the “Castel Nuova” built in the days of Charles of Anjou, the first man to claim the title “king of Naples.”  Charles, a Frenchman, the younger brother of King Louis IX (Saint Louis), was a hyper-ambitious, power hungry nobleman who wanted to be king.  His life story -- so intertwined with the history of Sicily and Naples, his overthrow from the throne of Naples and Sicily sparked by the Sicilian Vespers in 1282, and his wars with the German Hohenstaufen rulers – require a skilled historian to unravel.  Try reading the excellent book The Sicilian Vespers by Sir Stephen Runciman, it’s a fascinating story.

 

 The Castel Nuovo from the time of Charles of Anjou

 

The statue of Charles of Anjou, from the Palazzo Reale among the statues of all the kings of Naples.


After a few minutes, we found ourselves in the expansive Piazza del Plebiscito, a public square designed in 1808 by Joachim Murat, a later king of Naples, to honor Napoleon Bonaparte, who was also his brother-in-law.  On the western side of the piazza stood the 17^th century Palazzo Reale, where the Bourbon kings of Naples had their residence.  The long façade was decorated with niches containing huge statues of the Kings of Naples, including Roger of Normandy, Frederick II Hohenstaufen, Charles of Anjou, Alphonso V of Aragon, the Habsburg HRE Charles V, Charles III of Bourbon, Joachim Murat the Bonapartist, and ending with Vittorio Emanuele II.  What a history! 

 The flags and shields of the city of Naples over the great gate of the Palazzo Reale

 The Hohenstaufen Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, another King of Naples.

 The Palazzo Reale from across the Piazza Plebiscito.

 



 

Dominating the eastern side of the piazza was the huge neo-classical church of San Francesco del Paola flanked by long, curving colonnades, also started by Murat for Napoleon, and finished by King Ferdinand II.  We entered the church and at once realized it could have been a full-scale replica of the Pantheon in Rome!  The marble floors, walls, statues, altars were most impressive, and an unexpected treat.







 

 The 19th century church of San Francesco di Paola, looking like an ancient Roman temple.

 Interior of San Francesco di Paola -- remind you of the Pantheon in Rome?

I fell in love with this lion!

With time running short, we strolled over to the famous Galleria Umberto I, the covered shopping zone that was built in the 1880’s with all the glitzy stores and cafés.  Advertising placards outside the shops reminded us that Naples is the cultural home of spaghetti, pizza, and Sophia Loren. All this in the shadow of Vesuvius. 

Galleria Umberto I

 

Next:  Tour of Herculaneum