Prepare to dive into history as you walk along the narrow streets and watch the centuries disappear before your eyes in a mix of art and architecture. Our visit starts at the Piazza del Gesu where we see the Spire of the Immaculate Virgin and the Gesu Nuovo Church with its unusual façade. Continuing along one of the streets that contains much of the history of the city, the lower Decumanum known as Spaccanapoli, we soon come to one of the most important monuments of Naples: the Santa Chiara Church and convent, a Franciscan monastic complex from the 14th century with its marvelous tiled nuns’ cloister.

Our visit continues along Spaccanapoli: we pass alleyways and workshops before arriving at Piazza S. Domenico maggiore. Before the church is the Spire of Saint Dominic as well as the Scaturchio bakery, one of the oldest in the city, where we stop for a Neapolitan coffee and a sfogliatella, a delicious local pastry. After our coffee break we continue our visit to the mysterious San Severo Chapel, built by the Prince of San Severo, a famous alchemist. Within is the statue of the Veiled Christ, a unique sculptural masterpiece which still guards the secret of how it was created out of marble. Not to be missed, and just as mysterious, is the statue of the god of the Nile at Largo ventre di Napoli. It depicts the Egyptian river god and dates from the second century AD telling us something of the long history of the city.

Lastly we walk along via Tribunali for a further taste of art and history, the Church of San Gaetano and then San Gregorio Armeno. We end our visit with a taste of typical Neapolitan foods at the Stanza del Gusto in Piazza Bellini. Here our host Mario Avallone, a man with a passion for quality, includes in his menus only the finest products from the Campania region. On Sundays, when the Stanza is closed, we stop instead at the Cantina del Sole which prepares local cuisine at its best