Bed and breakfast accommodation in Naples Monasteries

Set around an idyllic bay in the shadow of Vesuvius, Naples is southern Italy’s great city, pulsing with life and crammed with wonderful buildings and museums. It’s a big, sprawling city with horrendous traffic, so be prepared to walk, the best way to serendipitous discoveries and fabulous views. Don’t miss Spaccanapoli, the name given to the grid plan of ancient streets that make up the centro storico, that slices through the city. This is quintessential Naples, lined with churches, palazzi and idiosyncratic shops. 

Up the hill lies the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, housing one of the world’s most important classical collections of sculptures, mosaics, wall paintings and mosaics, much of it found in Pompeii, an hour’s journey from Naples. Two great religious sites are must-sees too, the Carthusian complex of San Martino high above the city, and the great Franciscan church of Santa Chiara, with its beautiful 14th-century cloister, embellished with maiolica tiles. Other sights include the Duomo, Capodimonte, with its park and museum; the Palazzo Reale and the waterfront, that curves round to Mergellina, noted for its harbour and ramshackle charm.

Naples was founded as a Greek town, part of Magna Graeca, the overseas territories held by the city states. The language spoken was Greek, and the temples were consecrated to the Greek gods and goddesses. The Romans embraced the Greek culture, and by the 6th century the city was part of the Byzantine Empire. The Duomo was built in the 13th-century, and houses the vials of what is said to be the blood of Naples’ own saint, San Gennaro, a Christian martyr. His feast is celebrated in September, when his dried blood is exhibited to vast and fervent crowds and liquefies. 

The 14th-century saw the arrival of the preaching orders in Naples, notably the Franciscans, followers of St Francis of Assisi, who built the magnificent church of Santa Chiara. In stark contrast to the friars’ poverty is the extraordinary Carthusian complex of San Martino, perhaps the finest example of 17th-century Neapolitan Baroque architecture. It’s home to a superb collection of Christmas cribs, tiny carved figures representing not just the nativity but everyday life. Every family in the city has its own crib and there are displays in all the churches, typifying the totally integrated religion plays in everyday life.