Vacations On Naples 🇮🇹
Travel notes, film photos, and a map of 13 places I enjoyed.
This past May, me and my wife, we took a 3-night trip to Naples. Such a short stay is nothing to cover this abundant, generous city. Even trying so would be an awful sign of disrespect. We reconciled with this fact right away and surrendered to the flow. I hope we were able at least to scratch the surface. It definitely was enough to fall in love.
I dreamed of visiting Naples ever since I tried my first Neapolitan pizza. It was back in 2012 in Copenhagen at a wonderful place called Mother. The wood-fired oven warmed my body and the freshly baked pizza melted my soul. Since then I have checked AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) before every trip and it always delivers.
Finally, we went to Naples to visit the friends of ours we hadn’t seen for more than a year. To have someone who can show you around always helps. Even more so when the city hardly appeared to be anything I expected it to be.
Instead of extreme heat, cinnamon tans, and pizzas flying around it was soaking wet with pouring rain and terribly noisy from the endless scooters rushing through cobbled medieval streets. I wouldn’t say it was as gloomy as pictured in Gomorrah, but it did feel and smell damp.
Still, the advantages far exceeded both the drawbacks and expectations. In these travel notes, I wanted to share the places I enjoyed the most.
Hint: It’s mostly food.
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The guide
All of the places from this article are marked on the Google map here, together with the short descriptions you will find below. Feel free to use it on your phone and share it with friends.
Food
I feel obliged to warn you right away. Neapolitans have unlocked the next level of pleasure one can achieve through edibles. The food tastes so good it’s almost illegal. Proceed with caution.
La Vera Pizza Fritta da Gennaro
I believe I found out about this joint through Where Is the Cool?. The place is basically a hole in the wall with a line of people waiting outside for the only meal on the menu — la vera pizza fritta. Served inside two sheets of old food paper, pizza fritta is a deliberately shapeless piece of deep-fried dough with a strikingly hot mix of tomato sauce and mozzarella inside. Apparently, they call it pizza. Don’t let your eyes fool you though because it’s mouth-watering. You can easily split it into halves unless you are truly hungry.
This is a place our friend took us to for lunch. It happened to be included in the Michelin guide but we encountered neither haute cuisine nor high prices. Instead, plenty of antipasti and pasta dishes that all sound familiar, yet are specialties of the Campania region. I also loved the simple-minded interiors with bookshelf wallpaper and fake ivy hanging from the ceiling.
You know you're all part of the fam when a waiter pulls out booze from above your head with a sketchy selfie-stick-like device:
Pizzeria Concettina ai Tre Santi
I found this pizza restaurant on AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana), so I already knew it would be delicious. The waiting line outside looked daunting but luckily there was a separate window for ordering pizza to go. So we went for a Margherita and savored it curbside around the corner. While it’s hard to come by a bad pizza in Naples, this one surely didn’t disappoint. A true example of Neapolitan mastery. Plus, you have Palazzo Sanfelice to check out just a few minutes away.
Antica Friggitoria La Masardona dal 1945
I haven’t heard much about pizza fritta before going to Naples. It doesn’t look like a pizza we all know. It doesn’t taste like a pizza. Yet, La Masardona is AVPN-certified (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana), meaning what they make is considered to be a true Neapolitan pizza.
Already featured in my streets report from Naples, La Masardona is different from La Vera Pizza Fritta da Gennaro mentioned above. We came late, at around 10 p.m., but the outdoor terrace was completely packed with locals of all kinds: families with kids, couples on dates, and even elderly couples on dates. All indulging in the hot deep-fried haven.
There are a couple dozen frittas on the menu, all priced below €10. We ordered three kinds to try out, expecting it would be too much. But the elderly couple next to us easily tackled the same while drinking their Peronis. Praying I will age just as well one day.
Honestly, it was raining again, so we jumped almost randomly to this place. It’s located on the street adjacent to the touristy via Chiaia, and there are like five other similar-looking restaurants next door. We didn’t expect much.
Antica Taverna happened to be the busiest of all. The restaurant specializes in seafood and is operated by the three vibrant sisters, all wearing short-sleeve camp-collared shirts with branded embroidery. I would surely buy one for myself if they were for sale.
Water was pouring from the canopy above, missing our shoulders by a mere centimeters as we relished spaghetti alle vongole and vino bianco della casa. As is often the case with food in Naples, it was nothing short of terrific.
I wouldn’t even consider this place judging by the looks. But again, AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) certification proved to deliver. The best part, besides the traditional Neapolitan pizza, is walking by the huge wood-fired oven on the way to the bathroom and feeling its enveloping warmth.
Bars
A very proper cocktail bar. Nothing pretentious or snobby. Instagram doesn’t do justice, it looks much more authentic in real life. Of course, they make cocktails that are not on the menu.
This seems to be more of a music establishment than simply a bar. It’s a record store during the day and a bar with a live DJ and crowds of people outside at night. Yet, you may hardly recognize there is anything in there when it’s closed. I would love to get back and experience more of it.
Coffee
Caffès in Naples was another pleasantly surprising discovery for me. Traditionally, these are old-fashioned places where tough elderly men in ironed white shirts and aprons serve espressos with carbonated water at the counter. But they also happened to feature a broad range of Italian desserts and fully stocked bars always ready to make you a Negroni or even open an ice-cold bottle of Prosecco, accompanied by an assortment of small bites for free.
Gran Caffè La Caffettiera (what a name!) was our local joint, we found ourselves returning to each day of our short stay.
Caffè Sansone Microtorrefazione Artigianale & Specialty coffee
Italy has such a rich, long-standing habit of drinking coffee that its natives seem to not really care about third-wave coffee at all. Yet, right in the heart of Naples, you may find this micro-roastery by Vincenzo Sansone, with the founder himself behind the counter explaining the intricacies of his blends.
Views
When asked for recommendations, I rarely mention the major attractions. Since one will discover them anyway. But I was so impressed with the unprecedented scale of Castel Sant’Elmo and the views that open from its top that I truly believe it’s a must-visit.
I bet there are dozens of original palazzos around Naples still inhabited by common Neapolitans. We stumbled upon this one by chance after savoring the Margherita from Pizzeria Concettina ai Tre Santi mentioned above. If you see one, don’t miss it.
The whole city of Naples after SSC Napoli won the 2022–23 Serie A title
I can’t even imagine what it felt like when Naples’ home team secured the title in the national football championship, its first in 33 years. We came a week after that, and literally, the whole city was camouflaged in white-and-blue flags. I have a feeling that Neapolitans won’t put it down at least until the end of the next season, if not ever.
Stores
Frankly, we had so little time in Naples that shopping was not a priority. As much as I wanted to check out E. Marinella in person, I wasn’t able to find a single excuse for a luxury dress shirt in my life.
But we bumped into this little vintage store guarded by such a good boy. Lots of Ralph Lauren, suede jackets, and classic military gear. Definitely worth checking out.
If you find these travel notes helpful or exciting, I would greatly appreciate it if you could share it with your friends who might benefit from it 💙
And if you've already been to Naples and have additional recommendations, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below this post.
PS If you feel excited about Naples and want further inspiration, check out my photographic report on elderly Neapolitans’ street style.