All eyes are on Naples as British art dealer Thomas Dane opens his new gallery in a beautifully restored 19th-century palazzo, showing works by artists such as Steve McQueen, Bruce Connor and Catherine Opie. It’s a move that adds gravitas to the whispers that Naples is the burgeoning city of contemporary art in Europe. In fact, despite its much-beleaguered reputation as an unruly land where Camorra feuds rage and rubbish heaps swell, Naples has always been a city of art.
It has been coveted by artists and patrons alike since Greek settlers laid the first tufo stones 3,000 years ago. With the rise and fall of each empire, kingdom and duchy that made the city of Naples its capital, has come the blossoming and subsiding of its importance – but it only takes a leisurely stroll through the backstreets of the historic centre to see its bygone opulence fossilised into sedimentary layers of cultural history. Look out for slices of Greco-Roman columns set within the facade of a gothic church; a five-a-side football pitch wedged within a frescoed cloister or a stone shrine embossed with a Madonna figure alongside a bronze bust of a Camorra soldier framed in neon.
The arrival of Dane is not only a catalyst for Naples’ exciting future, it’s also a confirmation that the city has always been a great bricolage of art to discover.
Thomas Dane Gallery
The genius of the opening show at the second Thomas Dane Gallery (the original is in London) is that it shows that this newcomer to Naples has a true understanding of a city so often misunderstood by outsiders. The exhibition, conceived to “literally or allegorically draw inspiration from the city”, serves as a paean to Naples, celebrating contrasting Neapolitan themes of death and rebirth, decadence and despair. Whether every show will offer such an insightful take on its surroundings remains to be seen, but the gallery space is worth a visit nonetheless: it’s in a stunning Liberty-style building above the seafront, and from the glass veranda, visitors can look out across the glittering bay to Capri and beyond.
• Via Francesco Crispi 69, thomasdanegallery.com
Stingo Antica Manifattura Ceramica
Hidden within the maze of wholesale warehouses in the industrial area of Gianturco, to the east of city, is the historical Stingo ceramics workshop. Family-run since the 1700s, it is the last Naples producer of the original Majolica tiles. Artisans show visitors the tile-making process and, if they are lucky, might even let them have a go. Sisters Imma and Simona Stingo have furnished some of the grandest interiors in Italy, such as Le Sirenuse hotel in Amalfi and the president’s residence, yet remain welcoming and humble, so pass by to pick up a few tiles or simply have a look around.
• Via Brecce a Sant’Erasmo 111, ceramicastingo.com
Palazzo Venezia
For a daytime drink in the most secluded, romantic bar in Naples, head to Palazzo Venezia, reached under an archway off Spaccanapoli, the straight, narrow street, officially Via Benedetto Croce, that traverses the historic centre. Up winding stairs on the first floor is a charming secret garden with an alchemists’ chapel in one corner and a mock Pompeiian folly in the other. It was given to Venice as an embassy in the 15th century, and the garden was used to entertain the cream of Neapolitan society. At some stage the space was turned into a glasses factory until art historian activists took the building on, running the bar to help pay for its maintenance.
• Free entry to the palace and garden but leave a donation in the box on the way out; beer, aperol spritz and coffee all less than €5. Via Benedetto Croce 19, palazzovenezianapoli.com
Taverna dell’Arte
Taverna dell’Arte has always been an institution for intellectuals, artists and academics from the nearby universities. However, in 2014, when owner Alfonso Gallotti died, the restaurant fell apart. Fortunately, former patron Marcellino Amato packed in his job as an insurance broker last year to restore the place to its former glory. With young chef Marco di Martino, who cooks excellent seasonal Neapolitan grub, now installed in the kitchen, the old faces have returned, making it once again one of the prized restaurants of the historic centre. Try its speciality pasta alla genovese (€8), and an antipasti platter for two (€15).
• Rampe S Giovanni Maggiore 1a, tavernadellarte.it
Botanical Garden
Although not strictly speaking a public park, the botanical garden is open in the morning to visitors – the rest of the time it is reserved for students of botany at the Federico II university. Designed by Napoleon’s envoys in the first few years of the 19th century, the bucolic escape is also home to a small castle that serves as a lecture hall, and a stunning greenhouse. The garden houses more than 1,000 species, and a vast proportion of it is dedicated to the study of medicinal plants. After a stroll, go over the road to locals’ favourite restaurant A Figlia d’o Marenaro (Via Foria 180/182) for a slap-up fish lunch.
• Via Foria 223, ortobotanico.unina.it
Casa D’Anna
Staying in this impeccably furnished B&B in the notorious Sanità neighbourhood is like staying with old friends. They like to leave their kitchen door ajar so you can wander in and make a plan for your day sightseeing, and in the evening, guests gather in the reception room, filled wall to wall with beautifully chosen artworks. If you happen to be staying there on a Thursday, drop into nearby Antica Cantina Sepe (Via Vergini 55) where the in-crowd gathers to drink Francesco Sepe’s fastidiously sourced fresh red wine from Vesuvian producers for €1.50 a glass.
• Doubles from €119 B&B, Via dei Cristallini 138, casadanna.it
Mimì alla Ferrovia
Rather like Taverna del Arte, the simple elegance of Mimì alla Ferrovia has made the restaurant one of the city’s historical favourites. As indicated by the name, the restaurant is the diamond in the rough of the station area, and has been frequented by journalists, academics and stars such as Pavarotti and Fellini since 1944. Mimì’s son, Salvatore Giugliano, still in his mid-twenties, has taken up the mantel of his father, cleverly reimagining traditional Neapolitan dishes in a sophisticated but unfussy way, making this the perfect place to come after eluding the pickpockets on the train back from Pompeii. Try Salvatore’s imaginative take on traditional antipasti (from €15).
• Via Alfonso D’Aragona 19, mimiallaferrovia.it
San Carlo Opera House
When King Charles III of Spain rode into Naples in his carriage as the city’s new ruler in 1734, he threw wads of cash into the crowd to help quell any chance of an uprising. He soon became the bourgeoisie’s most popular foreign king, for funding initial excavations of nearby Pompeii, which attracted artists to the city, and famously commissioning the building of the opera house, which became a favourite among composers such as Bach and Mozart. It is the oldest continuously active opera house in the world, still greatly admired by musicians and the public alike for its architecture and performances. The opera season runs from late January to May and cheap early bird tickets (from €35) can be found online; or for a peek inside the ornate building, tours run daily at €7.
• Via San Carlo 98, teatrosancarlo.it
Lia Rumma Gallery
In the 1970s, collector and gallerist Lia Rumma made a successful gamble by inviting the then little-known Joseph Kosuth to Naples for his first show in Italy. Ever since, Rumma has honed a reputation for nurturing and making a success of emerging talent, having contributed to the careers of artists such as Anselm Kiefer, Alfredo Jaar and William Kentridge. Unlike the usual gallery format, works are exhibited in an apartment that was once Rumma’s home, a small, domestic space that creates a rare and congenial intimacy. After a visit to the gallery, spend time wandering the elegant streets of Chiaia, which ooze sophistication and glamour, offering a respite from the chaos of the historic centre.
• Via Vannella Gaetani 12, liarumma.it
La Bottega Del Mandolino
My rubric for Naples is emphatic: keep looking in, and if you see an open doorway, go inside. The city hides much of its treasure in its bowels, especially within the courtyards of old buildings, where craftsman and artists tend to have their workshops. La Bottega is one such place. Salvatore Masiello and Michele Caiazza restore and make mandolins in this tiny workshop, where glue constantly simmers on a gas stove, deconstructed mandolins pile up and beakers of red wine fuel the restorations. The workshop doubles as the HQ for the posteggiatori – musicians that serenade tables in restaurants. Pass by on a Saturday morning to hear them practice. All are welcome – just leave a tip.
• Via San Giovanni Maggiore Pignatelli 5, labottegadelmandolino.com
Sophia Seymour runs tours of the city inspired by Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels (lookingforlila.com)
Naples at a glance
Flights
EasyJet and Ryanair fly to Naples from major UK cities. British Airways flies from Gatwick from £40 one-way.
Best time to go
May and June, when it’s not too hot. Combine sightseeing with soaking up the sun in leafy piazzas and long seaside lunches at Castel dell’Ovo or Marechiaro. In May, Maggio dei Monumenti sees a plethora of concerts, exhibitions and guided visits of rarely open churches and palaces. In July and August the small town of Giffoni, 80km away, hosts Italy’s second-most important film festival, after Venice (giffonifilmfestival.it).
Exchange rate
£1 = €1.13
A small beer in a neighbourhood bar is €2-€3, coffee €1. Remember it’s always cheaper to drink standing at the bar than sitting at a table.
