Old Napoli

Day 82

When I had arrived to Naples Giovanni had outlined a walking tour that not only would take me by the best parts of Naples but also would keep me out of the dangerous areas.

I started the morning by walking the short ways to the Duomo. There was a wedding going on but tourists were still pouring in. I checked out the church for a bit but decided to skip the small museum.

After a cup of tea and breakfast I managed to find a row of really cute little shops. Most of it was wooden things and overwhelmingly chili peppers. Not really sure why.

The only actual site that I made it to was the Sansevero Chapel. The chapel was built around 1590 and has been altered drastically over time. They went crazy filling the chapel with a hodgepodge of statues and tombs. Most of the statues were ok, some really stood out. One of the ones here was the Veiled Christ, by Samartino. I have seen on mystery shows that some people think that the statue is too perfect, that it must have come from an alien or perhaps be some sort of divine miracle. This thing was perfect. Through the thin shroud I could see the dents the nails had left in the figure of Christ. Also here was a statue of a man trying to get out of a net. I don't know anything about it, but it too was stunning. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take pictures and the ones I have are of postcards.

For some reason in the 1700's the local prince injected something into two of his slaves that killed them. Their bodies were then preserved, sorta. Only the bones, organs, and veins could be seen. It was quite odd and I have no idea why it was in a church.

After the chapel I spent some time in a book store. I can't seem to get enough books at the moment. I also needed a new journal as my original is about full.

I wandered the rest of the trail that Giovanni recommended. Naples is a dirty city with loads of graffiti and crazy drivers. Still, I liked something about it. There was a certain type of beauty that I can't really describe. In the Plaza Reale there was a building that looked like the Pantheon. Someone was getting married here as well.

At this point I had been walking for about 4 hours and I figured that it was time to go back to the hostel. The sun had really sapped my strength and I was ready for a rest.

That night I talked to a few people at the hostel, but mostly just read and called it an early night.