I expect to get to Naples at noon on Friday and have an 11 am flight on Saturday. Suggestions for hotel? Eating? Sightseeing?

Thanks.

The National Archaeological Museum of Naples is an amazing treasure trove. That would be my choice.

I would visit Pompeii or Herculaneum. They are unique. The Museum is superb, but the sites beat it.

Much of what they have excavated from Pompeii and Herculaneum are displayed in the Museum in Naples. I agree the sites are very interesting...if you want to stay in Naples and not venture out...the museum is superb.

I suppose we can agree to disagree . I always advise anybody discussing doing a daytrip from Rome to Pompeii that they are missing out if they do not go to the museum. But for me, the museum will always be the icing on the cake - IT is one thing to see the intersting displays of coins, jewellery and artifacts from the ruins, quite another to stand in the ruins of Herculaneum staring up at the 60 feet of volcanic rock that covered the city.

The Museum is superb if you actually get to see what the treasures they have stored there. We were sorely disappointed when we went in March 2006 since many of the treasures were on loan to the Field Museum in Chicago. None of the frescoes taken form Pompeii were on display when we went. The wing where they were alledgedly displayed was shut off form vistor access. I mentioned this to one of the tour guides in Pompeii and she laughed. She told us that the fresoes were being "restored". Nobody had been able to view them for the last 2 years.

The bronzes in the Museum from the Villa of the Papyri were very beautiful, but unless you are against leaving Naples, I agree with the other person that it would be better if time allows to go to Pompeii or herculaneum. Check to see what time Pompeii and Herucalneum close at the time of year you are going and see if it makes sense to go with tthe time you ennd to make the journey on the Circumvesuviana.

One day. Naples itself. Stroll the streets of the centro storico. Spaccanapoli, Via Tribunali, Via Duomo. Hang out in Piazza San Domenico, Piazza San Gaetano, Piazza Bellini. The museum is great. Pompei is great. La Napolitanita' is better.

Anthony and Jennifer

That is a shame about the frescos as I did get to see them as well as mosaics taken from some of the villa floors..there are some wonderful artifacts. I am not really in disagreement that the actual sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum are very interesting...I have been to Pompeii twice and Herculaneum once...I just thought that since you are arriving midday...and by the time you check into a hotel and get situated...it may be late to take a side trip to either of these sights. I thought I would give you an option for your time In Naples. Hannibal also has some good suggestions as well. Whatever you happen to do...enjoy!!

I just spent one 1/2 day/evening in Napoli and I agree with Hannibal. If it's a nice day, roaming the streets and people watching on the piazzas can fill the day. We did regret not getting to the museum but will save it for a multiday visit. We had just come back from a week of village and rural life so Napoli was quite exciting.

Go to the Cappella Sansevero to see il Cristo Velato (Veiled Christ) - one of the most amazing sculptures in the world.

Yep, more than half the National Museum is closed off. We spoke with a guard there who was very apologetic, and blamed it on budget crisis. But the "Secret Cabinet" was open; the Farnese Atlas (now recognised as a 3D representaion of the long lost and infinitely historically important star map of Hipparchus) was to be seen, and enough other bits to make it worthwhile IF one is going to be in the city. Dodgy to recommend a special trip to it, as we made.

I spent a day in Naples last summer. I took the subway from the centrale train station to the museum, had a tantrum that much was closed off, finally settled down and decided that what was on display was priceless and worth seeing. I had a real Neaopolitan pizza and a beer at a cafe near the art school, and walked the big street (I don't remember the name but it is a REALLY big street) down to the bay, looked at the big arcade, wandered over to the church (a mini Pantheon, it looked to me, or maybe a mini St. Peters). I then roamed a few streets of the Spanish quarter. It was not scary at all. I stopped to speak to people and visited shops. I worked my way up to the street called Spaccanapoli, stopped in to see the "veiled Christ", did some more shopping and chatted my way back to the train station.

The museum visit and loop took me several hours that day.

I decided that I loved Naples. The sun was hot, the traffic crazy, the people friendly, and the pizza was spectacular.

DMae

DMae and Hannibal have the right idea: walk, look, eat, love Naples. I like the idea of doing the museum first, as it is pretty spectacular, then walk through Spaccanapoli, stopping for pizza at Sorbillo (YUM!) then walk down via Toledo to the Galleria, stopping at Mary's for a sfogiatelle or twelve. Piazza San Dominico, piazza Bellini are both wonderful for sitting around in. Best coffe I have ever had at caffe Mexico, piazza Dante.

Because I love paintings so much, I would hot-foot it up to the Capodimonte museum, but even if you don't do one thing in Naples except wander around and eat, you will love it.

For a place to stay, if you are looking for a b n b in the middle of the heart of Naples, try b n b Atri3.

www.bbatri3.it

Have fun.

Yrs, Robert

To the above suggestions I'd also recommend a visit to the Santa Chiara church complex on Via Benedetto Croce in the Spaccanapoli area, with its tiled cloister. Farther east, off Via dei Tribunali are the Nativity figure shops on Via S. Gregorio Armeno. You can see an extensive exhibit of these figures in the Nativity musuem in the Charterhouse (Certosa di San Martino) up on Vomero hill.

I'll second Robert Santa Monica. The coffee at Caffe Mexico on Piazza Dante is the best. Two sips of pure bliss. If it's hot go for a coffee frappe'. Divine.

For the obligatory sfogliatella or three we prefer Scaturchio on Piazza San Domenico. Also makers of fantastic baba' and pastiera.

Pizza? We've never tried Sorbillo. Certain it's wonderful. Also good on Via Tribunali is Di Matteo. Great 1 euro mini pizza margherita to go.

Drop in on churches like the mentioned Sant Chiara complex and San Severo chapel but also San Domenico and Sant' Angelo a Nilo and San Lorenzo and San Paolo Maggiore and San Pietro a Maiella and Gesu and the stupendous Duomo dedicated to San Gennaro.

Che meraviglia citta'!

Anthony and Jennifer