1. Eat some Neapolitan pizza.
After all, Naples is known as being the birthplace of this style of pizza. It has a thin crust, and is traditionally made with San Marzano tomatoes, and mozzarella di Bufala or fior di latte cheese. Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba opened in 1830 and is believed to be the world’s first pizzeria. Their ovens are lined with lava rocks from Mount Vesuvius. Today, it seems more like a tourist trap. The more popular pizza destination seems to be L’Antica da Michele. This opened in 1870. The pizza here is much better than Port Alba, so be prepared to wait on the long lines.
2. Explore the tunnels of Napoli Sotterranea, or the Naples Underground.
It’s a series of tunnels that are 40 meters (131 feet) deep, and 450 kilometers (280 miles) long. These were built during Roman times and was later used during WWII as a bomb shelter. Today, you can see them only via a guided tour. There are areas of the tunnel that are very narrow, where you have to turn sideways in order to get through – so beware if you’re claustrophobic.
3. Get a view of Naples and Mount Vesuvius from Castel Sant’Elmo.
The castle is a medieval fortress that dates back to 1275. You can also go to San Martino, which is near the castle for a free and similar view. However, the views from inside the castle are better because it’s higher and unobstructed, and you get different viewpoints. Tickets are €5 at the time of this posting, so it was worth paying a little bit extra. Plus, it wasn’t crowded at all. We saw where the San Martino viewpoint was and there was a bunch of people trying to fight for the perfect spot to get their IG-worthy shot. If you want to go the extra mile, you can of course visit Mount Vesuvius itself, which is commonly paired with the Pompeii Ruins as a day trip. But only had one full day in Naples before traveling on to the Amalfi coast, so we wanted to spend our time exploring the city instead.
4. Eat some sfogliatella (known in the U.S. as a lobster tail).
It’s a shell-shaped pastry that’s filled with cream or another sweet filling. Sfogliatella means, “small, thin leaf/layer” because the pastry resembles stacked leaves. The pastry is from the Campania (southern) region of Italy, specifically Salerno, but is popular throughout the area. Naples is the capital of the Campania region, so you won’t find a shortage of bakeries selling sfogliatella.
5. Marvel at the ceiling mosaic at Toledo Station.
6. Admire the architecture of Galleria Umberto I.
It was built with a lot of the same elements as Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, so you’ll notice a lot of similarities.
7. Take a ride on the Funiculare Centrale.
We took this to get up to Castel Sant’Elmo. It opened in 1928 and is one of the most used funicular railways in the world, carrying over 10 million passengers per year.
8. Check out the gothic architecture of Duomo di Napoli (Naples Cathedral).
9. Go shopping at Via dei Tribunali and Via Toledo.
Via dei Tribunali is in the old historic center of Naples. Via Toledo has a lot of historic buildings, and shops.
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