#Galleria Umberto in Naples

[dlyarchitecture]

[postcard-from-the-past]

Galleria Umberto I in Naples, Campania, Italy

Italian vintage postcard

[wolfie-wolfgang]

Going to Naples and Sorrento - on an Italian opera trail.

Watching Mount Vesuvius from Sorrento, across the Bay of Naples, I thought of Pliny the Younger (born 61 AD), as you do, who wrote a detailed description of the catastrophic eruption of the volcano (79 AD) that killed his uncle, the great Roman naturalist, Pliny the Elder, who sailed into the disaster because he was interested in the science of volcanoes. Pliny the younger watched the destruction…

[rosee16]

Galleria Umberto I, Naples 📍

11 marzo 2023

[wanderlustfuldays]

Galleria Umberto I Naples, Italy

[scavengedluxury]

Galleria Umberto I, Naples, 1970. From the Budapest Municipal Photography Company archive. 

[bestravelvideo]

Naples Italy 🇮🇹 Day Walking Tour Guide 4K - captions & music

Welcome to our Naples Italy Day Walking Tour in 4K ! Join us as we admire the street art at Largo Maradona, explore the vibrant streets of Quartieri Spagnoli, and soak in the historical atmosphere of Piazza Dante and Piazza Bellini. Admire the architectural beauty of Galleria Umberto I, then head to the modern charm of Via Armando Diaz and the grand Corso Umberto I. Our journey continues at the busy Piazza Garibaldi, with the convenient metro station! Stroll down the bustling Via Toledo, wander through the literary haven of Via Port'Alba and the lively Via dei Tribunali.

[everythingnonsense]

Galleria Umberto I, Naples

[mothmiso]

Naples & Caserta 2015 (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) by Eugenia

Via Flickr:

(1) Naples at night. (2) Santa Lucia. (3) Quartieri Spagnoli. Spanish Quarters. (4) Flowers at the fountain at Caserta Royal Palace (Reggia di Caserta), Palace Park. (5) Galleria Umberto. (6) Naples. View from our apartment in "Camera con vista."    

[megtdsullivan]

Stop 12: Naples

We only had a quick day trip in Naples as our last stop in Italy, but we had a good time and made the most of it! Had to finish off our Italy portion of the trip with some delicious Pizza!

Where we visited:

Catacombs of Saint Gennaro

Historic Heart of Naples

Galleria Umberto

Castll del Ovo

Lugomare walkway (Vesuvius in the Background!)

[travelingue]

Naples (5): On the benefits of being bombed

The story so far: after 36 hours in the heart of Naples, we still hadn't found the smart side of the city.

In the nomenclature I had devised, we'd seen plenty of Nablus and were looking for Neapolis.

We went on our quest by public transport.  Metro trains in Naples definitely belong to Nablus.

But when we got off at Municipio, after just two stops, there was a change of scene.

What caught our eye was not so much the sleek design – modernism tends to age quickly – as the medieval fortifications embedded within the station.

This, an information panel explained, was part of the "Aragonese citadel" built by the Spanish warlord who wrested the Kingdom of Naples from some French big cheese in the 1440s.

This section of the fortress was revealed during excavations for the metro line.

We emerged into a square dominated by a fountain (pictured at the top). The water feature representing Neptune, Wikipedia informed me, was erected around 1600.  Neapolis indeed!

A short distance away was a shopping gallery that puts any Milanese arcade in the shade.

The Galleria Umberto I was built in the 1890s.  I later found out that it lies within Naples' World Heritage site, along with the crumbling historic centre.

I can't help but think that Unesco honoured the Centro Storico because they had to, but recognised this gallery because they WANTED to.

Our morning walk was growing more Neapolitan by the minute. We strolled up Via Toledo, a salubrious shopping thoroughfare.

A funicular terminal led invitingly to elegant heights to our right.  But we had not exhausted these parts, so we pressed on and made a mental note of the funicolare for later.

Further up we found two churches facing each other.  The Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo, the local Jesuit headquarters, is frankly a dog's dinner.

Built around 1750, the church takes Baroque extravagance to ridiculous heights.  Behind the bizarrely spiky façade lies this interior.

Still, Gesù Nuovo is worth checking out, if only to contrast it with the church next door.

The entrance of Basicila di Santa Chiara may not look like much but inside, soaring splendour awaits.  To appreciate its magnificence, a bit of history is in order.

The church was built in the 14th century in the Gothic style.  It was dedicated to Chiara of Assisi, who had founded a monastic order a century earlier (more on this remarkable saint below).

The basilica and the adjoining monastery form the Complesso Monumentale di Santa Chiara.

In the 18th century, the complex was regarded as too boring and redecorated in the Baroque style.  It remained in this gaudy form until World War II, as this 1920s picture attests.

Terrible, I know.  Those rococo vandals did worse damage than the modern graffiti artists, who desecrated only the outside of the church.

But help came in 1943, in the explosive form of allied bombers.  After the RAF raids on Naples, the basilica looked like this.

Following the war, the city council met to discuss reconstruction.

"We need to rebuild the original church," the mayor said. "Hear, hear." "Wait a minute," one communist councillor objected. "We can't afford gilded wood and marble.  People are starving!" "Who's speaking of gold?" the mayor said.  "It would be an insult to Santa Chiara, who made a vow of poverty." "But you said you wanted the rebuild the original!" "Yes: the Gothic original."

There were gasps around the chamber.  But the mayor carried the day with communist support, in an early instance of compromesso storico.

The result is this masterpiece:

The stained glass windows, in particular, are stunning.

On the bottom left is a representation of Santa Chiara, whose remarkable story is told on a panel.

She was born in 1194 to a noble family.  At the age of 18 she told her parents she had met an extraordinary young man called Giovanni.

"I need to know about this guy before you marry him," the father said. "There is no question of a marriage.  I want to follow him.  He has dedicated his life to those less fortunate than us." "That's what they all say."

Hoping to break down parental resistance, Chiara invited Giovanni for a chat at the family home in Assisi.

"So you want to feed the hungry, eh?" the father said. "Yes." "My daughter says you come from a good family." "My parents are wealthy merchants." "Hmm," the father muttered.  "Those rich kids are often the worst."

It was not going well for Chiara.

"Francis," she cried. "Tell them you've renounced your family's fortune." "I kind of did," the young man whispered.

The father startled.

"Did she call you Francis? I thought your name was Giovanni." "To care for the destitute I go by the alias of Francis. It's my brand." "WWWWait...  Are you telling me you are Francis of Assisi?" "You could call me that." "Jesus Christ!" "Giuseppe!" the mother exclaimed. "I mean bloody hell.  Ortolana: this is Saint Francis of Assisi!" "Let's not get ahead of ourselves.  I haven't been canonised yet." "Why didn't you say so?" the father said. "Well I don't go around like: ‘Guys, do you realise you're talking to Francis of Assisi?' That's just not my style."

So Chiara followed Francis, founded the Poor Clares order and spent the rest of her life feeding the hungry.  

Leaving the basilica, we felt peckish ourselves.  We assumed we'd get a quality lunch on the heights and took a bus going up to Capodimonte.

Previous entries on Naples:

1. Ryanair 2. Neapolis or Nablus? 3. Daylight robbery 4. Sybaritic afternoon

[mypepemateossus]

The Galleria Umberto I is a shopping gallery built in Naples between 1887 and 1890.

[amselchen2]

night café @ Galleria Umberto I, Naples by Marco Murata

[dougrobyngoold]

Galleria Umberto - Naples, Italy

Those of you that know us, know that we are not shoppers. In spite of that, we decided to check out Galleria Umberto - a covered shopping area in Naples. Today was suppose to be rainy, so we thought that would be a good activity. Although it is a beautiful structure, we found very little there that really appealed to us. I think it would be spectacular at night, but I don’t think we will be back to see that.

We took a few pictures and then wandered the streets around there. Since it was still early in the day (before noon), most places had not opened for lunch and we didn’t feel like pastries and coffee. We exploring the side streets for about 45 minutes, until we finally found a little pizza place that was open.

Checking out the action on the streets of Naples, there was a lot happening as people prepared for the day.

Doug, tolerating a picture before he could dive into that margherita pizza. It was delicious!

Lovely fountain that we saw on our walk to Galleria Umberto.

We wandered around a bit more, but the streets were very crowded (it was Saturday) and we finally decided that we were a bit tired and headed back to our apartment. The rain started falling just as we got back - good afternoon to just hang out and relax inside. Another adventure tomorrow!

[wanderlustfuldays]

Galleria Umberto I Naples, Italy

[october24th]