October 31, 2025

Within a short walk, to the left of the pier, are three of Naples best known landmarks: Castel Nuovo, the 17th Century Royal Palace (Palazzo Reale) and the elaborate 18th Century San Carlo Opera House. This is where we are going to concentrate our energy for the day. Why? Because Naples is filled with extradentary works of art and architecture in the classical Greek and Roman styles, but Naples is also known for its notoriously bad traffic.

We headed toward the Castle Nuovo, the huge medieval renaissance fortress where – just like in many parts of Italy and Greece, it seems – excavations continue trying to restore and preserve these historic architectural treasures.

We were diverted to the beautiful Galleria Umberto I, a cross-shaped shopping gallery covered with a giant glass dome and built in the late 19th century. When I stopped gawking at the ceiling, I noticed the marble floor with intricate mosaics. The mosaics also caught the attention of this young future Italian architect. Can you image if this was your local mall? What a splendid place to do your shopping.

We than walked to the Piazza del Plebiscito, a huge square quickly filling up with crowds of tourists and locals. I can only imagine how crowded this square would be in the summer months. On one side is the 17th Century Royal Presidential Palace, Palazzo Reale.

The first thing you see upon entry into the palace is a breathtaking stairway. It has become known as the “Cinderella” stairway.

The reason why?

French writer Charles Perrault was so inspired upon seeing it that he wrote the classic children’s story Cinderella.

Thanks for travelling with us.