Itineraries for Your Trip to Naples
3 Days in Naples for Foodies
Although I was born in the US, I spent my childhood growing up in Naples. I return often to seek out the city’s simple, creative cuisine, which is, by some standards, the envy of the Mediterranean.
There’s little I enjoy more than following my nose through the Spanish Quarters hunting for miraculous street food, or returning to the Sanità neighborhood in search of the venerable pizza houses that, against all odds, never seem to change. Locals insist that in their city you’ll find Italy’s best pizza, pastries, and espresso. After years of traveling, I’ve found the boast truthful.
The best part is that there’s also much more to taste here. Here’s how to do it in three food-filled days.
Naples is temperate but warm—during summer and early fall it’s nearly always beach weather, or hotter.
If you only have time for one thing, get pizza from L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele—the champion of old-school pizzerias—on Via Cesare Sersale.
Any trip to Naples should start with espresso and a sfogliatella pastry at Gran Caffè Gambrinus near Piazza del Plebiscito. After breakfast, walk up fashionable Via Toledo past the Spanish Quarters and deeper into the historic center, sampling street food along the way.
In the afternoon, stay close to the historic center, checking out the artisan shops along Via San Gregorio Armeno. Afterwards, have an early dinner at L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele on Via Cesare Sersale. If you’re still hungry, continue tasting your way through the Decumani neighborhood—perhaps sampling some fresh buffalo mozzarella.
Naples specializes in croquette, fried dumplings filled with potato puree and cheese. On your second day, taste the city’s best at Gorizia, which has been in operation since 1916. Take the Parco Margherita funicular to Cimerosa; Gorizia is across the street.
Explore the Vomero neighborhood, making your way toward Castel Sant'Elmo. From there, it’s a short walk to the Belvedere San Martino viewpoint and Pedamentina, a panoramic stairway you’ll follow down to the Spanish Quarters. For dinner, you have a choice: a pizza-making class near Galleria Umberto I, or reservations at Diego, a new restaurant in Piazzetta Ascensione serving creative “zero-kilometer” seafood.
Some of the most fertile land in Italy lies on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, where they make divine Falanghina and Lacryma Christi wines. Head there on your final day, but first stop at Pasticceria Capriccio on Via Carbonara near the central train station for one last sfogliatella.
The Vesuvius area is reachable on the Circumvesuviana train line, but tours with transportation from Naples will make your last day much more relaxed. Some tours also visit Pompeii, others include lunch, and others still trek to the volcano’s crater after the wine tasting has concluded.
