My husband and I were lucky that we were able to live in Napoli for a year. It is honestly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. What we loved most are weekends in Napoli.
How did we spend our days?
If we didn’t go out of Napoli for a drive in the Amalfi coast, visiting Pompeii or going for lunch in Positano, we enjoyed staying in the city.
We used to wake up around 9, have breakfast and our first coffee of the day at home. After that we would leave the apartment. Before going out my husband would ask – What are we gonna eat for lunch? Sometimes he used to drive me crazy because I knew he wasn’t hungry yet. He’s not one of those people who need to have everything planned for the rest of the day – so why the question. It took me some time to realize what was going on. He adopted the Italian way of thinking – if I’m eating breakfast and that’s food so I need to think of my next meal and talk about it. It’s true – Italians know how to enjoy their food and while eating they love talking about it!
By 11am we would be near the sea in Mergellina having our second coffee and simply relaxing. One of the best places for ice creams and all kinds of sweets is Ciro a Mergellina. Trust me, you don’t want to skip this one.
We would then walk to the center of Napoli. Sundays are for easy living, right?
When we got to the center (close to Castel del’Ovo or Chiaia) we would choose where we’re gonna have lunch. The restaurants we usually ate in are Regina Margherita Napoli, 50 Kalò, Fratelli la Buffala. We usually ordered some seafood pasta or a platter of seafood and a pizza. Seriously, whatever your choice is you won’t be disappointed. Behind Castel del Ovo there is a small area called Borgho Marinari and it’s packed with restaurants. There are so many of them in one place. We usually ate in Storie e Sapori, Ristorante La Scialuppa, Antica Trattoria da Pietro, Ristorante A’ Mar.
After a delicious meal it was time for something sweet. If we didn’t order dessert in a restaurant we would go for a walk to one of the coffee shops where we would order canollo siciliano and another espresso, of course (serious coffee addicts if you didn’t know). After that we would usually walk the streets in the center.
When in Napoli you can’t find a place that serves bad coffee. Coffee and pizza are two things Napoli is famous for so you can’t go wrong with those two. My favorite Neapolitan coffee brands are Kimbo and Toraldo, and if you’re like me and you like your coffee strong and not sour these are the brands to try!
Close to Piazza Plebiscito is Piazza Trieste e Trento. That’s where you’ll find Caffè Gambrinus which is the oldest coffee shop in Naples. It was founded in 1860 and later refurbished by the new owner. The interior of this place is amazing, there are some great artworks that you can’t miss. While you’re there have an espresso and something sweet and enjoy the view of The Royal Palace which is just across the street. Coffee here is slightly more expensive then other coffee shops but if you want to be in a Belle Epoque moment this is the place to feel that old charm.
Walking through the city, I was always carrying my camera with me and taking photos and I loved passing by Piazza Plebiscito and Via Toledo, then going back down Via Chiaia where we ended up near the sea again.
We would then rest, or take our dog to play and continue to walk to the car. During sunset we would usually be walking by the sea.
There is an area in Napoli we loved spending our weekends at and it’s called Vomero. It’s a pretty and quiet neighbourhood with lots of cute coffee shops and some good restaurants as well. If you’re here you might do some shopping as well.
The third option was Marechiaro and a walk in Posillipo area.
Posillipo is a beautiful residential area in Naples. Many famous people chose this place for a living. In fact, Oscar Wilde finished “The Ballad of Reading Gaol” while living in Posillipo in 1897.
Here, you can see the remains of Roman houses. One of the most beautiful ones is Villa Donn’Anna (in the photo below). It is really a beautiful feeling to watch over the cliffs and see these houses and beautiful Tyrrhenian Sea.
Marechiaro is where you should go if you feel like eating seafood. Important thing is that on weekends you need to book a table at the restaurant since they are always full. It can happen that you’ll be waiting for a long time to be seated. They will however bring you a glass of Prosecco so waiting here can be quite relaxing.
Sundays in Napoli are something special (just got goosebumps writing this). You can see whole families getting all dressed up and enjoying their Sunday lunch, laughing out loud, talking and having a coffee or aperol spritz while the kids are running around between the tables at a restaurant or playing outside if the weather is nice. Everyone is smiling and they honestly not only look happy but you can feel their happiness. That one day is meant for good time with family or friends and I guess they all left their worries at home and came out to enjoy themselves.
As the day is getting near the end some people will stay out till dinner and then head home. Others will go have a rest and go out for one more walk before they finally go to bed.
Those weekends in Napoli were definitely some of the best days in my life. I can honestly say I fully learned and embraced the meaning of the famous Italian phrase La Dolce Vita (sweet life).
P.S. Many people think that Naples is not a safe city to visit. In fact, some of them actually never visit it only because of something they heard. To understand that Naples is safe please read the blog post I wrote about it HERE.
Also, you can see more photos on my Instagram page.
I hope you got some ideas on how to spend weekends in Napoli. Thank you for reading!
