During the Christmas season in Naples you will find a suggestive atmosphere that makes this celebration unique and magical. Below are some reasons why you should Naples in the region Campania should visit during the Christmas holidays.
The magical atmosphere of San Gregorio Armeno
You can’t think of Neapolitan Christmas without visiting this street in the heart of the historic center. San Gregorio Armeno is dedicated to the Christmas season all year round and its atmosphere becomes even more atmospheric in the days before and after the holidays.
Here you will find the traditional Neapolitan Christmas crib, proud of the craftsmanship of its masters, but also less conventional figures representing the most prominent figures from entertainment, politics and sports.
The cribs of San Martino.
According to legend, the Neapolitan architect Michele Cuciniello, who lived in the second half of the 19th century, had collected during his life more than 800 statuettes of nativity scenes, from shopkeepers and shepherds, and then sold them to the director of the San Martino Museum. The sale had only one condition: The unique crib had to be arranged exactly as Cuciniello wanted it. And so it remains today, perfectly arranged to enhance the most significant scenes and highlight every detail of this record-breaking nativity scene.
Another wonderful crib is the wooden one by Pietro and Giovanni Alemanno, from 1478. The crib comes from the church of San Giovanni a Carbonara and is currently on display in the Museum of S. Martino.
The ballet at the San Carlo Theater
If you love culture, theater and ballet, you can not miss the performance of the Nutcracker during the Christmas season in Naples, offered every year to the citizens of Naples and in the oldest theater in the world. The Tchaikovsky Ballet, performed during the Christmas holidays, is a tradition to open the Christmas holidays in Naples.
Night view of the famous “Christmas Avenue” (Via San Gregorio Armeno) with the Neapolitan cribs in the historic center of the city of Naples. Italy. (photo © lazyllama / Shutterstock.com)
Christmas time in Naples, Christmas crib (Presepe di Pietro Alemanno, San Giovanni to Carbonara) in Certosa di San Martino, Naples. Italy. (photo © Tetiana Tychynska / Shutterstock.com)
Nativity scene from Naples, Campania, Italy (photo © shutterstock.com)
The culinary Christmas in Naples
The fish market of Napoli
Italian tradition says that Christmas Eve dinner is based on fish, and Naples is happy to offer its residents and tourists the best of the city. The market of Porta Nolana opens on the night of Antivigilia (between the 23. and December 24) opens its doors and offers everyone the opportunity to stock up on seafood delicacies.
This market is not only very useful to grab fish of the best quality for dinner, but also a moment of folklore where you can admire the traditions of a city that loves good food and never forgets to celebrate it.
Fried pizza and Neapolitan desserts
What makes Christmas Eve special is not only the rich seafood dinner, but also the lunch of traditional fried pizza eaten at home with the family or in the street among the stalls of the Christmas markets.
Then, during the Christmas season in Naples, the most famous desserts of Campania: struffoli, rococò and cassatine close every meal both at home and in the restaurant. Not to mention an excellent Neapolitan coffee!
The Christmas markets in Naples and surroundings
The Christmas markets light up the villages and castles that surround the city, giving you an evocative and romantic atmosphere and the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the traditional Neapolitan Christmas.
During your Christmas vacations in Naples, do not forget to add a visit to Limatola Castle, Pietralcina, where Padre Pio was born, Ottaviano Castle on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, the historic center of Cusano Mutri, which is becoming a real fairy tale village.
Art and culture in the shadow of Vesuvius
It is obvious that a vacation in Naples can only include a good dose of art and culture. The city, once the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, tells its own story through an incredible variety of architecture and works of art scattered throughout its streets and museums.
Don’t forget to visit the exhibitions and temporary exhibitions planned for the Christmas season in the galleries and museums of Naples, to combine your desire for pizza with the desire to get to know the great Italian and international artists.
Text © Italien.blog
Ottaviano, Campania, Italy. Christmas lights at Ottaviano Castle
(photo © Shutterstock.com)
Fish, squid and other seafood stall at the Porta Nolana seafood market in Naples. (photo © Shutterstock.com)
