Spaccanapoli & the Historic Centre

Look at Naples from the heights of Vomero and you will see it: a long straight cut through the dense old city, running east to west. Locals call it Spaccanapoli, the street that splits Naples, and it follows the lower decumanus of the Greek city of Neapolis, laid out some two and a half thousand years ago. Together with the parallel Via dei Tribunali to the north and the narrow cross streets between them, it forms the core of the historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995 and one of the largest and most continuously inhabited old towns in Europe. Walking it is the essential Naples experience, and it costs nothing. Start at Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, where the church of Gesù Nuovo hides a gilded Baroque interior behind a severe diamond-point façade, and cross to Santa Chiara, the great Gothic church whose cloister is covered in eighteenth-century majolica tiles painted with vines, lemons and scenes of daily life (the cloister charges a modest fee). Continue east past Piazza San Domenico Maggiore and the lane to the Sansevero Chapel, past the reclining Statue of the Nile, through the bookshops and jewellers of Via San Biagio dei Librai, to the cross street of San Gregorio Armeno, lined with workshops making presepi, the elaborate Christmas cribs that Naples is famous for, with figures of saints, shepherds, footballers and politicians. Turn north to Via dei Tribunali for the pizzerias, the Naples Underground and the church of San Lorenzo Maggiore, and finish at the Duomo, the cathedral, whose Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro holds the saint's relics and the phial of his blood, which Neapolitans believe liquefies three times a year.

The area is busy, noisy and gloriously alive, with scooters squeezing through crowds, washing lines overhead, street shrines, and the smell of coffee and fried pastry. Pickpockets operate in crowds, as in any big city, so keep valuables zipped and phones in front pockets. Most churches are free to enter but close for a long lunch break, so plan interiors for the morning or late afternoon, and dress modestly. The Duomo's Treasure Museum, Santa Chiara's cloister and San Lorenzo's underground excavations charge modest fees. On 19 September, the Saturday before the first Sunday of May, and 16 December, crowds pack the Duomo for the liquefaction of San Gennaro's blood, one of the great spectacles of Neapolitan faith.

Eat as you go. The historic centre is the home of the classic Neapolitan pizza, and Via dei Tribunali has several of the most famous pizzerias, where queues form at lunch and dinner; pizza a portafoglio, folded and eaten standing, is the cheap and authentic street version. Try a sfogliatella, the ridged shell-shaped pastry filled with ricotta, or a babà soaked in rum, and drink a short, strong espresso standing at the bar. From late October to early January, San Gregorio Armeno is at its most magical and its most crowded, as the crib-makers display their seasonal work.

A good way to do it: walk Spaccanapoli from west to east in the morning, with stops at Gesù Nuovo, Santa Chiara and the Sansevero Chapel (booked), lunch on pizza on Via dei Tribunali, then the Naples Underground or San Lorenzo in the afternoon and the Duomo before it closes. For context, a walking tour with a local guide is excellent value. Return in the evening to see Piazza Bellini and the student bars come alive.