Florence to Naples

 Feet, trains, and taxis were a big piece of our day today. We started our day off in the usual way with showers and breakfast.Then it was time to pack up our stuff, check out of our hotel and walk ourselves and our luggage to the train station. It was an easy 15 minute walk. Once there we got tickets for the direct train to Naples, with luggage we are trying to change trains as little as possible, we relaxed in the lounge waiting for our train to arrive.

Once we arrived in Naples, we caught a cab as the app said it was over a half our walk. That was longer than we wanted with luggage in a city we knew nothing about. I was glad as it has major crazy traffic here. I don’t mind the walk, but handling luggage in crowds can be hard. This is the view from our window at our hotel.

We could also see this fortress from our windows. When looking it up, we saw it was open for a few more hours, so that became our afternoon plan. It’s name is Castel Nuevo Museo Civico

It was even more impressive as we walked up to it.

The huge wood and bronze doors were open. The relief work in bronze was very impressive.

Though the doors had taken some damage over time, but for being around eight hundred years old, they were in decent shape in general.

The courtyard had one upper walk way with this giant helmet perch upon it.

So as it gets dark so early anymore, as they are off daylight saving here now, our tour started up on the battlements. Four long sets of stairs up, I am not in stair climbing shape, but made it!

These three shots are from up there to the north over the majority of the city.

As you can see bigger streets, more cars, and it feels crowded.

This a shot from the south side of the walkway. There was a tall wall and this was the best shot I could get of the harbor by holding my phone above my head and snapping some photos. This building is right at the harbor.

This was a shot of the west side of the north battlement at sunset

This is a statue up above the corner tower

I am not sure what this building I could see from the battlements was, but we speculate it might be a castle or monastery

Then it was down under the fortress. The fortress was built in the thirteenth century so it is about 800 years old.

It was not the first or even the second building on this site. About 1200 years ago a monastery stood here in this picture you can see skeletons buried there during that time.

Then in this picture you see the ruins of the Roman city that first occupied this site before the birth of Christ. We were walking on a glass floor which is alway a bit weird for me.

We then travel back up a few floors to the kings meeting room. There was a fireplace probably 10 feet wide by 6 feet tall opposite where the kings throne sat. The domed ceiling was several stories up and had places for archers to sit. The king invited his dukes who were having problems with him for a feast. When they all were in this hall he had the doors barred and archers rained arrows down killing them all.

This door leads into the chapel. Those large stone balls were all around the area. They were cannon ball that were shot out when they were under attack.

The chapel is rather plain now, but I would guess it was impressive in the kings time.

The floor had marble grave cap, one was the first king that built this fortress, I believe we were told.

Up at the front of the chapel this sculptures are still present.

One weird thing that happened when I was first sorting these pictures, all the ones with this statue of marry and child had this strange effect of a light that outlined it in a chasing pattern. When I went back to load them that effect had disappeared. I guess it is Halloween night.

Here is a small piece of surviving fresco on the wall. It looks like at one time most of the walls were covered with murals.

After we’re left the fortress, we stopped for dinner at a restaurant across from this square.

The fountain was lovely.

We walked the couple blocks back to our hotel and I am writing this blog. Naples is nice, but the magical feel I felt in Florence just seems to be missing here.

We will see how I feel after tomorrow.