The historic heart of Naples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban centres in Europe. The grid of the Centro Storico follows the original Greek-Roman street plan of Neapolis, laid out in the fourth century BC. Within it, 2,500 years of history have accumulated in improbable density: Roman ruins beneath the streets, medieval churches on every corner, baroque chapels beside pizzerias, and shrines made of street lamps and plastic flowers on the walls between.
The main axis is Spaccanapoli, the dead-straight street that cuts the old city in two. Via dei Tribunali runs parallel to the north. Between and around them, countless side streets lead to cloistered churches, hidden courtyards, and the workshops of artisans who have been making nativity figures, leather goods, and pastries in the same manner for generations.