U ntil recently, tourists hurried through this wonderful city as quickly as they could, on a quest to find their own glamorous “dolce vita” on the nearby Amalfi Coast and the neighbouring island of Capri. However, the books of Elena Ferrante, which were adapted for the TV series My Brilliant Friend, but also the film The Hand of God, directed by Neapolitan filmmaker Pao- lo Sorrentino, intrigued world travellers and launched Naples into the orbit of “must see” tourist destinations. Mythical siren Naples was founded more than 2,800 years ago as the Greek colonial settlement of Parthenope, named after the mythical Siren, while its current name is de- rived from the Greek words Nea polis – meaning new city. After the Greeks, the city came under Roman rule, then later fell into the hands of the Normans, Germans, French and Spanish, only to become part of the King- dom of Italy under the Savoy dynasty in 1860. These cultures have all left indelible traces on the city in which the first university and first opera house in Europe were established, pizza was invented and the best coffee is brewed, and where football is loved above all else. Piazza del Plebiscito Perhaps the best way to start your tour of this city is from the Gran Caffè Gambrinus coffee house, which dates back to 1860 and has a bar where you can sit and drink the best espresso with unparalleled Neapolitan delicacies: sfogliatella, a layered, leafy pastry with the flavour of orange and filled with ricotta cheese; and babà, a syrupy sponge cake that’s reminiscent of tu- lumba and flavoured with rum. This iconic establish- ment is located on the small Piazza Triesete e Trentno, where kings used to be crowned. This coffee house has always been a meeting place for intellectuals and art- ists, and preserved within it are cups from which fa- mous figures drank the renowned Neapolitan coffee, including, of course, the icon of the city that was Die- go Maradona. Gambrinus offers views of the largest square in Naples, Piazza del Plebiscito, which spreads between the Royal Palace, Palazzo Reale, and the Basilica of San
Čuvena izreka „Vidi Napulj i umri“ postala je svetski poznata zahvaljujući velikom nemačkom pesniku Geteu, koji je spominje The phrase “see Naples and die” became famous around the world thanks to the great German poet Goethe, who mentioned it in his book Italian Journey u svom delu „Italijansko putovanje“
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