Aristocratic Heights of Naples: Overhanging areas of elite heritage and panoramas.

Over time, jumping from one place to another, crossing many kilometers to different places, to different countries, some places erased others and a kind of matrix continued.

And in the same way, one city that I had wanted to write about for a long time was forgotten a little. It seemed to be lost between other crossings, but in fact it has its own special vibe and bright face, as well as historically bright, and visually bright. And of course bright because of its motherland.

Notification of Ukraine,quite pleasant😊

So Naples - how many songs are sung about it, and how many are mentioned in literature and films. There are a lot of rumors that it is a dangerous gangster area and it is better not to walk there at night and in general. After spending several days in Naples and walking at night along dubious alleys, the three girls managed to survive, thank God.

So in just two days I managed to go around a lot of narrow streets and do a photo shoot for many areas of this bright and saturated city. The geographical location of the streets here looks interesting, it turns out that it seems to go from high to low and stretches all the way to the sea, and it is very interesting. But in fact, it is quite tiring because going up from the bottom to the top for a long time in the heat is not the easiest test.

In any case, on the day of the photo shoot, I went down. And I tried to catch each next house (or a separate legend and work of art) in my lens. And here, suddenly jumping out of the teleportation portal, the place from which this digital excursion begins is a staircase, but not a simple one - the Stairs of San Pasquale at number 48.

These mighty stairs are a picturesque network connecting Chiaia with Corso Vittorio Emanuele. These stairs, laid in the 19th century, remind us of the need to adapt the city to its rugged terrain. The San Pasquale district, dominated by the church of Chiesa del Santo Sepolcro di Gerusalemme, built in the 18th century. In general, I was very interested in this church because it is somehow hidden in a small corner of the Holy Sepulchre Square at number 4.20.

The square itself was named after this ancient church of Santo Sepolcro, founded in the Middle Ages and rebuilt in the Baroque era. Right in the rock, this church looks so rare and eerie. Medieval stones inserted into the facades of the 17th century, vaulted arches and the remains of Baroque decoration.

This place was often visited by religious brotherhoods, who organized processions and folk rituals there.
And so the San Pasquale district, the district was a meeting place for the aristocracy and the upper middle class, who were attracted by the proximity of the sea and elegant embankments. It is distinguished by charming buildings with pastel facades decorated with wrought-iron balconies. This area merges into
Via Vittorio Emanuele, one of the longest arteries of Naples, it was opened in the second half of the 19th century to connect Mergellina with the Piazza Mazzini area.

Built into the hillside, it offers wonderful views of the bay and Vesuvius, which is one of my favorite photos, it looks so picturesque and fabulous in reality, as if in the palm of your hand. Until then, I had only seen Vesuvius in cartoons in my childhood and it was very unusual to see it in person for the first time. The buildings that line this part of the avenue have eclectic facades, typical of the Neapolitan wealthy bourgeoisie of the time, combining the rigor of the antique style such as straight lines of symmetry, straight facades, columns, strict geometry but at the same time having lighter decorative elements of modernism.

This boulevard marked the border between the lower, popular, commercial city and the upper, more residential city, already announcing the ascent to Vomero. I pass by Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 249
In this place, the Corso is characterized by large 19th-century palaces, often decorated with impressive cornices and monumental portals. These residences housed wealthy families who fled the hustle and bustle of the historic center for the peace and cleaner air of the hills. I must admit that they did not live modestly. The regularity of the facades and the arrangement of the balconies recall the "Ottoman" spirit that inspired the Neapolitan city planners.

The upper part of the Corso opens up to several steps of their Italian steps that descend to Chiaia or ascend to Vomero, the most vibrant district. These stairs, built between the 17th and 19th centuries, are a Neapolitan specialty: narrow pedestrian passages, along which small colorful buildings are located, which served as shortcuts for the inhabitants. They testify to a city designed for pedestrians long before the modern era. Some of these stairs offer exceptional panoramas of the bay. Indeed, exploring these corners is truly so fascinating, although I am not a fan of Italy, its people, its lifestyle, etc., but I must pay tribute to the fact that the Italians were very lucky to inherit from their talented ancestors, they now have many incredible monuments that are very leading for them in the current reality.

Italian streets, their architecture, exteriors, etc., are something very special and atypical for other places. Especially for example, this long alley with these authentic ancient stairs is so narrow and long, everything around is colorful and stone, so narrow and mysterious. You, like an inspired child, fall into an exciting labyrinth. Such a large number of different stairs between the alleys, rich balconies with patterns and decor, everything around is painted with bright paints of different colors.

This panoramic path connects the Chiaia district with Vomero. Along the Salita Santa Maria Apparente, offering a rare look at the Neapolitan urban stratification: small working-class houses are located next to more magnificent palaces, and terraces cascade over each other, offering views of the sea in the distance. Later, walking along the Salita Santa Maria Apparente, we went down to another interesting and stylish area, which I will continue the story about in the next post.