Returning to the narrow “Spaccanapoli” we see Palazzo Diomede Carafa, which Goethe visited when it was still called Palazzo Colubrano. A beautiful 15th-century building, it has a magnificent inner courtyard with a statue of a horse’s head, a terracotta copy of a sculpture by Donatello.
A few minutes walk away and here we are in via Atri, where Palazzo Filangieri d ‘Arianello is located, an ancient monumental palace where a plaque commemorates the illustrious guest and the meeting with the jurist Gaetano Filangieri.
Leaving the historic centre we now take via Toledo, a vivacious street full of shops. After a pleasant walk, the course opens in the large Piazza del Plebiscito, between the most suggestive and unmistakable corners of Naples. The nearby Teatro San Carlo literally took the breath away from Goethe, for the magnificence and elegance of its interiors.
Our journey in the footsteps of Goethe leads us to Palazzo Sessa, where the German scholar stayed, and which today is the seat of the Goethe Institut. Magnificent historical building of the ‘500, it also houses the headquarters of the Jewish Community of Naples.
It is impossible to visit the area without admiring the splendid seafront, with the silhouette of Castel dell’Ovo and the unmistakable profile of Mt Vesuvius in the background.
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