SPACCANAPOLI, Via Benedetto Croce

After completing the almost mandatory visit of the monumental complex of Santa Chiara, go back to "Spaccanapoli", which in this section has the name Via Benedetto Croce. At the corner with Via San Sebastiano, stop for a moment in front of the Church of Santa Marta. If you're lucky enough to find it open, go past the iron gate and take a look: you will see a number of beautiful and refined nativity scenes made by local artists that are just as amazing as those displayed in the famous and crowded Via San Gregorio Armeno that I will soon tell you about.

After this pleasant folkloristic-religious stop, continue straight along Via Benedetto Croce, admiring the noble palaces that show you all the splendor of the past centuries of Naples with their delightful gardens and courtyards and their frescoed and decorated halls. One of these stands out, Palazzo Filomarino at number 12, which is where the illustrious philosopher the street is dedicated to lived until the end of his days, and is now the headquarters of the cultural institute he founded. On the other side at number 19 you can see the gorgeous Palazzo Venezia, which is the ancient seat of the Republic of Venice's ambassadors in the Kingdom of Naples. It has recently been restored as a venue for cultural and artistic events, thanks also to its charming rooftop gardens and the interior courtyard with its original three-arch structure.

At number 23 you can see Palazzo Tufarelli, which was probably designed as part of Palazzo Venezia, and at number 45 you'll see Palazzo Carafa della Spina with its imposing eighteenth-century portal adorned with lion heads....