Food Tours · Tour

The Limonata a Cosce Aperte, Spaccanapoli and San Gregorio Armeno

Two hours on foot, starting at the Neptune fountain in Piazza Municipio, where your guide holds a banner, and finishing in Piazza del Gesù with free time rather than a handover. The route goes along Via Medina towards Monteoliveto, then into the historic centre through Piazza del Gesù and along Spaccanapoli, the straight cut that still divides the old city in two. San Biagio dei Librai next, then San Gregorio Armeno, the street of the nativity workshops, where the figures are carved and painted all year round. The Pulcinella statue, then Piazza San Domenico, and back to Piazza del Gesù. You eat pizza a portafoglio, folded into quarters and handed to you hot, with a frittatina di pasta or a crocchè and a soft drink. Then a Neapolitan tarallo with a beer. Dessert is a sfogliatella straight out of a bakery workshop, and a Neapolitan coffee, which is served short, sweet and hot enough to be a decision. The drink is where this walk earns its name. The limonata a cosce aperte comes from a traditional street kiosk: lemon juice, water and a spoonful of bicarbonate that foams over the rim the moment it is stirred, so you drink it fast, standing, feet planted. The name describes the stance, and Neapolitans have been ordering it that way for generations. All the sights are seen from outside; nothing is entered. Cruise passengers can be met at Molo Beverello. Up to fifteen travellers, in English, Italian or Spanish, sometimes multilingual. It runs in any weather. Departures need two people from April to October, four from November to March, and the meeting time is the one confirmed on the booking, not the departure time shown.