From the Greek Walls of Piazza Bellini to Via Toledo, Eating

Two and a half hours through the oldest streets in Naples, which are Greek before they are Roman and Roman before they are anything else. You meet at Piazza Bellini beside the excavated Greek walls, not under the statue, where your guide is waiting with a sign.

First comes buffalo mozzarella, still faintly warm, near one of the oldest bell towers in Europe. Then Via dei Tribunali, one of the three straight decumani the Greeks laid out and the city never straightened out again, where you eat pizza fritta while your guide explains Pulcinella d'Acerra, the masked servant of the Commedia dell'Arte who has been getting away with things on Neapolitan stages since the sixteenth century.

On San Gregorio Armeno, the alley where nativity-scene artisans work year-round and make figurines of footballers alongside the shepherds, you try the frittatina, fried pasta with a creamy centre. A small limoncello workshop nearby lets you smell the zest before you drink the liqueur.

Spaccanapoli, the straight cut that slices the old centre in two when seen from above, brings dessert: sfogliatella, babà or gelato. The walk ends at Via Toledo near Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, with taxis nearby.

Up to fifteen travellers, guided in English. It runs rain or shine. Vegetarian options are possible with notice; the itinerary is not suitable for vegan, gluten-free or dairy-free diets, and there is a real risk of nut cross-contamination.