Naples: Baroque star

Baroque, in all its golden splendour, is one of my favourite artistic styles. And as Naples is the home of Baroque, I decided to lead a few of my more arty friends on a tour of this chaotic city, taking in the imposing palaces, myriad churches, fabulous antique shops and, of course, unrivalled pizzas and piazzas.

We checked in at the Romeo, a new, all-glass, super-minimal hotel, designed by the Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, and immediately set off for Trianon, one of the oldest pizzerias in the world. Fuelled by a perfect margherita we then walked all the way to the Palazzo Reale, the former royal residence, with its beautiful marble
staircase and apartments with pure gold ceilings – my favourite sort. And when the guards weren't looking, one of us, very naughtily, opened the French doors onto the large terrace and took a picture of Mount Vesuvius.

The Madre, Naples' Museum of Modern Art, was a very different experience. Here we admired major works by Matthew Barney, Muna Hatoum, Anish Kapoor and Jeff Koons. I loved Andy Warhol's painting of Vesuvius and thought that the
Francesco Clemente murals, over two floors, had a touch of modern Baroque.

We stopped off for an aperitivo at the Gran Caffè Gambrinus, the elegant tea room where Oscar Wilde and Enrico Caruso spent their afternoons drinking chilled limoncello. Here we watched the sun set over the Piazza del Plebiscito, with its colonnaded crescents, and the young locals on Vespas, revving up for their Friday night out. Dinner was at the Taverna dell'Arte, a tiny, traditional little place down a secluded alley where we ate tasty ziti pasta with tomato sauce.

The next morning I was woken by bright sunlight – the rooms at the hotel Romeo have big windows, facing the harbour – an elevating experience that inspired me to spend the day touring local churches. Choosing an ecclesiastical itinerary in this city is a tricky business, so I just visited my favourites, starting with the Gesù Nuovo church for the gilded ceilings that scream Barocco Napoletano with all their carvings and delicate details. We continued on to another masterpiece, the church of Santa Chiara, which has the most beautiful hand-painted Maiolica tiles in yellows and blues in the cloisters. They give such a peaceful atmosphere to the garden; a total contrast to the loud traffic outside. We were enthralled as a priest chased a couple of children playing football in the courtyard. It could have been a scene from a neo-realist movie; so Neopolitan.

The street that leads to the church of San Lorenzo Maggiore is the world famous San
Gregorio Armeno, where there are stalls selling nativity figurines. We had a competition to see who could find the cutest sheep and the most charming shepherd. Of course, I won.

The Cristo Velato in the Cappella del Principe di Sansevero is a must-see on the Baroque trail. It is an extraordinary statue: the body of Jesus, his head resting on a cushion, obscured by a veil. It is made from a single piece of marble and is worked with such perfection that it looks real.

Not far from that, we had lunch at the pasticceria Scaturchio which sells delicious pastries – the pastiera Napoletana (ricotta grain pie) was invented here – and after a quick shopping spree at the linen shop Frette, and then Rubinacci for ties and scarves, we paid a visit to the Palazzo Pignatelli. It is set in lush gardens, and, with all the original Baroque furniture, the atmosphere hasn't changed since the days of the Pignatelli princes.

In a good mood after all that splendour, we were ready for a classical violin concert at the San Carlo, the restored opera house, which, with its gold and scarlet decor, is second only to La Scala in Milan. Neopolitan society was here in all its bourgeois finery, the men in their tailored black suits, and the women in their finest pearls.

For our last day, we ventured to the outskirts of the city where we caught a glimpse of the real' Naples: the Spanish Quarter and the Sanità area, characterised by intricate mazes of narrow streets linked by coloured washing lines. A final indulgence was a visit to the Museo di Capodimonte. Once residence of the Bourbons, who reigned in southern Italy from 1735 to 1860, this palazzo has an extraordinary collection of Caravaggios, Titians and Rafaels. The ballroom is magnificent, with heavy chandeliers and brocades. But the room I loved most was covered floor to ceiling with zoological motifs. How decadent and how very Baroque.

Where to stay
The Hotel Romeo (right) is an oasis of tranquillity in the centre of the city. The lobby features beautiful works of art: panels by Francesco Clemente and paintings by Schifano, chairs by the Campana brothers, medieval Japanese armour, a Mendini Proust chair, and Hermès leather cases. All rooms have floor-to-ceiling glass windows and face the harbour. Just across the road you can take a ferry to Capri or Ischia. There's even a great sushi bar (romeohotel.it).

What to see
The Caravaggio painting Le Sette Opere di Misericordia (right), which symbolises the start of the Baroque style in Naples, in the octagonal chapel of the Pio Monte della Misericordia.