Marechiaro

Marechiaro is a small fishing borgo in the Posillipo district of Naples, built around Via Marechiaro as it drops steeply to the sea. The name is thought to come from mare planum, calm sea, rendered in Neapolitan as mare chianu, rather than from the clarity of the water as is often assumed. The settlement takes its identity from the church of Santa Maria del Faro. A window on one of the houses, kept decorated with a fresh carnation, is said to have prompted Salvatore Di Giacomo's poem 'A Marechiare, later set to music by Francesco Paolo Tosti; a marble plaque bearing the score sits below the sill. Around 200 Neapolitan songs reference the area. Visitors find a small beach, a rocky outcrop known as the Scoglione, waterfront restaurants and views across the Gulf of Naples to Vesuvius, the Sorrento peninsula and Capri. It is reached by the 140 bus from central Naples or Mergellina followed by a walk downhill, and there is no admission charge.