So what exactly is Aperitivo?
Aperitivo is the closest thing Italy has to happy hour. It's a drink (alcoholic or not) with some food before dinner, usually right after work. For a lot of Italians, the night starts with aperitivo and just keeps going from there. In Naples the standard spread is olives, chips, and nuts, but some bars go further with chopped veggies, sandwiches, pasta, or a full buffet. Chiaia, Centro Storico, and Vomero are the busiest areas for it, but you'll find aperitivo everywhere in the city. Scroll to the bottom for some spots worth checking out.
Aperol Spritz / Aperitivo
Popular cocktails
Italian bitters and vermouths have caught on across Europe and beyond, and the 'Spritz' is the most popular result. It's just three ingredients: a bitter, prosecco, and carbonated water, garnished with an orange slice. Each region makes it a little differently depending on the bitter ('Aperol' is orange and sweet, 'Campari' is red and bitter, 'Select' splits the difference).
Negroni
The 'Negroni' is the other Italian cocktail that went global. It's Campari, vermouth, and gin, sometimes with a splash of Angostura bitters, garnished with orange and lemon. Sweet, bitter, and a good gin bite. If you like the flavor but want something lighter, try the 'Americano': same idea, minus the gin.
Wines from Campania
Say "Italian wine" and most people think Tuscany first, but every region here makes something worth drinking, and Campania is no exception. The soil is rich thanks to the volcanic activity in the area, and the region makes excellent reds and whites, though it's better known for its whites. Avellino (Irpinia), Benevento, and Cilento are the powerhouse wine areas, but you'll find good wine being made all across Campania, including Paestum, Salerno, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast.
Red Wine
The signature red wines here are Taurasi and Aglianico, both made from the Aglianico grape, though the region also grows Barbera, Greco Nero, Piedirosso, Primitivo, and Sangiovese. Taurasi is considered one of the best red wines in Italy: aged in oak for 5 years and produced only in the comune of Taurasi in Avellino, which guarantees quality, origin, and process.
White Wine
The three important whites here are Fiano, Greco di Tufo, and Falanghina. Avellino makes most of Campania's best wine, red and white, though Salerno and Cilento are catching up. Fiano and Greco di Tufo are respected worldwide for their complexity. Falanghina is more acidic and food-friendly, and it's probably the house white at your local trattoria.
Natural Wines
Natural wine is a newer idea: hand-picked organic grapes, fermented naturally with no additives, closer to what wine probably tasted like before yeast and pesticides entered the picture. The flavors range from sour to earthy, and it's generally considered easier on the gut than conventional wine, though it can still contain sulfites to hold the flavor once bottled.
Below we will provide a list of some notable wineries in the Campania region.
Beer
Italy isn't exactly known for its beer, but German and American craft-brewing influence is starting to catch on. More birrerias (beer halls) are opening in Naples, with better selections in cans and on tap. A few worth checking out are below.
What about Nightlife??
Naples nightlife happens mostly outdoors. Most bars are tiny, some can barely fit 10 people inside, so the crowd spills out into the street with drinks in hand. Strict rules around altering historic buildings keep the bars small, which is why they lean so heavily on outdoor space for their guests.
Dancing
Real dance clubs are hard to come by in the historic center, mostly because you can't restructure a centuries-old building into a big dance floor. There are still a handful in the city, plus some underground spots, and pop-up clubs are becoming more common, sometimes in deconsecrated churches renting out their space for events. Pozzuoli, just next door, has more room and newer construction, so it gets the bigger clubs and the beach clubs that run until sunrise in summer. A list of popular spots in both areas is below.
Recommendations:
Aperitivo:
Chiaia: Cantina Sociale, Barril, Magnolia,
Posillipo: Pacu', Miranapoli
Centro-Storico: Spazio Nea, Enno, Oak
Vomero: Barrio Botanico, Guyot
Cocktail Bars:
Vomero: Fonoteca, Barrio Botanico, Monk, Flanagan's
Chiaia: Flanagan's, Antiquario, Salotto Martucci
Centro Storico: Ex-Salumeria, Pepi Vintage, Shanti, Nineteen19
Wineries:
Avellino: Mastroberardino, Feudi di San Gregorio
Benevento: Cantina del Taburno
Cilento: San Salvatore
Natural wine Bars:
Vomero: Vineria Bandita
Centro-storico: Oak
Champagne Bars: