Located on the edge of Spaccanapoli, (now renamed Via Benedetto Croce,) a main tourist promenade in…read morethe historic center of Napoli. At the center of this square is a 18th-century obelisk monument dedicated to San Domenico (Saint Dominic, founder of the Dominican Order), credited for eradicating the 1656 plague. On the northern edge of the square is the Chiesa di San Domenico Maggiore, a gothic church with a beautiful interior, completed in 1324, altered to a Baroque style in 1670 then back to Gothic in the 19th century. Sepulchers located in the sacristy house members of the royal family of Aragon. The neighboring buildings are comprised of former palaces of the aristocracy now repurposed for other uses. Palazzo Petrucci houses a pizzeria, B&Bs, and a cafe, Palazzo di Sandro is home to a lute maker, Palazzo Corigliano a library and cafes. The original location of Scaturchio, one of Naples' oldest pasticcerias (see my separate review) sits along the southern edge of the piazza. Walking around this oldest quarter of the modern city, you'll inevitably pass by, hopefully when it's not too crowded. I enjoyed walking through early morning while most stores were just opening up, a glimpse of the city's daily clockwork before the bustle sets in.

You can't miss it. It's the public square in back of the Church of San Domenico Maggiore, and just…read moreoff of Spaccanapoli (or Via Benedetto Croce). This is also where you'll find the beautiful Obelisk of San Domenico which towers over the square. It's a symbol of resilience & hope, but I couldn't help but feel like it's also protecting everyone. It was erected after the plague of 1656 that devastated Naples. So, maybe its purpose is to make you feel that way. There are also former palaces on each side of it. The Palazzo Petrucci currently houses a Michelin Star restaurant of the same name. You'll also see the outdoor terrace of their pizzeria in the plaza. On the opposite side is the Palazzo Corigliano. It's currently occupied by a college of a university that teaches languages. There's history and worldliness all around this piazza. It's a lively public area that is frequented by locals, tourists, parishioners, and students. You'll see the young, the elderly, and all ages in between enjoying the shops & restaurants. You can ideally spend a couple of hours here just watching how Naples lives. It's a cool place to be when near this historic city center.

This place gets super crowded, but the blue waters is worth the trek and visit. Right by the bus…read morestop.

This landmark was a really cool visit. It was so beautiful!…read more The swimming/beach was super crowded but looked really nice. The "hiking" around the area looked clean and pristine. We tried some wine from the vineyards in the area and fell in absolute love. Great place to visit, even if it's super quick!

A huge expansive public space that puts you in awe to the size of the building fascia the closer…read moreyou get to it. A vast open sweeping pair of arms that you could imagine holding the entire commerce of the city back in ancient times, filled with vendors and craftsmen from all over selling their wares. This is one of the few plazas I found so large and in excellent shape.

We stopped by Piazza del Plebiscito for a quick look while exploring Naples. The square is huge and…read moresurrounded by some of the city's most recognizable landmarks, making it a great place to pause and take in the architecture. Originally completed in the early 1800s, the piazza is named after the 1860 plebiscite that voted for Naples to join a unified Italy. On one side sits the Royal Palace of Naples, while the Basilica of San Francesco di Paola anchors the other with its impressive domed church and curved colonnades. We didn't spend a lot of time here, but it was an easy stop between other sights and gave us a chance to appreciate a different side of Naples. If you're already in the historic center or heading toward the waterfront, it's well worth adding to your itinerary.

Currently named after the patron saint of Naples, this gate is thought to have existed as early as…read more450 BCE, simply known as the Tufa* Gate that led out of the then Greek city of Neapolis towards the catacombs north of the city. It is the oldest standing gate of what was seven, one of the main entrance/exits where traffic flowed in and out of the city walls, and a marker to understand where former city boundaries lay. Interestingly the location shifted about 50 meters from its original spot when in 1537 under Spanish rule viceroy Don Pedro de Toledo expanded city limits and relocated gates, in the process removing the two towers previously flanking it as well. Later in 1656, as an ex-voto beseeching protection from the plague, Neapolitans commissioned Baroque artist Mattia Preti to paint frescos above the seven city gates, of which today only this one remains. It depicts Saints Rosalia and Francis Xavier showing gratitude to San Gennaro, the city's religious benefactor, a bishop martyred in 305 AD, later buried in Duomo di Napoli (Naples Cathedral). This is the same saint for which an annual festival Feast of San Gennaro is held. In 1659 a bust of San Gaetano, another key figure celebrated as saint of the working class and poor, was added in the upper portion of the gate facing south, and after the 1884 cholera epidemic a painting of Virgin Mary was added as an ex-voto in 1887. Nowadays there's not much to do except admire it, walk thru, and take in the history that surrounds this place. *Tuff was the volcanic yellow rock from which the gate was built, although today's iteration is not so clearly distinctive.

One of the ancient gates of the city off Via Foria. The gate has a small chapel and there is a…read morefresco by Mattia Preti. The nearby caption reads, "This fresco on Porta San Gennaro is the only one surviving of the seven original frescoes commissioned to Mattia Preti as a votive offering for escaping the plaque of 1656. It is located on the oldest entry gate to Naples and is already mentioned in the documents of 928 A.D. and subsequently incorporated in the expansion of the sixteenth-century wall built by viceroy Pedro da Toledo. It depicts the Immaculate Virgin with the Child in her arms, flanked by San Gennaro, San Francesio Saverio and Santa Rosalia who intercede for the cessation of the disease. In 2021 Friends of Naples and AReN, in synergy with public entities and private donors have offered the restoration of the fresco to the city of Naples." Thanks to that restoration, the gate is in better condition than many other ancient sites in Naples and is worth a stop. And try the pizza place next door! [Review 19235 overall - 384 in Italy - 205 of 2023.]

This historic gate is located at the intersection of Via Toledo and Via Port Alba which becomes Via…read moredei Tribunali further east, both main streets in the central Naples neighborhoods. It was commissioned by Antonio Álvarez de Toledo y Beaumont, the Spanish viceroy of Naples, and opened in 1625, one of the later gates constructed in the city thoroughfares. Bookstores and cafes surround this gate, though the ground surrounding unfortunately doesn't come off as well taken care of or clean, maybe bc it's currently under renovation and repair, though reading other reviews the graffiti and trash littering the area seems common. Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba is a well-known spot for pizza right down the block from this gate, serving since 1738, with a claim to being the world's oldest pizzeria. Their baking ovens are lined with volcanic rock from Mount Vesuvius.

One of the oldest gates of the city of Naples still in existence, it could use some sandblasting…read moreand cleaning. It dates back to 1625. The gate is easily accessible near Stazione Dante at the corner of Piazza Dante. It doesn't seem to have any closing mechanism and there are many vendors and shops nearby. If you're "collecting" Neapolitan gates, this is a good stop. Most folks were just walking past uncaring. [Review 19138 overall - 298 in Italy - 108 of 2023.]

Constructed in 1279, and for centuries the Royal residence of Naples' kings into the 16th century,…read morethe gothic exterior of this massive fortress with five towers is a magnificent reminder of Napoli's medieval history and maritime prowess, with an entrance over the largest man-made moat I've seen. Arriving at 5pm on a weekday afternoon, I scrambled (ie. speed walked for half a mile) to make it before their assigned last entry time, which I thought was 5pm for a 6pm closing time, though apparently it's last entry at 5:30pm. Well...I got an extra workout. There's a small ticket window to the left inside the main doors, which takes cash or card, and can also validate your city/museum pass (I had a Naples Pass). Regular admission is €15, tickets for local residents €10, free for children under 18. However because of ongoing renovations to major sections, they were offering reduced admissions of €10 and €6 respectively. Inside what's available to view as of mid-April 2026 are several components. To me each stands alone and feels a bit disjointed to the others, though given its lengthy history and different functions over time perhaps the range of spaces truly embodies the story of the castle, one embued with varied relevance and purpose. - Palatine Chapel: an austere chapel with stone block floors, inset with ledger stones.* - Archaeological route and former Armory room: this is where the ruins can be viewed below a glass floor--of what's believed to be past of a lavish Roman villa from 1st century BCE beneath the castle. Tours need to be pre-booked in advance if you want to descend to the underground level to visit these. - Hall of the Barons: this is the kind of grand hall I'd imagine medieval royalty to preside over, with a massive octagonal star-shaped arched stone ceiling and central round skylight, though it was actually a later construction in the 15th century. The layout includes a U-shaped wooden seating arrangement where the current Napoli city council meets. - Chapel of the Souls of Purgatory: single room with entrance off the courtyard to the right of the entrance to the Palantine Chapel, the frescos are colorful though space is small. - First floor Civic Museum - Art Gallery: this is up a flight of steps (aka the second floor for those of us across the pond), a gallery of about 50 works ranging from 15-18th century religious Neapolitan art, transferred here from other historic buildings that are no longer in use. - terrace on second floor with partial view of the port: I was a little disappointed since I thought the roof of the castle would be accessible though I'm glad I didn't rush here on my first day in Naples and instead went to Monte Echia nearby where the views were much better, more panoramic. It took about 30 minutes to walk around the parts that were open, there are more extensive galleries on the upper stories that were under renovation. I felt it made sense to reduce the price since some portions were closed. For more info: https://www.comune.napoli.it/vivere-il-comune/luoghi/castel-nuovo-maschio-angioino/#orari_apertura https://www.naplesinsider.com/en/e/castel-nuovo-maschio-angioino *an inscribed stone slab usually laid into the floor of a church to commemorate or mark the place of the burial of a deceased person. (as per Wikipedia)

Castel Nuovo was one giant construction site when we were here…read more Of course, it's been under construction for nearly nine hundred years. From Charles I House of Anjou, to the Kingdom of the two Sicily's (1266), to the Kingdom of Naples. It was also used by Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, who lived there for a short time in 1535. But no Italian history would've complete, without the involvement of de' Medici family of Florence. Seemed Alfonso V of Aragon (1443), had established a royal court here after conquered the throne of Naples and as with most little boys, he needed his to be, er um...grander. He intended for the Castel Nuovo to compete with the one in Florence by Lorenzo de' Medici. Ultimately he ended up completely rebuilding the entire fortress. A famous architect friend once observed to me, that it's important to be able to distinguish between "good" and "better." LOL The castle is very imposing. It has five huge turret like towers, that can be seen throughout Naples. Our driver couldn't figure out how to drop us off because of all traffic on Via Nuova Marina, so we settled for the nearby Galleria Umberto mall (see review) instead. LOL. See photos.

My favorite square in Naples, maybe my favorite square anywhere, and approaching it from any…read moredirection is a treat. Beautiful shops along the way, and no better place anywhere to enjoy a cup of Neapolitan coffee...

I have a close friend whose family comes from Naples, and it was while I was on my quest to find a…read morepost office to send her a postcard with a Naples post mark, that I came across this Piazza and its massive traffic snarl! What struck me about the 4 lions at the base of the statue is that each of them are different! Talk about absolutely breaking all the rules about classical symmetry! There was a lion that was standing, one was sitting, one was looking to the side and I couldnt quite figure out what the 4th lion was up to. The column that is in the midst of these 4 lions has a beautifully wrought elegant statue of a winged lady holding a wreath. However it was hard to get up close to see this statue in the middle of the Piazza as it functioning as a traffic roundabout! Would be nice if it could be a pedestrian zone instead. Yelp 281/ 2018

Sort of a miniature Pompeii. Two large villas that had been covered with 10 feet of ash. Remarkably…read morewell preserved. FREE admission. A good 1/2 hour walk from town, and not well signed, but you knew that -- it's Italy! You can bring a picnic.

This place is really cool and we stumbled onto it thinking it was something completely different…read more You can also check it out for free which was a nice change of pace. They even had a tour guide if you liked and they charged nothing to tell you about this beautiful place.