Five massive cylindrical towers of dark volcanic stone guard the entrance to Castel Nuovo. Charles of Anjou began the fortress in twelve seventy-nine when he moved the capital of his kingdom from Palermo to Naples. While the royals lived…
Royal Naples and Waterfront
This walk connects the grand monumental landmarks of Naples' royal past with the beautiful seaside promenade leading to Castel dell'Ovo. It's the perfect introduction to the city's majestic side, complete with refreshing sea breezes and iconic Vesuvius views.
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1. Castel Nuovo
2. Galleria Umberto I
The Galleria Umberto the First is a cathedral of glass and iron shaped like a cross. Its central dome climbs nearly two hundred feet above the pavement, making the entire structure feel like a sun-drenched street that accidentally wandered…
3. San Carlo Theatre
The Teatro di San Carlo features a stark, cream-colored facade punctuated by a series of tall, arched doorways that lead directly into the oldest continuously active opera house in the world. Built in seventeen thirty-seven by King Charles…
4. Royal Palace of Naples
Eight marble statues of past kings stand in niches along the main facade of the Royal Palace of Naples. This structure served as the residence for the Bourbon monarchs who ruled the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. In seventeen thirty-four,…
5. Piazza del Plebiscito
Two colossal semicircular colonnades sweep out from the Basilica of San Francesco di Paola, framing the vast, flat expanse of the Piazza del Plebiscito. King Joachim Murat commissioned this square in the early nineteenth century to honor…
6. Fontana del Gigante
The Fontana del Gigante features three stone arches topped by the coats of arms of the city of Naples, the Spanish viceroy, and the Duke of Alba. Sculptors Michelangelo Naccherino and Pietro Bernini carved it in the early seventeenth…
7. La Bersagliera dal 1919 - Ristorante di pesce e cucina tipica
The restaurant La Bersagliera sits right on the edge of the Borgo Marinari, distinguished by the large, glassed-in terrace that extends over the stone pier. It opened in nineteen nineteen, founded by a woman nicknamed La Bersagliera…
8. Castel dell'Ovo
The Castel dell'Ovo sits on the islet of Megaride, anchored to the Naples waterfront by a long stone causeway. Its jagged, low-slung stone walls rise directly from the Tyrrhenian Sea. Legend claims the Roman poet Virgil hid a magical egg…