Naples 3-day itinerary

1. Stop 1

   Castel dell'Ovo

   The oldest castle of the city, located on the former island of Megaride, now a peninsula, on the Gulf of Naples. The castle's name comes from a legend that the Roman poet Virgil (who had a reputation in medieval times as a great sorcerer) put a magical egg into the foundations to support them. The island of Megaride was where Greek colonists from Cumae founded the nucleus of the city (Palepolis) in the 6th century BC.

2. Stop 2 · 16 min walk

   Castel Nuovo

   Often called Maschio Angioino, it is a medieval castle and the main symbol of the architecture of the city. It was first begun in 1279 by Charles I of Anjou and completed three years later. Castel Nuovo soon became the nucleus of the historical center of the city, and was often the site of famous events. For example, in 1294, Pope Celestine V resigned from the Papacy in a hall of the castle.

3. Stop 3 · 25 min walk

   Castel Capuano

   The second most ancient castle of Naples after Castel dell'Ovo, built in 12th century by the Normans over a necropolis for use as a royal palace. It was then used as a residence for distinguished visitors such as Francesco Petrarca, and also as site for royal weddings and ceremonies. In 1503 it became the seat of city's courthouse for almost half a millennium, until the year 1995. Its name derives from its proximity to the road that led to Capua.

4. Stop 4 · 32 min walk

   Castel Sant'Elmo

   A huge, imposing hilltop medieval fortress, providing outlooks to the surrounding city and hosting a small art gallery. Great place to watch the sunset behind Ischia and Procida.

5. Stop 5 · 4 min walk

   Certosa e Museo di San Martino

   A former monastery complex, now a museum. It is the most visible landmark of the city, perched atop the Vomero hill that commands the gulf. A Carthusian monastery, it was finished and inaugurated under the rule of Queen Joan I in 1368. In 1623, it was further expanded and became, under the direction of architect Cosimo Fanzago, essentially the structure one sees today. In the early 19th century, under French rule the monastery was closed and was abandoned by the religious order.

6. Stop 6 · 14 min walk

   Villa Floridiana and Museo Nazionale della ceramica Duca di Martina

   A large, quiet park with beautiful panoramic views, surrounds a neoclassical villa which hosts a large ceramic collection from different parts of the world.

Eat · Di Matteo: Il presidente, Sorbillo, and his sister, a few doors away (informally known as "la vecchia", the old lady, from the owner of the pizzeria, a very small place with only 4 or 5 tables, that looks like a pizzeria of 50 years ago - very hard to find, but it's worth it!) You can get p

1. Stop 1

   Naples National Archeological Museum

   The most important Italian archaeological museum about Roman civilization, it contains a large collection of Roman artifacts from Pompeii, Stabiae and Herculaneum. The collection includes works of the highest quality produced in Greek, Roman and Renaissance times.

2. Stop 2 · 20 min walk

   Royal Palace and National Museum of Capodimonte

   Hosts paintings from the 13th to 18th centuries, including major works by Simone Martini, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Masaccio, Sandro Botticelli, Lorenzo Lotto, Giovanni Bellini, Giorgio Vasari, El Greco, Jacob Philipp Hackert. It also hosts the works of the most important Neapolitan painters, like Jusepe de Ribera, Luca Giordano, the Neapolitan Caravaggisti.

3. Stop 3 · 20 min walk

   Museum of Contemporary Art Donnaregina

   Very nice museum for contemporary art, with a permanent collection of fascinating, small room installations and temporary exhibitions.

4. Stop 4 · 10 min walk

   Museo Civico Filangieri

   Large collection of artworks, coins, and books donated to the city by Prince Gaetano Filangieri.

5. Stop 5 · 5 min walk

   Complesso monumentale dei Girolamini

   Ecclesiastic complex comprising a gallery of paintings, a cloister, a library of thousands of ancient manuscripts, and a baroque church.

6. Stop 6 · 33 min walk

   Palazzo delle Arti

   A civic museum born as a public exhibition center for the civic collections of arts, and to host art and culture events organized by the City of Naples.

Eat · Trattoria Don Vincenzo: Wide choice of dishes in the middle of the old town.

1. Stop 1

   Cappella Sansevero

   A chapel built in 1590, it contains sculptures and other works of art by some of the leading Italian artists of the 18th century, like the extraordinary Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sanmartino. It also has a high scientific interest because it hosts the anatomical machines, a still mysterious experiment by Raimondo Di Sangro, a prominent Renaissance scientist. In addition, in the basement there are two human vein models, looking like plastination.

2. Stop 2 · 22 min walk

   San Francesco di Paola

   One of the main churches in Naples, it's at the west side of Piazza del Plebiscito, the city's main square. The place was planned by King Joachim Murat of Naples (Napoleon's brother-in-law) as a tribute to the emperor. When Napoleon was dispatched, Ferdinand I of Bourbon continued the construction but converted the final product into the church one sees today. The church is reminiscent of the Pantheon in Rome. The façade is fronted by a portico resting on six columns and two Ionic pillars.

3. Stop 3 · 19 min walk

   Gesù Nuovo

   The Church of Gesù Nuovo (New Jesus) was built in 1470 as a palace for Roberto Sanseverino, Prince of Salerno. The Jesuits had already built a church in Naples, now called Gesú Vecchio. Political intrigues caused the property to be confiscated, and eventually sold in the 1580s to the Jesuits to construct a church (1584–1601) under architect Giuseppe Valeriano. The unusual façade, unusually plain for a Baroque style church, is of rusticated ashlar and is the original façade of the palace.

4. Stop 4 · 4 min walk

   San Domenico Maggiore

   One of the most prominent churches of Naples. This Gothic church (est. 1283) incorporates a smaller, original church built on this site in the 10th century, San Michele Arcangelo a Morfisa. The monastery annexed to the church has been the home of prominent names in the history of religion and philosophy. It was the original seat of the University of Naples, where Thomas Aquinas, a former monk at San Domenico Maggiore, returned to teach theology in 1272. As well, the philosopher monk, Giordano Bruno, lived here.

5. Stop 5 · 4 min walk

   Santa Chiara

   A religious complex which includes the Church of Santa Chiara, a monastery, tombs, and an archaeological museum. The double monastic complex was built in 1313-1340 by Queen Sancha of Majorca and her husband King Robert of Naples. The original church was in traditional Provençal-Gothic style, but was decorated in the 1744 century in Baroque style by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro.

6. Stop 6 · 12 min walk

   Naples Cathedral

   Built in the 18th century, it is the main church of Naples. It is widely known as the Cattedrale di San Gennaro, in honour of Saint Januarius, the city's patron saint. It was built on the foundations of two palaeo-Christian basilicas, whose traces can still be clearly seen. Underneath the building, excavations have revealed Greek and Roman artifacts. The Cathedral is famous for Miracle of the Blood, a recurring miracle taking place on the first Saturday of May and September 19th every year.

Eat · Decumano 31: Regional street food in a street with character. Here you can try the Neapolitan frittini.