10 Iconic Buildings and Places in Naples

The Royal Palace of Naples is a majestic building that has been a prominent feature in the city's centre since it was built in the early 17th century. It was built during the Spanish occupation, and over the centuries, served as the centre of power for Austrian and Bourbon monarchs. The structure was last occupied by the House of Savoy before turning into a historical museum in 1919.  

Set in the Piazza del Plebiscito, the palace is both a museum and cultural centre. You can admire its original Renaissance architecture and grand features like a neoclassical staircase and hanging gardens. It also contains a rich collection of art and artefacts.

The ancient city of Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, but this disaster created one of the most fascinating and well-preserved archaeological sites in the world. Excavations over the past several hundred years have unearthed eerily preserved city streets, public buildings, villas, temples, and baths covering a vast area of more than 160 acres.

Some of the most-visited places in Pompeii include the House of the Faun, with its mosaic of the Battle of Alexander at Issus, the Stabian baths, and a brothel with erotic frescoes offering a peek into the risqué habits of Roman-era people. The ruins of Pompeii are around 25 km southeast of Naples. There are many guided tour options, but you can explore the site on your own by purchasing an entry fee.

The Naples Afragola train station is a fine place to start a grand Italian rail journey. Its sleek and futuristic design was created by famed architect Zaha Hadid. Opened in 2017, the station is known as the “Gateway to the South”, serving as a railway hub for inter-regional lines, high-speed lines to Rome and other cities, and a local commuter line.  

Huge glass panels extending across the exterior make the Naples Afragola train station a bright and airy space. You can explore its central atrium, as well as several shops, restaurants and bars before catching your train.

Galleria Umberto I is an elegant shopping arcade that has lost none of its eye-catching grandeur since it first opened in the late 19th century. Designed to uplift a decaying neighbourhood at the time, it has remained a popular place for local Neapolitans and visitors to gather, dine, and shop.  

Galleria Umberto I sits in central Naples, near iconic landmarks like the San Carlo Theatre, Royal Palace, and Piazza del Plebiscito. It’s great for spending a few hours browsing the shops, taking in mural and sculpture decorations, and wandering along mosaic floors under the arcade’s grand glass-domed roof.

The Naples Cathedral is the city’s main Roman Catholic church. Inaugurated in 1315, the structure is highly revered by city residents for its chapel of San Gennaro (St. Januarius), the patron saint of Naples.

The chapel is steeped in beautiful Baroque art and architecture, including 17th-century frescoes by the artists Domenichino and Giovanni Lanfranco. Three times a year in May, September, and December, worshippers flock to the chapel to witness the miracle of the saint's blood liquefication in a holy ritual. Urns containing what's believed to be the blood of San Gennaro are brought close to a silver bust that contains his skull, turning the dried blood into liquid.

The San Carlo Theatre is a luxurious opera house built during the reign of the Bourbon King Charles III of Naples in 1737. Having survived both a 19th-century fire and a WWII bombing, it is the world’s oldest working opera house.

The San Carlo Theatre’s opera season runs from late January to May, while ballet performances take place from April to early June. Guided tours are available in English and Italian, taking about 30 minutes. Its ornate Neoclassical design was the model for many famous theatres around the world.

Castel dell’Ovo, or Egg Castle, is one of the oldest standing fortifications in Naples. It sits grandly on a peninsula on the coastal fringe of the city. Lucius Licinius Lucullus built the site’s first structure built in the 1st century BC. It was then converted into a monastery in the 5th century AD.

During the 12th century, the Normans built a castle that has since served as a fortress, a prison, a Roman villa, and a royal residence. There's no fee to explore Castel dell’Ovo. It’s a spectacular vantage point for views of Mount Vesuvius and the Gulf of Naples.

The Sansevero Chapel Museum is home to many fine works of Italian religious art, including Francesco Queirolo’s Statues of the Virtues and Giuseppe Sanmartino’s Veiled Christ sculptures. You can even see the inner workings of the preserved bodies of a man and woman at the Anatomical Machines exhibit.

The Sansevero Chapel Museum sits in Naples’s historic centre, near the Piazza San Domenico Maggiore. There is an entry fee to the museum – we highly recommend buying tickets in advance to avoid queues. Audio tours are available in several languages, including English.

The San Lorenzo Maggiore Basilica is a 6th-century church in Naples’s Piazza San Gaeta. It was then reconstructed in a Gothic style in the early 13th century by the Angevins royal house. The basilica offers a fascinating look into the city’s history, thanks to an extensive collection of religious art and artefacts.

Make sure to check out the archaeological remains of an ancient Greco-Roman market below the church. There is an entry fee to San Lorenzo Maggiore Basilica. You can explore the site independently, but booking a guided tour is recommended for those wanting a deeper insight into its architecture. 

The Naples Underground is a small section of what was once a vast 450-km-long subterranean network first created by the Greeks in the 4th century BC. The Romans later expanded the underground system, which was used for centuries as aqueducts, sewer tunnels and transport networks. They even built a theatre with a private dressing room for Emperor Nero – remnants of which can still be seen today.

The last known use of the underground network was during WWII when it served as an air raid shelter for Naples’s citizens and soldiers. You can only visit the Naples Underground with a guided tour, which takes about 20 minutes.