Historic centre of Naples
The UNESCO-listed old city: its main streets and the sights along them.
Naples was founded by Greek settlers as Neapolis ("new city") in 470 BC. The rectangular street grid of that foundation is still discernible and remains the basic form of the Historic Centre of Naples, which UNESCO inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1995.
The main streets
Spaccanapoli
Made up of Via Benedetto Croce, Via San Biagio dei Librai and Via Vicaria Vecchia. Its name, "split Naples", comes from the way it divides the old city in two. Piazza del Gesù Nuovo and Piazza San Domenico Maggiore are on it.
Via dei Tribunali
Starts at Port'Alba and Piazza Bellini and ends at Castel Capuano. Piazza San Gaetano, where the Napoli Sotterranea tour starts, and the Pio Monte della Misericordia are on it.
Via San Gregorio Armeno
Lined with workshops and shops selling nativity figurines, open all year round. The tradition of handmade figurines began around the 18th century. The street is also home to the San Gregorio Armeno monastery, with a Baroque cloister.
Main sights
Duomo di Napoli
Founded in 1272 by Charles I of Anjou and completed in 1313. The complex includes the Basilica of Santa Restituta, the first cathedral of Naples, the San Giovanni in Fonte baptistery (late 4th to early 5th century) and the Baroque Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro (1608-1637), which holds the reliquary bust and the ampoules with the saint's blood.
Cappella Sansevero
Home of the Veiled Christ (Cristo Velato) by Giuseppe Sanmartino, carved in 1753. Tickets can be bought online on the museum's website.
Santa Chiara
Built between 1310 and 1328 for King Robert of Anjou and Queen Sancia of Majorca as a double monastery, for Clare nuns and Franciscan friars. The basilica is Gothic, and the cloister is covered in 18th-century majolica tiles by Giuseppe and Donato Massa. A fire in 1943 destroyed much of the complex, which was later restored.
Gesù Nuovo
The church was begun in 1584 and completed in 1601. Its diamond-point stone façade was reused from the Sanseverino palace that stood on the site. In the square stands the Baroque spire of the Immaculate, erected between 1747 and 1750.
San Domenico Maggiore
A church in Gothic-Angevin style. The spire in the square in front of it was erected after the plague of 1656.
Pio Monte della Misericordia
Founded in 1602 by seven young Neapolitan nobles. Caravaggio's Seven Works of Mercy (1607) is on the high altar of its church.
Piazza Bellini
Includes the first Greek walls of the historic centre of Naples. Via dei Tribunali starts here.
Napoli Sotterranea
The official underground route, with its entrance on Piazza San Gaetano, about 40 metres below ground. It covers around 2,400 years of history, with remains of the Greek-Roman aqueduct, cisterns and Second World War air-raid shelters.
Opening days, tickets and booking rules change, so check each sight's official website before you go. The facts on this page come from UNESCO, the City of Naples, Italy's national tourism portal, the Italian heritage trust FAI and the sights' own websites.
Frequently asked questions
What is the historic centre of Naples?
The old city of Naples, founded by Greek settlers as Neapolis in 470 BC. The rectangular street grid of that foundation is still discernible, and UNESCO inscribed the Historic Centre of Naples as a World Heritage Site in 1995.
What are the main streets of the historic centre?
Spaccanapoli, made up of Via Benedetto Croce, Via San Biagio dei Librai and Via Vicaria Vecchia, and Via dei Tribunali, which runs from Port'Alba and Piazza Bellini to Castel Capuano. Both follow the lines of the ancient street grid of the city.
Where is the Veiled Christ?
In the Cappella Sansevero. It is a sculpture by Giuseppe Sanmartino, carved in 1753. Tickets can be bought online on the museum's website.
Where can I see Caravaggio's Seven Works of Mercy?
In the church of the Pio Monte della Misericordia on Via dei Tribunali. The painting dates from 1607 and is on the high altar.
Where is the blood of San Gennaro kept?
In the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro in the Duomo di Napoli. The chapel was built between 1608 and 1637 and holds the reliquary bust and the ampoules with the saint's blood.
What can I see at Napoli Sotterranea?
The official route goes about 40 metres below the historic centre and covers around 2,400 years of history, with remains of the Greek-Roman aqueduct, cisterns and Second World War air-raid shelters. The entrance is on Piazza San Gaetano.
Where to stay in Centro Storico
The historic centre, lively all day long
Things to do in Naples
From museums and underground sites to views and walks.
Naples at Christmas
Nativity scenes, festive sweets, and a plan adapted to the city in winter.
Spend a day here
Day 1 of the ready-made 3-day itinerary is built around the historic centre.