7 Best Sights in Chiaia, Santa Lucia, and Nearby, Naples

Naples was originally named by the Greeks after the Mermaid Parthenope (who slew herself after being rejected by Odysseus, at least in the poet Virgil’s version), so it's only fitting that the city should have established one of Europe's first public aquariums in 1874. Founded by the German scientist Anton Dohrn and housed in a Stile Liberty building designed by Adolf von Hildebrandt, the aquarium quickly became the wonder of Naples for children and art-exhausted adults. At the time—when, not so incidentally, the public imagination was being stirred by Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo and Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid—technological innovations made it possible to funnel seawater directly from the bay into the aquarium.

Officially named the Stazione Zoologica, the aquarium reopened in 2021 after a major six-year overhaul. Tanks still showcase marine life from the Bay of Naples, as well as tropical fish, but the complex now also includes the Museo Darwin-Dohrn (Da-DoM), a few steps away in the leafy Villa Comunale. The highlight is the skeleton of a sperm whale, which washed up in Ischia in 2018, in a room opening up to the bay. Guided tours are available.

The first thing Mayor Luigi de Magistris did after his 2011 election was to banish traffic from the city's seafront. Strolling, skating, or biking along Via Caracciolo and Via Partenope with Capri, Vesuvius, and the Castel dell'Ovo in your sights is a favorite Neapolitan pastime.

This 12th-century castle, the oldest in Naples, was built atop the ruins of an ancient Roman villa on a thin promontory that dangles over the Porto Santa Lucia. Legend has it that the poet Virgil hid inside the villa an egg that had protective powers as long as it remained intact. The belief was taken so seriously that to quell the people's panic after Naples suffered an earthquake, an invasion, and a plague in quick succession, its monarch felt compelled to produce an intact egg, solemnly declaring it to be the original.

Today, the castle shares its views with some of the city's top hotels, and its gigantic rooms, rock tunnels, and belvederes over the bay are among the city's most striking sights. Some rooms are even given over to temporary art and photography shows. You enter below a forbidding trio of cannons. On the right is a large picture of the castle in Renaissance times. Turn left and look through the battlements to the intimate Borgo Marinaro below. An elevator on the right ascends to the castle top, or you can continue along the walkway overlooking the ramparts. The roof's Sala della Terrazze offers a postcard-come-true view of Capri.

Note that Castel dell'Ovo is closed for renovation work. Although it's scheduled to reopen in 2026, check on its status before visiting.

Set behind what could be, save for the palm trees, a very English expanse of lawn, this salmon-pink building with its Athenian-style porch was built in 1826 for Ferdinand Acton, the son of English aristocrat Sir John Acton. In 1841, it was bought by the Rothschild banking family, who brought in Gaetano Genovese—he of the Palazzo Reale's sumptuous staircase—to design the Salotto Rosso and the ballroom.

The villa then passed to a distant ancestor of Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, and eventually went to the Italian State in 1955. Attractions here include a sumptuous collection of porcelain and a biblioteca-discoteca—an archive of classical and operatic records. The villa also contains paintings that are part of Banco di Napoli's collection, including works by masters of Neapolitan Baroque, as well as 18th- and 19th-century landscapes.

Occupying the enormous Palazzo Roccella, this arts venue formerly known as Palazzo delle Arti di Napoli (PAN) mounts temporary art exhibitions and operates a center for art research and documentation. Past exhibits have included the photographs of Joel-Peter Witkin, as well as shows featuring internationally recognized contemporary artists working in other media, but the large space showcases works by up-and-coming talents as well. Film and other events also take place here.

Before visiting, check ahead on the status of (and entrance fees for) this museum, which has been undergoing renovations and is slated to reopen in 2025.

In the 7th century BC, Pizzofalcone was Naples. The ancient Greeks had settled here because, legend says, the body of the siren Parthenope had washed ashore on the beach at the foot of the Pizzofalcone Hill, then known as Monte Echia. In the 18th century, the hill, mere feet from the bay and the Castel dell'Ovo, became a fashionable address as Naples's wealthy sought to escape the congestion and heat of the city center. The rocky promontory soon became studded with Baroque palaces and Rococo churches.

The leading sights these days are the palazzi along Via Monte di Dio—including Palazzo Serra di Cassano—and the churches of La Nunziatella and Santa Maria degli Angeli. As with other parts of Naples, Pizzofalcone harbors both palaces and slums; unlike other parts, it's off-the-beaten path, so make sure to be aware of your surroundings at all times.

In 1590, the princess of Sulmona, Costanza Doria del Carretto, donated the land not far from her palace on Pizzofalcone to the Theatine order, which built a small church. It was enlarged in the 17th century with lively vault and dome frescoes by Giovanni Beinaschi of Turin, better known as a painter of genre scenes. There are some good paintings by Luca Giordano and Massimo Stanzione tucked away in the smaller side chapels and oratory.