Plebiscito Square: reviews and practical tips

Where Naples gathers, between palace and colonnades

A vast expanse paved in white stone, laid out in geometric patterns, opens in a half circle facing the waterfront. On one side stands the facade of the Royal Palace; on the other, the double colonnade of the basilica San Francesco di Paola, closing off the square like an arc of stone.

At the center, two equestrian statues face each other: one of Charles III, the work of sculptor Canova, and one of Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies.

Why visit Plebiscito Square

The square takes its name from the plebiscite of 1860, which sealed the union of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies with the rest of Italy. Before that date it was known as Largo di Palazzo (Palace Square): an open expanse set aside as early as 1543 by Don Pedro de Toledo to build a viceregal palace.

It was the architect Domenico Fontana who later designed the square, at the same time as the Royal Palace. Since 1888, eight niches have held statues of the kings who ruled Naples, from Roger the Norman to Victor Emmanuel II, by way of Frederick II and Charles of Anjou.

The basilica of San Francesco di Paola

Construction began in 1816. The neoclassical building draws directly on the Pantheon in Rome, with a columned portico that visually extends the colonnades of the square. Inside, the circular nave and the dome shelter several religious works of art. Entry is free.

The square itself went through a less glorious chapter: turned into a public parking lot in 1963, at the height of the car boom, it has since returned to its role as a large pedestrian space.

What to do here today

Neapolitans still use it as a gathering place, where people stroll before heading to the nearby Gran Caffè Gambrinus. The square can be visited freely, either as a short stop or as a passage toward the waterfront and Via Toledo, which runs straight on from it.

Friendly tip: the basilica's opening hours vary by day, with a closure in the middle of the day. Check the schedule posted on site rather than relying on a fixed time before you set out.