Piazza del Plebiscito, formerly known as Largo di Palazzo, is a beautiful large square in Naples, with an area of about 25,000 square meters, bordered at one end by the Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) and at the other by the Basilica of San Francesco di Paola. SHORT HISTORY At the beginning of the 17th century, the Palazzo Reale was built by the architect Domenico Fontana, who turned the palace facade towards an open space, which will be known as Largo di Palazzo. The space became the vital center of the city and, at the same time, a very important public representation area. When the viceroy settled in the Royal Palace, the square did not have an adequate conformation, and the side of Largo facing the sea was embellished with various sculptural elements, including a majestic three-arched fountain designed by Pietro Bernini and Michelangelo Naccherino, and a colossal bust of Jupiter found in Pozzuoli, named Gigante di Palazzo. At the end of the 18th century, Palazzo Salerno was built on a project by Francesco Sicuro for Ferdinand IV of Naples, changing somehow the appearance of the square. Only at the beginning of the 19th century, during the Napoleonic period, the Read more [...]
All Squares in Naples
Piazza del Plebiscito is the largest and most monumental square in Naples, positioned between the Royal Palace and the Basilica of San Francesco di Paola. Its present layout developed mainly during the nineteenth century. The vast open space is framed by the basilica’s curved colonnades and is frequently used for public ceremonies, concerts, exhibitions, and major civic events.
Piazza del Gesù Nuovo is one of the historic centre’s most distinctive squares. It is dominated by the unusual diamond-point façade of the Church of Gesù Nuovo and the tall Baroque Guglia dell’Immacolata. The nearby Santa Chiara complex and its position along Spaccanapoli make the square an important crossroads between religious, architectural, and everyday urban life.