Gone are the days when the Spanish Quarters of Naples were considered a dangerous, disreputable area to be avoided at all costs.

In recent years, this area has undergone a true transformation, much like what happened in the Rione Sanità. Numerous ground-floor apartments have been converted into bars, trattorias, and typical restaurants. Airbnb rentals are booming thanks to the super central location, and the streets of the quarters are bustling with tourists all year round. Even Neapolitans are increasingly amazed by the positive changes happening in the Spanish Quarters.

In this post, I will tell you what to see and do in the Spanish Quarters and where their negative reputation originated.

First of all, I recommend visiting the Spanish Quarters with a knowledgeable and specialized guide for this area. Not because you necessarily need to be in company, but because a local guide who has studied the history, culture, and traditions of the city will certainly add significant value to your visit, which would otherwise be just a simple walk.

I got the ticket for the guided tour through GetYourGuide. The tour lasts two hours and costs £18 per person.
Here is the link to purchase the ticket:

Naples: 2 hours Spanish Quarters walking tour

When we talk about the Spanish Quarters, we refer to the neighborhoods of San Ferdinando, Avvocata, and Montecalvario, the most densely populated area of the city, which also faces several issues, including school dropout rates.

During the period of Spanish domination (we're talking about the 1500s), military troops settled on the hill that now hosts the Quarters. The location was ideal, primarily because it was close to the Royal Palace, and also because, thanks to the slope of the hill, soldiers could quell popular uprisings by pouring boiling oil onto the streets.

While the nobles strolled along Via Toledo, the soldiers in the Spanish Quarters spent their free time with prostitutes and gambling: these are the roots of the Quarters' bad reputation.

At the end of the 1800s, with the arrival of cholera, Naples was gutted and rebuilt, historic buildings were demolished and replaced with new ones, with increasingly taller houses. The streets of the Quarters were originally only six, then they expanded towards the Vomero hill, incorporating gardens and convents.

On Via Sant'Anna di Palazzo, at the corner with Vico Sergente Maggiore, we can admire the mural of the (granddaughter?*) of the poet and revolutionary Eleonora Pimentel Fonseca, painted on the wall of the house where she lived with her family.

For her participation in the Neapolitan Revolution, on August 17, 1799, Eleonora was sentenced to death for treason. The sentence on the mural ("perhaps, one day, it will be useful to remember these things") was her last words before being hanged in Piazza Mercato. The girl depicted in the mural is believed to be Eleonora's granddaughter, as the poet's portraits were destroyed.

Walking through the alleys of the quarters, you can find apotropaic figures, Baroque-era devil masks that served to ward off negative energies from places and buildings.

Another interesting aspect is the massive presence of votive shrines, small temples that house little statues or religious images. The Madonna del Carmine, the Madonna dell'Arco, Saint Anne, and Saint Anthony are the most prayed to, followed by the Patron Saint Gennaro.

The origin of the votive shrines is quite amusing. Leveraging the great devotion of Neapolitans, and to prevent criminals from committing robberies in the dark streets, 300 images of the Madonna were installed in the 1700s. This way, the faithful would light lamps, take care of the shrines, and the quarters would be illuminated without burdening the court's coffers.

Although today there is no longer a need to light the streets with lamps, the tradition has been maintained, and the shrines continue to be cared for, decorated, and restored by individual families who keep them as a sort of personal chapel.

At 25 Via Rosario di Palazzo stands the so-called Palazzo della Stamperia, a condominium with a central courtyard.

Originally built as a convent, it later became the Royal Printing House during the Bourbon domination, and today it houses residences and B&Bs.

At 63 Via San Mattia, we find one of the best-preserved civil buildings in the Spanish Quarters, the Palazzo Cattaneo-Barberini - also known as the Prince of Sannicandro's Palace.

The palace dates back to the 1600s and was later renovated in a neoclassical style. Its name comes from the buyer, the eighth Prince of Sannicandro, Francesco Cattaneo. It is a very beautiful and well-maintained palace, with an inner courtyard reminiscent of Spanish patios.

Note: The palace is currently a private condominium, so you might find the gate closed. We were able to see the inner courtyard only because our guide kindly asked one of the residents to let us in.

In Vico Lungo Trinità degli Spagnoli, we find colorful wooden arrows, benches made from abandoned beds, and painted bins. This is part of the Riciclarte project by Salvatore Iodice, a carpenter born and raised in the Spanish Quarters.

It can be said that Salvatore Iodice, with his project, has given a significant boost to the revival of the Quarters, involving local kids to distract them from the streets and prevent them from getting involved in bad circles.

With them, he creates artistic pieces from materials found on the streets: benches, signs, bins, magnets, and the restoration of street art. Abandoned items are transformed into artworks, using art to achieve even higher goals such as integration and social rehabilitation.

Religion and football go hand in hand in Naples, and by now the whole world knows that Neapolitans are as devoted to San Gennaro as they are to Diego Armando Maradona.

It's no surprise, then, that along with the stadium named after the footballer, there is also a sort of "shrine" to Maradona, a place of worship and pilgrimage for fans and curious visitors.

Largo Diego Armando Maradona is located on Via Emanuele De Deo and features a large mural along with photographs, jerseys, scarves, flags, and even a true votive shrine.

In the same square, we find the mural by Francisco Bosoletti, inspired by the sculpture La Pudicizia, which is located in the Sansevero Chapel Museum (where the Veiled Christ is also found).

The large mural takes the wall of the building next to the one with Maradona's mural and was created with a play of black and white shades, where the lights are in place of the shadows and vice versa. By photographing the artwork and applying a negative filter, you can admire all its beauty.

Bosoletti is not new to this type of street art. With the negative technique, the artist encourages the viewer to look beyond appearances. Another artwork created with this technique can be found on Via Fontanelle in the Rione Sanità, another very characteristic area that I invite you to visit.

Here's my blog post: Naples, what to see in Rione Sanità district.

A stone's throw from Largo Maradona, we find ourselves in Porta Carrese a Montecalvario, also known as Vico Totò due to the massive presence of street art dedicated to the Prince of Laughter and his films.

Thanks to the works of 20 artists, each with their own style, this alley has become almost an open-air museum: movie quotes, photographs, posters, portraits, and caricatures color the street, which is increasingly populated by tourists and fans of the actor.

Porta Carrese a Montecalvario ends in a small square known as Largo Baracche.

The area where the Quarters arose was once entirely covered by woods. During the Spanish domination, the large presence of lonely soldiers invited women from the countryside to prostitution, taking advantage of the intimacy created by the woods, especially the mulberry grove.

Although the woods were an ideal place for the girls to meet the troops, the stains left by the mulberries on the soldiers' uniforms left no room for doubt. This was not supposed to happen, so the woods were cleared, and the girls moved to what is now Piazza Baracche, setting up these shacks (baracche) to continue their business.

During World War II, the Largo was transformed into a bunker to be used as an air-raid shelter for the inhabitants of the Quarters.

This underground space now hosts temporary exhibitions by emerging artists and international stars. One of the entrances to the former bunker is decorated with a mural of Bud Spencer and Sophia Loren titled “e scugnizz de Quartier.”

Walking through the Spanish Quarters, but also in other areas like the Rione Sanità, it's impossible not to notice the massive presence of the so-called "bassi".

The "bassi" originated during the Spanish era from the need to create living spaces in close contact with commercial activities. This is how the ground-floor premises of buildings became both homes and shops, or as they say in Naples: "casa e puteca".

The "bassi" were always the first to be hit by epidemics of plague and cholera and by earthquakes, so they were often evacuated because they were unfit for habitation, but then reopened and reoccupied several times.

Today, the "bassi" continue to be inhabited, in much more decent conditions than in the past, and many have been transformed into small restaurants or B&Bs.

The "bassi" have only one opening onto the street, so the doors and windows of these small houses are almost always wide open to let in a minimum of light. In front of the "bassi" there are almost always clotheslines, pots, and chairs strategically placed to prevent cars from parking right in front of the entrance.

In Vico San Liborio, we find a mural of Sophia Loren portraying Filomena Marturano, the character from the famous play by Eduardo De Filippo. The mural of Sophia's face, along with a plaque and a drawn scroll featuring a famous quote from Filomena, is located on the wall of the building where the woman lived.

The tour ends at the Pignasecca market, one of the most folkloric, cheerful, and bustling areas of Naples' historic center.

The market gets its name from a legend, according to which this area was once covered by a dense pine forest inhabited by magpies. One day, a magpie stole the ring of the Bishop of Naples, who had come to the forest to secretly reunite with his housekeeper. In revenge, the bishop excommunicated all the magpies. A few days later, the pine forest dried up, and the magpies flew away, leaving the place barren and thus known as "la Pignasecca".

Thanks to the metro station, the Cumana railway, and the Montesanto funicular, the Pignasecca neighborhood is now popular with people who come to shop, work, or eat. Pignasecca is full of stalls, clothing shops, bars, grocery stores, and fry shops. (Speaking of fry shops, I recommend stopping by to eat a "cuoppo" of fried goodies at Fiorenzano!).

On the wall of a building in Piazza Pignasecca, there is a mural by David Vecchiato depicting the face of a child, blue like the sky. It is the face of Mattia Fagnoni, a little boy just over 7 years old who was taken from his parents in 2015 by a rare disease.

The mural initiated a fundraising campaign and a calendar of events to raise public awareness about the issue of rare diseases affecting children.

The tour of the Spanish Quarters ends here, an optimal area because it is served by the metro, Cumana railway, and funicular.

After visiting the Quarters, you can do some shopping on the nearby Via Toledo, fill your belly with street food, or wander through the narrow streets of the historic center.

Once again, I suggest to visit the Spanish Quarters with a local guide. Our guide, in addition to telling us the history of the area, also explained the origins of some idioms and how they are linked to the Spanish Quarters. These are anecdotes and little curiosities that, without the experience and knowledge of a guide, would be lost.

Click here to check prices and availability:

Naples: 2 hours Spanish Quarters walking tour

Are the Spanish Quarters dangerous?
Despite their reputation, the Spanish Quarters are no longer dangerous. The area is now populated at all hours by tourists and locals, with many bars, restaurants, trattorias, and B&Bs enlivening the streets.

How to get to the Spanish Quarters from the central station?
From Naples central station (Piazza Garibaldi), take metro line 1 towards Piscinola and get off at the beautiful Toledo station. It's just 2 stops. Alternatively, you can walk along Corso Umberto I until you reach Piazza Giovanni Bovio. From there, take Via Armando Diaz to Via Toledo, where you can take any alley to enter the Spanish Quarters. Walking will take just over 30 minutes.

What are the Spanish Quarters famous for?
Once a notorious area, the Spanish Quarters have recently undergone a radical transformation, attracting tourists from all over the world who flock to the unique alleys to admire votive shrines, ancient buildings, and street art (especially in the Largo Maradona area), the famous hanging laundry, and to eat Neapolitan food in typical trattorias.

Why are they called the Spanish Quarters?
The Spanish Quarters get their name from the period of Spanish domination (around the 1500s), when military troops settled on the hill that now hosts the Quarters.

In which district are the Spanish Quarters located?
The Spanish Quarters extend across the districts of San Ferdinando, Avvocata, and Montecalvario.

Is it recommended to visit the Spanish Quarters with children?
The Spanish Quarters can be visited with children, but it depends on their age. Due to the nature of the streets, mostly uphill, narrow, and cobblestone, I do not recommend visiting with a stroller, as it could be tiring. Depending on their age, children might enjoy visiting the Spanish Quarters, especially if accompanied by a tour guide who tells fun stories and anecdotes.

Here you can buy tickets for the guided tour of the Spanish Quarters: Naples: Spanish Quarters walking tour

What is there in the Spanish Quarters?
Typical Neapolitan trattorias, "bassi" (ground-floor apartments), ancient buildings, street art, and Baroque churches.

Where to eat in the Spanish Quarters?
The Spanish Quarters of Naples are full of street food, trattorias, and restaurants serving typical Neapolitan cuisine. Da Nennella, Trattoria Speranzella, Trattoria Antica Capri, and Trattoria Scialapopolo are just a few places where you can eat typical dishes in the heart of Naples.

How to get to the Spanish Quarters?
The nearest stops are Montesanto (Cumana line, Circumflegrea line, and metro) and Toledo (metro line 1). The Quarters can also be reached on foot from the central station Piazza Garibaldi in about 30 minutes.

How long does it take to visit the Spanish Quarters?
A visit to the Spanish Quarters alone will take about 2 hours. Add some extra time to stop and eat at one of the typical trattorias or for a quick stop at the Pignasecca street food market.

How far are the Spanish Quarters from the port of Naples?
From the Port of Naples (Molo Beverello), it takes about 20 minutes on foot to reach the Spanish Quarters. Reach Piazza Municipio, which is in front of the maritime station, and then take Via Imbriani, which ends on Via Toledo. From there, take any alley to enter the Spanish Quarters.

Other blog posts about Naples and the nearby islands:

• One day trip from Naples: Procida island
• How to visit Capri in one day
• One day trip from Naples: Ischia island
• Naples in one day
• Naples, what to see in Rione Sanita' district

If you have any doubts or questions, feel free to email me at: flavia.iarlori@outlook.com.

See you soon!