Town Hall Square, formerly Largo del Castello

About this activity

Town Hall Square is one of the largest squares in Europe and one of the most important in Naples. Close to the city's marina, the Angevin Male and to Toledo Street, is an important junction between important monuments and shopping streets.

Why visit Town Hall Square

During the construction of the subway station of the same name, some 3,000 important archaeological artifacts dating back to Roman times came to light, as well as some nineteenth-century buildings including the ancient city harbor and some Roman ships: boats about 15 meters long that served as a link with larger ships offshore to transport goods.

A veritable Roman citadel including a bath complex has been discovered. The finds are now on display at the ancient Neapolis station-museum.

Piazza Municipio used to be called Largo del Castello, now north of the present square while the other part was Via del Molo, which went down to the eponymous large pier built during the reign of Charles II of Anjou in 1302, which survived until the 1930s.

The first wide conformation of the castle was made after the rampart belt was erected between 1509 and 1537 with the help of Antonio da Settignano who replaced the previous Aragonese wall whose construction had been interrupted by the Spanish invasion.

The Neptune Fountain

Here you can admire the Fountain of Neptune, made at the behest of Spanish politician Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel, Count of Olivares, by Domenico Fontana with the collaboration of Michelangelo Naccherino, Angelo Landi and Pietro Bernini.

The Fountain was not always here. Initially it was made and placed in the Port Arsenal, then it was moved to Plebiscite Square but it got in the way of the square festivities then it was taken to Santa Lucia. Then again it was brought to the largo delle Corregge and the beginning of the Via del Molo. At the end of the 1800s then it was housed by the present Nicola Amore Square, then in Bovio Square and Medina Street, and finally in 2015 it was placed in Municipio Square.