Waterfront of Mergellina

About this activity

Romantic and spectacular with its marvelous views of the Gulf of Naples from Vesuvius to the islands: this is the Mergellina promenade from Caracciolo to Piedigrotta, famous worldwide through paintings, poems and songs.

Mergellina is a very original name: some say it comes from mergoglino, diving seabird for its position on the gulf, others from mare hyalinum, clear sea, for the beauty of its waters or even by margella, coral, perhaps due to the presence in the past of coral colonies. It is easily accessible thanks to the Mergellina subway station, full of points of interest, places to relax, drink and eat.

Mergellina station

The station is an imposing Art Nouveau building dating back to the early 1900s, erected to a design by Gaetano Costa. It has stucco decorations, pilasters, columns, and the ground floor is decorated with rustic ashlar made by Raphael Caputo: it can be accessed from two richly decorated side arches and from the central part through a stained-glass window with a remarkable clock supported by stucco angels. Inside there are two halls, one for arrivals and one for departures, also in Art Nouveau style with marble floors and wooden ticket booths in classical style on either side.

The Lion Fountain

Built in the 18th century when the Royal Casino was rebuilt, also called the Mergoglino, was desired by Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies for the spring of fresh water that bubbled up under the rise of Monteleone, was used by the royal family when they resided in Mergellina.

Semicircular in plan, it has two levels with a lion on a plinth inside and ramps of stairs on either side leading to the lower level where there were two cannulas from which water flowed out to fill the lower tanks.

The Mermaid Fountain

Erected by sculptor Onofrio Buccini in collaboration with the young Francesco Jerace to adorn the gardens of the railway station,, today it stands instead in Sannazzaro Square. The fountain features a large basin with a kind of rock in the center on which rest four symbolic animals: the horse, lion, dolphin and turtle, topped by the Siren Partenope clutching her right arm with a lyre and pointing her left arm upward.

The legend of the mermaid

Legend has it that the mermaid Parthenope tried to bewitch Ulysses with song to lure him to the depths of the sea, but the hero had himself tied to the ship's mast and managed to resist. The mermaid, despairing at not being able to take her lover with her, killed herself, and her body was collected on the rock of St. Leonard.

Sannazzaro Square

Pizzerias, restaurants and bars, it is one of the city's most elegant squares, with the famous Fountain of the Siren in the center. It dates back to the late 19th century, built following a large fill that expanded the coastline, and is a meeting point near the center, Vomero, Posillipo and Fuorigrotta, populated by Neapolitans and tourists alike.

St. Anthony's ramps

Symbolic of the area are the Ramps of St. Anthony, also called Thirteen Descents, commissioned in 1643 by Viceroy Ramiro Nunez de Guzman, Duke of Medina de Las Torres. They take their name from the Church of St. Anthony in Posillipo and were built to make the route easier for pilgrims who wanted to reach the church. At the top of the descents we find ourselves facing the terrace of Posillipo. where we can admire a truly breathtaking view between Mergellina and Vesuvius.

The Church of Santa Maria del Parto

Monumental church in Naples built at the behest of Jacopo Sannazzaro Italian poet and humanist on land received as a gift from Frederick D'Aragon. So named from one of his masterpieces, De Partu Virginis, inside it houses the poet's tomb and a nativity scene by Giovanni da Nola, an Italian sculptor and architect.

The Fonzeca or Sebeto Fountain

At the end of the Caracciolo promenade, we find the Sebeto Fountain, one of Naples' many monumental fountains, commissioned by Viceroy Emanuele Zunica y Fonseca Count of Monterey in 1635. This stretch is part of the area known as Mergellina, parallel to the street of the same name, where there are famous chalets and bars, a favorite evening destination for young people. Attributed to Cosimo Fanzago, and realized by Charles Fanzago, was initially placed in Via Cesario Console and then moved to Mergellina in 1939.

The fountain consists of a piperno base, on which rests a marble base with three basins. In the central basin are two sea monsters from which water flows. In the center we find the relief sculpture, a bearded old man positioned on the right side in a large shell, symbolizing the Sebeto River, the city's ancient waterway. On either side we find two tritons playing buccinas, a Roman musical wind instrument. Water was thrown from the buccinas into the side pools. In the center of the fountain, on a segmental arch, is a plaque with the three coats of arms of the viceroy, the King of Spain and the city of Naples. On the sides to complete the structure we find two obelisks with pyramidal sections.

Historical background on the Mergellina promenade

Until the late 1800s the Naples waterfront did not exist but was built and modified over time with fillings that advanced the coastline. The last intervention was made before World War II and allowed the extension of Via Caracciolo to Largo Sermoneta: it used to face the sea directly, but today it has become a more inland street.