The ancient Pignasecca Market, the beating heart of Naples

About this activity

In the midst of the downtown by Naples , a few steps from Via Toledo, rises the Rione Pignasecca . From Carità Square the ward extends to the Ventaglieri, including Montesanto. Walking down Via Toledo, nothing leaks out of the frenetic activity that takes place every morning on the streets of the neighborhood. Just by walking down that street you find yourself immersed in one of the oldest and richest traditional markets in Naples: the Pignacca Market .

Why visit the Pignasecca District Market.

It is not just about the neighborhood market in the Spanish Quarter. The ward of Pignasecca, with the streets crowded by the stalls of the vendors who make up its traditional market, constitutes the beating heart of Naples' historic center. Unsuspecting passersby walking through the streets of this district, perhaps just passing through and heading for the streets of downtown Naples, cannot help but be overwhelmed by the energetic enthusiasm of the Pignasecca merchants. Passing through the market, one really does find anything and everything: vegetables, fresh fish and all other kinds of groceries, as well as clothing stores, accessories and music CDs, bars and the best street food in Naples such as fantastic tripper shops or fry shops offering spectacular "cuoppi fritti." All at truly affordable prices, immersed in a contagious lively and cheerful atmosphere.

Things to know about the Pignasecca Market.

The Pignasecca area is really central and well connected by both the funicular and the Montesanto metro line 2 and the metro line 1 present on Via Toledo. Since it is an open-air market, then, it can be visited every day until evening. There are also many points of tourist interest in the surrounding area. First of all there is the famous Pellegrini Hospital, established in 1578 by the Archconfraternity and Holy Trinity Hospital of Pilgrims and Convalescents. In Piazzetta Tarsia, however, there is the historic monumental palace Spinelli Palace of Tarsia commissioned from the famous Domenico Antonio Vaccaro by the Prince of Tarsia, Ferdinando Vincenzo Spinelli. Finally, right in Montesanto you can visit the 17th-century Church of St. Mary of Montesanto and that of St. Nicholas at the Charity.

Trivia and history about the Pignasecca Market.

Matilde Serao describes a glimpse of this in her 1884 book "The Belly of Naples."

Pino Daniele, in his 1977 album "Terra mia," is inspired by the historical figure of Fortunato Bisaccia, a taralli seller, in the composition of his song, entitled precisely "Fortunato." In contrast, the video clip of Edoardo Bennato's 1987 song "Chi beve, Chi beve" was filmed precisely in the Pignasecca market, and the singer-songwriter himself plays both a fishmonger and a seller of contraband cigarettes. Finally, Raffaele Viviani's "A rumba d'e scugnizzi" fully describes the liveliness of the Pignasecca market.

Among the buildings in the Pignasecca neighborhood, specifically on Portamedina Street, looking up you can see a large blue mural that is sure to catch your attention. Created by street artist Davide Vecchiato, the mural depicts the face of little Mattia Fagnoni, who passed away at the age of just 7 after battling Sandhoff disease. The mural is part of a series of events and projects aimed at raising awareness about children who struggle daily with a rare disease. The entire Pignasecca neighborhood mobilized for these projects, supporting the parents of little Mattia. The latter have founded a non-profit organization in their child's name, with which they raise funds to purchase specific equipment for Neapolitan hospitals. In ancient times and even before it became the important district market that it is today, the area belonged to the Pignatelli di Monteleone family. This was known by the name of Biancomangiare, the name of a particular meringue produced in the area. There were also religious complexes and aristocratic palaces in the district, while in nearby Piazza Montesanto stood a hippodrome with toreros and picadores that arose during the Spanish viceroyalty. Starting in the 1500s it assumed its present name of Pignasecca.

The market then stood in nearby Piazza Dante but was soon abolished. So merchants and stalls moved to the area near Montesanto. Over the centuries, the Pignasecca market expanded more and more, invading sidewalks and streets and becoming the large typical Market that it is today, in the very center of the Spanish Quarters.

The legend of the thieving magpies

It seems that the current name of Pignasecca comes from a nice legend. It is said that the area, at the time of the Pignatelli family, was also occupied by vegetable gardens and a pine forest, among other things. The latter was populated by many magpies. It was one of these birds, thieves par excellence, that during one of its many thefts, intent on stealing the bishop's ring, discovered the bishop himself in bed with his housekeeper. The magpies were then all excommunicated, and after three days the entire pine forest dried up, leaving only an expanse of barren, dry land: the Pignasecca. Another version, however, has it that in the 1500s the vegetable gardens that occupied the area were all flattened to allow the construction of the sumptuous Via Toledo. Only one pine tree survived the work, called Pigna by the Neapolitans. This was populated by many thieving magpies who continually robbed the inhabitants of the area, hiding their loot among the branches of the tree. Thus it was the Neapolitans themselves who chased away the birds, which then abandoned the pine tree. The tree dried up and thus the area took on the name Pignasecca.