The Thirteen Ramps of St. Anthony at Posillipo

About this activity

Do you want to go through the heart of the ancient Parthenope And admire a breathtaking view? Le thirteen descended to Naples , also known as thirteen descents o Ramps of St. Anthony at Posillipo , are the perfect place! Coming down Salita Piedigrotta from the station of Mergellina , you can venture to climb to the highest vantage point, perfect for admiring the beauty of Naples. The 13 St. Anthony's Ramps at Posillipo can be accessed via. Sannazaro Square .

Why visit the thirteen Ramps of St. Anthony in Posillipo

Going up these ramps is a perfect test of one's driving skills as they are narrow, uphill and with sharp turns but the view you then get once you reach the Posillipo Terrace is spectacular! You can see the whole city of Naples, from Vesuvius, to Mergellina, Castel Sant'Elmo, Castel dell'Ovo until the Charterhouse of San Martino.

The Church of St. Anthony

At the top of the thirteen ramps is the Church of St. Anthony, dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua. Founded in 1642 as a sanatorium next to a convent later became a shrine and assumed its present structure: a nave surrounded by three side chapels, decorated with frescoes by Giacinto Diana and Lores Morales.

Historical background and trivia about the thirteen Ramps at Posillipo

To date, the thirteen Ramps of St. Anthony connect Piazza Sannazaro and the Piedigrotta Church with the Convent Church of St. Anthony in Posillipo and Via Pacuvio.

The route of the ramps, desired by Viceroy Ramiro Nunez de Guzman, Duke of Medina, in 1643, originated from an ancient Greco-Roman road that served to connect the area of Chiaia and Mergellina with the hamlets of Posillipo, first and foremost Porta Posillipo. They were later enlarged and arranged in 1643 by the viceroy Duke of Medina de las Torres to improve access to the church, and the same duke had the reasons for this enlargement engraved on a plaque on the first ramp at Piazza Sannazzaro.

Now the route ends on Via Pacuvio as the last part has been partly modified and erased by the urbanization of the area, but the last section of Via Stazio resumes the ancient route and ends, crossing Via Manzoni, on Via Porta Posillipo where the ancient village of the same name was located. Going up from Piedigrotta one can admire a small chapel erected by Lorenzo Taglioni in 1842, on whose altar is a magnificent majolica panel depicting Calvary with angels adoring the cross.

Apparently, Posillipo hill was initially called "ammenus" which stood for the beauty of the place, later replaced with "pausilypum" meaning respite from sorrow, probably in relation to the Epicurean school of master Siron, whose philosophy taught to "free oneself from sorrow" in order to achieve happiness.

The thirteen descents are a favorite place where Neapolitans go for an evening of romance accompanied by the wonderful view.