Nature

Naples’ parks and public gardens

Nature in the city is the guiding thread to follow, from the hills to the sea, from the old town centre to the highest point of the city, between descents and ascents, ramps, alleys and panoramic roads. On the Posillipo promontory, the belvedere of Parco Virgiliano offers spectacular views of the coastline amidst the Mediterranean flora; from the hill, the Coroglio descent leads to the border with the legendary Campi Flegrei here, in an ancient crater, is the Astroni Nature Reserve, a WWF oasis. At Piedigrotta, in the Vergigliano Park, you will experience a legendary atmosphere of scenic beauty and myth. Along the Riviera di Chiaia, take a stroll through the Villa Comunale, a royal garden set against the backdrop of the seafront, to reach the garden of the Royal Palace, adorned with exquisite floral species and rare trees, and, on a terrace of the residence, the 'Italian-style' roof garden, an unexpected wonder overlooking the gulf. Protected by walls, in the ancient heart of the city, King Ladislaus' Park is one of the monastic 'secret' gardens, dedicated to medicinal herbs and meditation. In Montesanto, a lively working-class neighbourhood, Parco Ventaglieri is an unusual park of staircases and terraces, and Parco Viviani, a rustic fund saved from past eras, is a natural connection of ramps and staircases to 'climb' the Vomero hill. The park of Villa Floridiana is an extraordinary integration of architecture and apparently wild nature, and the hanging gardens of the Carthusian monks of San Martino, with their pergolas, trees and botanical essences, offer panoramic views as far as the sea.On another famous hill, the Bosco di Capodimonte attests to the Bourbon kings' lesser-known passion for botany. And on the highest point of the urban layout is the Camaldoli Park, which among chestnut trees, holm oaks and Mediterranean scrub reveals unprecedented views of the city.

Number of stages
12
Overall length
62.9 KM
Average journey time
15 Hours
Recommended mean of transport
By Foot

Itinerary map

 

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Itinerary stages

Step number 1
1
Virgiliano Park

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Virgiliano Park

At the top of Posillipo hill, whose name (pausilypon, pause for sorrow) already evokes a mild climate and enchanting scenery, the Virgilian Park was designed between the 1920s and 1930s. Set on a p...

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Step number 2
2
Villa Comunale

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Villa Comunale

Considered to be the most beautiful promenade in the world since its inauguration in 1781, from where one can admire the natural spectacle of the gulf amidst groves and flower beds, today as in the...

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Step number 3
3
Viviani Park

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Viviani Park

It rises from the city centre towards the Vomero hill, climbing up the side of the hill in an animated path, offering suggestive panoramic views of the gulf and the old city centre. The park, opene...

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Step number 4
4
Ventaglieri Park

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Ventaglieri Park

From the heart of the city, towards the Vomero hill. The park, created in 1997, covers an area of about 8,000 square metres and climbs up towards the hill area on the tuffaceous ridge between Via A...

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Step number 5
5
Park of Villa Floridiana

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Park of Villa Floridiana

A green area par excellence in the Vomerese hills, the park surrounds the neoclassical villa purchased by King Ferdinand I of Bourbon as a gift for the Duchess of Floridia, Lucia Migliaccio, his se...

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Step number 6
6
Vergigliano Park

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Vergigliano Park

A place of memory, it is a crossroads of myth, history, poetry and nature. Vergigliano houses the 'Sepulchre of Virgil', the great Mantuan poet who loved the city, and was restored and inaugurated ...

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Step number 7
7
King Ladislaus Park

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King Ladislaus Park

A break in tranquillity and nature wedged in one of the most animated areas of the historic centre. The staircase to the left of the church of San Giovanni a Carbonara (1343-1418) marks the entranc...

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Step number 8
8
Camaldoli City Park

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Camaldoli City Park

On the Camaldoli hill, at the highest point of the city, at the gateway to the Camaldolese hermitage. Inaugurated in 1997, the park covers 137 hectares. The surface is mainly a continuous wood of c...

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Step number 9
9
Bosco di Capodimonte

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Bosco di Capodimonte

With its 120 hectares, the wood is one of the green 'lungs' of Naples. A testament to the Bourbons' passion for hunting and botany, it was created at the same time as the Royal Palace, and was laid...

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Step number 10
10
Royal Palace Garden

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Royal Palace Garden

Inspired by the fashion of the time (1842), it follows the sinuous and apparently irregular 'English' style of the romantic garden, with paths oriented towards the scenic views of the gulf, Vesuviu...

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Step number 11
11
Royal Palace Roof Garden

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Royal Palace Roof Garden

In the private flats on the piano nobile of the Royal Palace there is a surprising green space overlooking the gulf. From the columned vestibule on the first floor of the palace, there is access to...

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Step number 12
12
Hanging Gardens of the Charterhouse San Martino

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Hanging Gardens of the Charterhouse San Martino

Few traces remain of the olive and vineyard landscape of the Vomerese hill: a rustic estate on the edge of the Petraio slope with orchards, vineyards and vegetable garden areas until the 19th centu...

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Other points of interest nearby

Achille 2015
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Antonio Cardarelli 2019
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Caffè Gambrinus
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Chapel of the Treasure of St Gennaro
Napoli Church or religious building
Catacombs of San Gennaro
Napoli Archaeological park
Church of Santa Chiara
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Chiesa di Santa Maria del Parto
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Fontanelle Cemetery
Napoli Monument