Vomero, Certosa di San Martino & Aussicht über Neapel
The Vomero (the residential hill district above the historic centre of Naples, accessible by the 'Funicolare di Montesanto' or the 'Funicolare Centrale' funicular railway) and the Certosa e Museo di San Martino (the 'Charterhouse and Museum of San Martino' — the 14th-century Carthusian monastery on the hill of Vomero, the monastery with the most spectacular panoramic views of Naples, the Bay of Naples, and Vesuvius, and the museum with the most important collection of Neapolitan decorative arts, including the world's greatest collection of Neapolitan presepe (Nativity scenes)).
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Certosa di San Martino — The Best View of Naples
The Certosa e Museo di San Martino (Vomero hill, 14th century Carthusian monastery, expanded 17th century, now a museum, €6 entry) offers the finest elevated panorama of Naples — from the panoramic garden terrace at 250m, the full sweep from Vesuvius (east) across the bay to the Campi Flegrei and Cape Miseno (west) is visible; the monastery's church (Cosimo Fanzago redesign, 1623) contains some of the finest baroque art in Naples; the cloister (Chiostro Grande) is one of Italy's most refined architectural spaces.
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Castel Sant'Elmo — The Star Fort Above Naples
Castel Sant'Elmo (Via Tito Angelini, Vomero, 14th century, expanded 1540 into the current 6-pointed star plan) is the dominant fortification of Naples — the fort controlled the entire city militarily (a cannon positioned here could reach every point of the historic centre); now a national monument with a contemporary art gallery; the 360° panorama from the battlements (including at night when Naples' dense lighting is dramatic) is the best accessible elevated view; entry €5, combined with Certosa €8.
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Vomero Neighbourhood — Naples' Bourgeois Hill
Vomero (the hill district above Naples, developed 1880–1920 by the middle class who installed a funicular system to access it from the centre) is Naples' most bourgeois neighbourhood — the linear shopping streets (Via Scarlatti, Via Luca Giordano) lined with boutiques and pasticcerie contrast with the steep alleys of the Quartieri Spagnoli below; 4 funicular lines connect Vomero to the centre (the Funicolare Centrale, Chiaia, Montesanto, and Mergellina lines, all included in the Unico Campania transit ticket); Vomero is the safest and quietest residential district.
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Napoli Underground — The Greek-Roman City Beneath
Napoli Sotterranea (Piazza San Gaetano 68, guided tours daily, €10, 2 hours) descends through 2,400 years of underground Naples — the Greek quarries (4th century BCE, tufa blocks cut for city construction), Roman aqueducts (the same tunnels, re-used), WWII air raid shelters (1940–1943, with original furniture and graffiti), and a buried Roman theatre (discovered beneath private buildings in 1954) are all part of the same subterranean network; approximately 700km of tunnels underlie the city.
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Villa Floridiana and the Duca di Martina Museum
Villa Floridiana (Vomero, Via Aniello Falcone, Bourbon-era villa in English-landscape garden, 1817, given by Ferdinand I to his morganatic wife Lucia Migliaccio) is Vomero's public park — the park (7 hectares, free) contains the Museo Nazionale della Ceramica Duca di Martina (neoclassical villa building, the finest ceramics collection in southern Italy, featuring Chinese, Japanese, and European porcelain, majolica, enamels; entry €2.50); the garden's magnolia trees and the bay views from the terrace are the best in the neighbourhood.
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Funicolare di Chiaia — A Hidden Urban Transport Experience
The Funicolare di Chiaia (bottom station: Parco Margherita, Piazza Amedeo; top station: Via Cimarosa, Vomero; 1889) is the least-used of Naples' four funiculars — the 3-minute journey passes through the underground tunnel connecting Chiaia (the elegant 19th-century neighbourhood of Naples with its luxury boutiques along Via Chiaia) to Vomero; the carriages (updated in 2002 but following the 1889 route) run every 10 minutes; the €1.10 transit ticket is one of Europe's best-value urban transport experiences given the 170m elevation change.