Piazza del Plebiscito
On Gingerguide's self-guided Naples audio tour, Piazza del Plebiscito is a stop worth about ~30 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type square
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Naples Naples guide
About Piazza del Plebiscito
The grand civic heart of Naples, a vast semicircular colonnade embracing the Pantheon-inspired church of San Francesco di Paola and the Royal Palace, forming the largest square in the city.
Piazza del Plebiscito is the grandest public space in Naples and one of the most impressive squares in Italy. The vast space is framed on one side by the great Doric colonnade of the church of San Francesco di Paola, built between 1817 and 1846 by King Ferdinand I to fulfil a vow made during the Napoleonic period, its design closely modelled on the Pantheon in Rome. On the opposite side stands the seventeenth-century Royal Palace of Naples with its eight statues of the city's dynasties. The square takes its present form largely from the Bourbon era but was redeveloped by the Neapolitan city government in 1994, the restoration closed it to traffic for the first time in decades and transformed it from a chaotic car park into the pedestrian showcase it is today. The equestrian statues of Charles III of Bourbon and Ferdinand I stand at the centre, and the local tradition of riding a horse blindfolded across the piazza continues to test the foolhardy.
Did you know? Before 1994, Piazza del Plebiscito was used as a car park; mayor Bassolino's decision to pedestrianise it transformed it into one of the finest public squares in Italy.
How much time do you need at Piazza del Plebiscito?
Around ~30 min works well for Piazza del Plebiscito — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Piazza del Plebiscito?
Yes — Piazza del Plebiscito made the cut as one of 29 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Naples. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Naples
Hear the story of Piazza del Plebiscito
Preview the Naples tour free in the Gingerguide app.