PIAZZA PLEBISCITO, History

Hi, I'm Ed, your personal guide. Together with MyWoWo, I'd like to welcome you to one of the wonders of the world.

Today I'll accompany you through Piazza del Plebiscito, one of the most harmonious places in Naples.

You are at the end of the elegant Via Toledo in the magnificent 25,000 square meter piazza with its large semi-circular arcade: this is an unexpected space in the heart of a city with a notoriously congested urban layout. Created at the end of the 18th century as part of a Neoclassical urban project, it is also the main venue for large popular events in the city.

To get a general overview of the square, I suggest going to its center, more or less even with the two twin palaces: Palazzo Salerno facing the sea, and Palazzo della Prefettura facing inland.

Turning your back to the Royal Palace, right in front of you is the Neoclassical Basilica of San Francesco di Paola, with eight columns on its façade and a central dome flanked by two smaller domes. In the space surrounded by a semicircular colonnade, you can see the horseback statues of King Charles III on the right and his son Ferdinand I on the left: the first one is by the great 18th-century sculptor Antonio Canova and the second was designed by the same and completed by his pupil....