La Nunziatella

A hulking red heap perched high above Chiaia, the convent of Nunziatella is home to the sharp, preened cadets of Italy's prestigious Royal Military Academy of the Nunziatella.

Built in 1588, the convent was donated to the Jesuits by its benefactor, noblewoman Anna Mendozza Marchesana della Valle. It was used as a novitiate until the Jesuits were kicked out of town in the mid-18th century.

The adjacent church is also part of the academy. Famous for its beautiful 17th-century baroque interior - frescoes by Francesco de Mura, an altar by Sanmartino, the floor by Ferdinando Sanfelice - it's open to civilians by appointment only.