Porto di Mergellina

Naples


Once home to the area's fishing fleet, Mergellina's marina is now a crowd-pulling combo of anchored yachts and kitsch Neapolitan chalets, neon-lit seaside gelaterie and bars. Pick up an ice-cream brioche at Chalet Ciro Mergellina and soak up the postcard view of the castello (castle) and volcano.

From here, opt for a lazy passeggiata (stroll) eastward along the car-free Lungomare (seafront), or, if you don't mind the incline, head southwest along Via Mergellina, which becomes Via Posillipo, for enchanting vistas of the bay, the city and flouncy, salubrious villas.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Naples attractions

1. Molo Luise

0.14 MILES

Nicknamed the 'Moletto', this hulking pier protects the Porto di Mergellina from the open sea. It's a popular place for locals (both human and feline),…

2. Piazzetta del Leone

0.17 MILES

This semi-circular piazzetta (small square) is named for its somewhat battered-looking protagonist, a marble lion whose origins remain unknown (in spite…

3. Parco Vergiliano

0.34 MILES

Head up the steep steps at this off-the-radar park and you'll find yourself peering into the world's longest Roman tunnel. Designed by the architect…

4. La Torretta di Mergellina

0.5 MILES

Mergellina's broad boulevards seem a world away from La Torretta di Mergellina, a warren of earthy streets where the neighbourhood's fishermen once lived…

5. Palazzo Donn'Anna

0.53 MILES

Incomplete, semiderelict yet hauntingly beautiful, this seaside Posillipo villa takes its name from Anna Carafa, for whom it was built as a wedding…

6. Thomas Dane Gallery

0.84 MILES

London's Thomas Dane Gallery has injected added buzz to the Naples' art scene with the opening of its first Italian branch. The gallery sits inside 19th…

7. Museo Pignatelli

0.92 MILES

When Ferdinand Acton, a minister at the court of King Ferdinand IV (1759–1825), asked Pietro Valente to design Villa Pignatelli in 1826, Valente whipped…

8. Villa Comunale

0.98 MILES

Another Luigi Vanvitelli production, this long, leafy seaside strip was originally built for Bourbon royalty. Called the Passeggio Reale (Royal Walkway),…