Visit Via Toledo and Quartieri Spagnoli (Spanish district)

If you are in Napoli, is almost impossible not to walk along via Toledo, the legendary commercial arterial road, right before the famous Quartieri Spagnoli, where you can enjoy the genuine soul of Neapolitan people.

To reach via Toledo you have to take the L1 underground train and get off at the beautiful Toledo station, that has been designed by the famous architect Tusquets.

This central arterial road is about 2 km long and is named after the Spanish viceroy Pedro of Toledo; nowadays, this road is very popular among both Neapolitan and foreign people, for it is full of shops and period mansions.

If you take one of the many alleys that start on via Toledo you will reach Quartieri Spagnoli, a district that is named after the Spanish dominion that ruled over Napoli from the 16th to the 18th century. You will realise you are at the very centre of the “quartieri” (districts), as Neapolitan people use to call the area, as you will notice a series of Neapolitan symbols: rows of laundry hanging out to dry between the buildings, typical Neapolitan “vascio” (small houses with the door opening on the street), typical small shops, very narrow streets with very long stairs and street art decorating buildings.

The Quartieri Spagnoli are the most genuine and typical area in Naples; this district houses a great historical heritage kept within churches and stately period mansions. Moreover, on the top of the district there is the famous Castel Sant’Elmo.