This semi-circular piazzetta (small square) is named for its somewhat battered-looking protagonist, a marble lion whose origins remain unknown (in spite of the misleading signature on its side). The sculpture once stood by a long-gone dattero closer to the seafront, a tree so famous that it gave its name to nearby Vico Dattero. Urban renewal works saw the lion moved to its current location in the 1860s, from where it continues to eye up passersby.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
24.16 MILES
Once the very symbol of Amalfi’s power, Cattedrale di Sant’Andrea (also known as Duomo di Amalfi) is the town’s most iconic monument.
24.14 MILES
If you could bottle up a take-away image of the Amalfi, it might be the view from the Belvedere of Infinity, classical busts in the foreground, craggy…
2.38 MILES
Naples' National Archaeological Museum serves up one of the world’s finest collections of Graeco-Roman artefacts. Originally a cavalry barracks and later…
3.11 MILES
Originally designed as a hunting lodge for Charles VII of Bourbon, the monumental Palazzo di Capodimonte was begun in 1738 and took more than a century to…
2.36 MILES
It's in this Masonic-inspired baroque chapel that you'll find Giuseppe Sanmartino's incredible sculpture, Cristo velato (Veiled Christ), its marble veil…
6.82 MILES
Herculaneum harbours a wealth of archaeological finds, from ancient advertisements and stylish mosaics to carbonised furniture and terror-struck skeletons…
15.06 MILES
The ghostly ruins of ancient Pompeii (Pompei in Italian) make for one of the world's most engrossing archaeological experiences. Much of the site's value…
Certosa e Museo di San Martino
1.54 MILES
The high point (quite literally) of the Neapolitan baroque, this charterhouse-turned-museum was built as a Carthusian monastery between 1325 and 1368…
Nearby Naples attractions
0.17 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…
0.17 MILES
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…
0.26 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),…
0.38 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…
0.63 MILES
Incomplete, semiderelict yet hauntingly beautiful, this seaside Posillipo villa takes its name from Anna Carafa, for whom it was built as a wedding…
0.76 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…
0.87 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. Museo Duca di Martina & Villa Floridiana
0.95 MILES
The Museo Duca di Martina houses a beautiful collection of ceramics, with priceless Chinese Ming (1368–1644) ceramics and Japanese Edo (1615–1867) vases…