The Piazza Vittoria is one of the best known squares of Naples. It is located off the Lungomare and borders the Villa Comunale. The square is lined by several popular pizzerias and opens up into the Via Calabritto luxury shopping street.
Piazza Vittoria Naples
History and description
Although the official name is Piazza della Vittoria, the locals usually call the square to the east side of the Villa Comunale simply Piazza Vittoria.
The square owes its name to the Christian victory over the Turks in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. The Venetian Republic had supplied most of the troops for the fight, but the Spanish Empire (which the Kingdom of Naples at the time was a part of) had also made a big contribution. Since the Madonna was thought to have interfered in the battle, the Santa Maria della Vittoria was constructed in her honor. The square was then named after the church.
The Piazza Vittoria is split into two parts by the Via Giorgio Arcoleo. On the west side it is bordered by the Villa Comunale, on the east side by the Santa Maria della Vittora Church and a number of eateries and on the south side by the Via Partenope. From its north side you enter one of the city’s luxury shopping streets, the Via Calabritto.
What to see
The Piazza Vittoria is graced by several monuments.
Along the Villa Comunale several neoclassical statues are lined up.
Each half of the square contains a central statue. Nicola Amore (left) was mayor of Naples during the Risanamento (the period towards the end of the 19th century when the city was “cleaned up”). Till 1938, the statue stood in the Piazza Nicola Amore, but it was moved when Adolf Hitler visited the city. The statue would have interrupted the straight stretch of the parade he would have traveled. The second statue depicts Giovanni Nicotera, a politician who had been one of Garibaldi’s freedom fighters. Both statues are the work of Francesco Jerace.
The monument for the victims of the naval Battle of Lissa (Viz, in Croatian) consists of a tall column on top of a pediment. The battle, which took place in 1866, was part of the Third Italian War of Independence. It was the first major naval battle between armoured steamers and the last one in which deliberate ramming manoeuvres were carried out. The Austrian fleet defeated the Italians.
Useful information
Attractions: Villa Comunale, Santa Maria della Vittoria Church, statues, Battle of Lissa monument.
Public transport: Bus lines 128, 140, 151, N1, R7