The Riviera di Chiaia in Naples stretches from Piazza della Repubblica to Piazza della Vittoria. Along the street are a number of historic buildings and especially many mansions. The most famous building is the Villa Pignatelli.
Riviera di Chiaia Naples
Geschiedenis en beschrijving
The name Riviera della Chiaia derives from the Spanish word for beach, playa, and dates back to the time when the House of Aragon ruled the city.
Until the 16th century, this part of the coast was inhabited by fishermen and workers. Since the Via Caracciolo did not exist yet, today’s Riviera di Chiaia was then the coastal road. A fish market was held every day and there was also a public washing place.
This changed in the 16th and 17th centuries when the town’s wealthier residents started building holiday homes there. In 1696, it became a paved road.
In the 18th century, when the House of Bourbon was in power, many more mansions were built. A major influence on this was the construction of the Villa Reale (today’s Villa Comunale) in 1779, which led to the draining of the marshland in the district and the removal of the public washing place. Around that time, the sea also began to retreat.
Useful information
The nearest bus stop is Vittoria (lines 128, 140, 151, C12, N1).