Statue of the Nile

The Nile of Naples: The River of Egypt Flowing in the Heart of the City

Walking through the most ancient heart of Naples, where the Historic Centre grows denser and history seeps from every stone, you encounter a startling vision: an ancient river god, reclining majestically in the centre of a small square. He is not a Greek god, nor a Roman emperor. He is the Nile.

We are in Piazzetta Nilo, and this colossal statue is one of the most mysterious and beloved symbols of the city, known to all Neapolitans as the "Corpo di Napoli" (Body of Naples).

A Little Alexandria in the Heart of Neapolis

Why is an Egyptian river here? The answer is a journey far back in time, to the 2nd century AD, when this area was a lively international quarter. A large colony of Alexandrians—merchants, sailors, and artisans from Alexandria, Egypt—lived and prospered here.

It was they who erected this monumental statue: a tribute to their distant homeland, a symbol of prosperity, and an offering of thanks to the city that hosted them.

The Mystery of the "Corpo di Napoli"

For centuries, the statue disappeared, swallowed by time and perhaps buried for protection. When it was rediscovered, it was missing its head. The people, no longer recognizing the bearded god, saw in that mighty, mutilated marble a female body, perhaps a representation of the city itself.

Thus began the legend of the "Corpo di Napoli": a pagan, mysterious, and headless icon, which became a symbol of the city itself—suffering, yet always majestic.

The Symbol of Prosperity

Today, with its head (added at a later time) and its attributes, the Statue of the Nile reveals itself in all its power. The god is a mighty elder, leaning on a sphinx, with a crocodile at his feet and the cornucopia, the horn of plenty, in his arms.

Stopping in Piazzetta Nilo means witnessing one of the magics of Naples: to reach out and touch a piece of Egypt in the heart of the Greco-Roman city, and to feel the echo of a millenary history that binds different cultures and peoples together, like an underground river, beneath the same sky.