Towards the Phlegraean Fields

This itinerary explores the western side of Naples, where the city changes rhythm and opens up towards the sea, the hill of Posillipo and the Phlegraean area.

It is a route that brings together very different places: a church connected to popular devotion, panoramic parks, ancient tunnels carved into the rock, archaeological remains overlooking the gulf, protected marine areas and spaces dedicated to science and innovation.

From Piedigrotta to Bagnoli, Naples reveals itself as a city of thresholds: still urban, yet already projected towards the Phlegraean Fields, suspended between nature, ancient memory and landscapes shaped by land and sea.

Where Naples looks west

The itinerary can begin at the Church of Santa Maria di Piedigrotta, a place of worship deeply linked to the city’s religious and popular history. From here, the route gradually moves towards Posillipo, one of Naples’ most scenic areas, where landscape becomes an essential part of the visit.

Parco Virgiliano offers one of the widest views over the Gulf, the islands and the Phlegraean coast. It is an ideal place to understand Naples’ relationship with the sea: on one side the urban centre, on the other Nisida, Bagnoli, Pozzuoli and the horizon of the Phlegraean Fields.

Tunnels, Roman villas and protected sea

The route then enters the more archaeological and hidden side of Posillipo, with the Grotta di Seiano and the Archaeological Park of Pausilypon. Here, rock, vegetation and the remains of an ancient Roman villa tell the story of a quieter and surprising Naples, where nature and classical memory coexist.

Nearby, the Gaiola Marine Protected Area reveals another face of the coastline: a fragile and precious place where the sea preserves archaeological remains, biodiversity and some of the most evocative views in the city.

The itinerary can end in Bagnoli, at Città della Scienza, a symbol of contemporary Naples and of the urban transformation of the western area. It is a final stop that opens the route towards the future, after crossing devotion, archaeology, nature and landscape.

A threshold city

Towards the Phlegraean Fields is not only a panoramic itinerary. It is a route that tells the passage from a compact, monumental Naples to a more open, coastal, geological and layered city.

Here, the journey becomes a way to read the territory: sea, tuff rock, tunnels, ancient villas, parks and spaces for scientific knowledge build a single narrative, guiding visitors towards one of the most fascinating and complex areas of Naples.