The Best View of Naples Is from the Park of Villa Floridiana

There are a lot of places in Naples that boast having excellent views. You could follow other recommendations from the internet and hike Mt. Vesuvius or check out the Castle of San Elmo. But personally, I recommend the charming Villa Floridiana both for the excellent views and for the very adorable turtles living in what is known as Turtle Pond.

We arrived at the very top of the park, entering at Via Cimarosa. It is quite confusingly at the bottom on the map below, but it was at the top of the hill, so I'm sticking with it. There's a lovely green space in front of the villa with crisscrossing walkways, a little playground, and an old-timey pump water fountain with clean and deliciously cold drinking water.

• 

• 

• 

I sort of thought this was all there was to see, so we relaxed in the shade for a few minutes, resting our legs after the sweaty, uphill walk it took to get there. It was a lovely spot, although I think I might have gotten a few bug bites. There were other people relaxing in the grass, couples picnicking, parents strolling around with their babies, and a few dogs running around.

But the whole reason we went was to see the turtles that the internet promised me, and I was committed to finding them. We ended up wandering a very roundabout way down to the fountain, which is the blue dot at the top of the map. We didn't find the staircase next to the building because there was construction that we thought was in the way, so we snaked down steps and random dirt paths, but eventually we made it. Besides, the walk was nice: there was this random cave situation that we unfortunately couldn't enter, and the view of the back of the villa with its fountain is really pretty.

• 

• 

Turtle Pond in Villa Floridiana

If this is an unnecessary number of photos of turtles, be glad I spared you the other twenty on my phone... they were just so cute! It seems like turtle mating season must have happened recently (maybe May or June, at least in this pond) because look at those tiny baby turtles! I do wonder what they do when the pond ever gets overfilled with its turtle population. I did see some other fountains and ponds more crowded than this one... There are a lot of turtles in Sicily.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The view of Naples from the Park of Villa Floridiana

I didn't even know this view was here; it was such a lovely surprise. But being the curious photographer I am, when I saw the small staircase behind Turtle Pond (you can see it in the photo above), I had to see where it led.

The walkway is quite overgrown, so there is only a small space between the bushes and the railing. In some spots, it honestly didn't seem at all like I should be there. But in other places, it was a bit more roomy and clearly available from multiple walking paths leading back to the main road. Besides, it is listed as a scenic viewpoint on Apple Maps, so brave the untamed plants and get your photos!

• 

• 

• 

You'll certainly need to get higher up for a more comprehensive view of all of Naples, but this is a really pretty view of the historic Chiaia neighborhood and the super long Mappatella beach. If you take the path all the way to the end (top right on the map), you'll come to the beautiful little gazebo shown above. I wish there had been a way to enter it - again, overgrown plants - but it is a charming addition to the park and worth seeing.

What is the Villa Floridiana?

Protected as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site for the "Historic Center of Naples," the Villa Floridiana is a gorgeous home-turned-museum that was built for the Duchess of Floridia in 1817. Since 1931, the building has been home to a ceramics museum, which you can visit with a ticket: the Museo Nazionale della Ceramica Duca di Martina. Surrounding the villa itself is the public park, which is free and open during daylight hours.

How to get to the Villa Floridiana

We walked here from the Castle of San Elmo, which wasn't too long a walk. It was just ironic because the viewpoint from the castle was not as exciting, and there is a metro stop (Vanvitelli on the yellow line) two blocks away. There are two entrances to the park: the pedestrian entrance on Via Cimarosa and the car entrance (gated) on Via Aniello Falcone.

If you do make it up to the Villa Floridiana, I recommend walking around a bit through the very chic and charming neighborhood of Vomero. Altogether, this trip should only take a couple of hours, depending on how long you spend window shopping in Vomero. It's a great short trip for a sunny day, so don't miss this gorgeous view of Naples!