Università station of Line 1 of the Naples Metro is in the city center. It is in a spot where you can reach the main streets of the historic center and several monuments.
Like many of the art stations, even the Università one is an architectural work worth of attention itself. The station was designed in collaboration by two architects: the Italian Alessandro Mendini and the Egyptian designer Karim Rashid. Their project also won a prize in 2011: Emirates Leaf International Award in London.
Garibaldi, Napoli Centrale
Garibaldi station is also known as Napoli Centrale (i.e. the centre of Naples) because from this station you can go basically anywhere. In fact, you can reach the airport of the ciy, Capodichino, you can reach the port, or you can take any local or national train. Plus, from Garibaldi you can reach the bus stops in the immediate neighbourhoods.
From piazza Garibaldi you can easily go to several attractions and landmark points of the city. For examples main squares such as Piazza del Gesù, Piazza Plebiscito or Piazza San Domenico, churches such as the Cathedral, museum such as the Archaeological one. Although this is extremely important, Garibaldi station is an architectural work worthy of attention itself. Garibaldi station has been modernized by the French architect Dominique Perrault who has redesigned both the station and the big square. Some details have been left the same of the past project by Bruno Zevi. The most representative example of an element that is still the same is the roof, a famous scenario for films, tv series and music videos, such as the case of the famous song sung by Mina “Se telefonando”.
The representative element of Perrault’s project instead is the steel and perforated Teflon covers that are used as a roof of the area dedicated to the Naples metro (local trains). In the same area you can find lots of shops and restaurants where you can immediately taste Neapolitan and Italian cuisine or try recipes of other countries.
Garibaldi station is one of the Naples metro art station. In fact, beyond the stairs that leads to the metro, you can see works by Michelangelo Pistoletto, contemporary artist. They are portraits of people on mirrors, works that are perfect for the context, considering the continuous flow of people that come and go from the station.
From Garibaldi station you can go to Corso Umberto, a large road that leads to Bovio square. Corso Umberto is very fascinating because it is surrounded by Neapolitan buildings that are characterized by the features of Italian historic architecture: tall windows and balconies with floral decorations. Another chance is to go towards the two gates of the ancient city that are near Garibladi station, Porta Nolana and Porta Capuana.
Toledo
According to the British newspaper “Daily Telegraph” ranking the most impressive subway station of the old continent is the Toledo metro station of Naples, opened in 2012 and situated under one of Naples’ main shopping streets. Toledo is the deepest metro station on Naples’ line 1, with its depth of 50 meters.
Designed around themes of water and light, this station has colors that symbolically mark the passage from earth to the sea. Created by the famous Catalan architect Oscar Tusquets Blanca, the station ranks as a gem of the renewed Naples’ urban landscape within the project “Stations of the Art”. This underground network combines the efficiency of public transport to the contemplation of art.
The Art Stations, distributed along the lines 1 and 6 of the Metro network, include more than 180 pieces of art created by 90 international authors and by some young local architects and feature different architectural styles. At various stops, you can admire contemporary artworks of renowned artists and architects, such as Oliviero Toscano, Laurence Weiner, Emilia Kabakov, Francis Cle, etc..During the excavation of the Toledo station there were several archaeological finds, including pottery fragments dating back to the Neolithic and some Aragonese walls. They have been restored and integrated into the station and complemented by contemporary works of art, such as large mosaics by the artist William Kentridge and the fascinating gallery of the Sea by Robert Wilson. The connection between interior and exterior space is given to the structure from a road skylight, a spectacular “crater of light” that links the surface level to the large hall 38 meters below. In the ranking we find the Komsomolskaya in Moscow in second place, the Solna station in Stockholm in third place and the Materdei station in the sixteenth place, with its colorful glasses and mosaics, again in the Neapolitan metro network.
The Toledo station is the most famous of the Naples Metro art stations. In addition to a lot of awards, the Daily Telegraph and CNN have elected it the most beautiful metro station in Europe.
The Toledo station was designed by the Spanish architect Oscar Tusquets. Among the artworks that you can see in this station, there are photographs of Achille Cevoli. The most famous is entitled Men at work and represents the construction of the underground tunnel. On the corridors of the Toledo station, there are also photos of Oliviero Toscani, another famous artist.
During the excavations of the Toledo stop, archaeological elements such as traces of basements of buildings wanted by Don Pedro of Toledo, to whom the road is entitled, has been found. They are findings dating back to the Aragonese era (15th century).
The Toledo station is famous for the huge cone that from the street level continues to the underground where you can take the line 1 metro. It is a tunnel covered with small tiles that make up a mosaic that recalls the sea.
From Toledo station, you can walk along the big street named via Toledo, with so many shops.
Near Toledo street, there are the famous Spanish quarters, characterized by a lot of condos. Moreover, it is possible to go through Toledo straight to Piazza Plebiscito, one of the symbols and landmarks of Naples.
Near Piazza, Plebiscito are the Royal Palace, the San Carlo Theatre, the Umberto I Gallery – a large structure in glass and steel – and Piazza Municipio, where you can find another Naples metro station.
From the Toledo and Municipio stops it is possible to go to the port, from which you can reach the islands of the gulf or visit two castles of Naples: the MaschioAngioino and Castel dell’ Ovo.
Toledo is in the heart of the city. Therefore, you can choose to walk towards the historic center, go to the seafront or take the funicular to reach the highest part of the city.
Università
The name of the station is due to its proximity to the historical universities of the city (Federico II and the Orientale) – Università means University.
In the Università station, there are tiles with all the words of the digital age printed on social, network, web, internet …
Another feature is the light effects given by the three-dimensional panels that offer optical games. The only reference to the past included in the project of Università station by the designer Rashid is the representations of Dante and Beatrice (a reference to the Divine Comedy).
From Università station you can easily reach the tourist ports of the city that are in Calata di Massa and at Immacolatella. You can go there through Nuova Marina street.
Another great street and landmark of the city are Corso Umberto. The Universitàstation is in Piazza Bovio, a square directly connected to Corso Umberto. From there it is possible to visit the historical venues of the University of the city Federico II and the Orientale University.
The headquarters of Federico II also have cloisters with gardens. From Corso Umberto you can also visit other historic streets of Naples, such as the Borgo Orefici (i.e. Goldsmith alley), so-called for the many goldsmith shops in that area, and Piazza Nicola Amore from which it is possible to go to via Duomo that leads to the main cathedral of Naples.
Another district that can be reached from Corso Umberto is Mercato, where you can visit many historic churches and join markets that take place in the morning, although you need to pay attention to pickpockets.
Municipio
Municipio station is one of the line 1 stations of the Naples Metro. This station is also going to be a stop of line 6, currently under construction. As Garibaldi, Università, Toledo and many others, also Municipio is one of the art stations of Naples. In fact, it was designed by Alvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura.
The station owes its name to its proximity to the city’s town hall and to the large square also called the Municipio (“town hall” in Italian). The Municipio station has many entrances and it is close to lots of monuments. First, it is very close to two castles of Naples: the Maschio Angioino, in the immediate neighbourhoods, and Castel Nuovo, not far away.
During the works for the construction of the station several archaeological finds has been found. In fact, one of the exits of the station is near the archaeological area. Some of this findings are exposed in the Naples Metro museum at the Naples Metro stop “Museo”. From the Municipio station you can choose the exit in via Medina, via Depretis, Piazza Municipio and Stazione Marittima (i.e. one of the touristic port of the city).
From this stop it is possible to reach, besides the castles and the port, other historical monuments like the Umberto I Gallery. This is the Neapolitan version of the French passages, iron and glass structures used as a cover for shopping areas – find out where to go shopping in Paris!. The Umberto gallery presents sculptural reliefs and decorations. If you cross the Umberto I gallery you arrive near Piazza Plebiscito, one of the main squares and landmarks of Naples. In Piazza Plebiscito there is another building of historical and architectural relief: the royal palace of the city.
From Municipio square you can reach two historical theatres too. The most important is the RoyalTheatre of San Carlo, where you can also join guided tours organized specifically for people from all the world. The other historical theatre in the immediate vicinity is the Mercadante, also known as Teatro del Fondo. Along with the San Carlo, the Mercadante was one of the two royal opera houses of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Materdei
Materdei station is part of the Naples Metro art stations – the Daily Telegraph has named it the 16th most beautiful one in Europe!
The Materdei station was designed by the Italian architect Alessandro Mendini, who also designed the glass spire that you can see in the street. Inside the station, you can see works by artists such as Sandro Chia, Luigi Ontani and Sol LeWitt.
Getting off at Materdei you have the chance to visit churches and monuments in the neighborhood and easily reach on foot the rioneSanità, another very famous district of the city. It is the place where Antonio de Curtis, better-known asTotò, was born.
In the streets of Materdei was also shot a very famous film, The Gold of Naples – with Sophia Loren. In Materdei there are a lot of churches to visit. Among them, the 16th century one, Santa Maria a Materdei, stands out. Among its peculiarities is the large cloister. It is an element that looks like the one of another Neapolitan church that is more famous: Santa Chiara, in Piazza del Gesù.
From Materdei it is possible to reach therioneSanitàvia Santa Teresa Degli Scalzi street. The RioneSanità is very old: in the Greek-Roman era, it was already a burial place. All the recalls to death have lasted over time. For example, today it is possible to visit the Fontanelle cemetery wherein 1655 many victims of the plague were buried. The same cemetery was also the subject of inspiration for a contemporary artist, Rebecca Horn.
At the RioneSanità there are also some very important historical buildings such as the San Gennaro hospital, with statues and sculptural reliefs on the façade, and the Spanish palace, famous for its special stairs. The area of the Spanish palace, the Virgins Alley, is also called the “baroque alley”, due to the architectural style of the buildings.
As in many areas of Naples, the RioneSanità also has an easily accessible underground world.
Dante
Naples Metro Dante station of the is in the square dedicated to the poet, writer and politician Dante Alighieri, famous all over the world for his Divine Comedy.
Dante station is not far from the Museo one, but it offers the chance to go to completely different places. This station was designed by GaeAulenti. The station is famous for the glass and steel structure that frames, from afar, the statue of Dante placed in the centre of the square.
Inside the station, you can admire artworks by Italian and foreign artists. For example, JannisKounellis is the author of an installation made with ceramic tiles, shoes, a coat, a hat and toy trains. Joseph Kosuth created an installation with neon and fragments of DanteConvivio. Furthermore, you can also see works by Nicola De Maria, Michelangelo Pistoletto and Carlo Alfano.
From the Dante station, you can go to Montesanto, a station from which you can take the funicular to the Vomero district; the cumana and the circumflegrea to visit places far from the city centre and subway line 2.
The attractions of Naples that you can reach starting from Dante square are the historic centre, the Bellini Theatre and via Toledo.
You can go to the historic centre by crossing one of the gates of the ancient city, Port’Alba. After crossing the big ancient gate made of stone, you will walk on a road full of stalls of bookstores where you can buy cheap books – even in foreign languages. The road ends in Piazza Bellini. From there, you can choose to go left, towards the Bellini Theatre and the Academy of Fine Arts (an architecture made with Tufo, a typical Neapolitan material) or continue straight on, towards the Conservatory where the composer Bellini studied. In the same area, you can visit churches such as the Santa Maria Maggiore of Pietrasanta.
From Dante, it is possible to reach in a very short time via Toledo, one of the main streets of the city centre through which you can reach the famous Piazza Plebiscito, the Royal Palace and the Royal San Carlo Theatre.
Museo
Museo station is very close to the historic centre of Naples. Its location is one of the best to start visiting many attractions and unique landmarks of the city. The station was designed by architect GaeAulenti. The uniqueness of this station is in the structure made in glass and steel and the red interiors. The shade of red is known as the Pompeian red.
In the corridors of the station, you can see copies of artworks which originals are in the famous National Archaeological Museum of Naples – also known as MANN – that is in the neighbourhoods. The artworks copied are the Farnese Hercules and the Hose Head. Plus, in the Museum station there are artworks by MimmoJodice, a famous photographer.
In the station, there is also an entire space that is an actual museum. It is called Stazione Neapolis(i.e. Neapolis Station), where you can see the historical artefacts collected during the excavations of the Naples Metro.
Near the exit of the Museo station, you can immediately go to the National Archaeological Museum where you can admire wonders such as the Farnese Collection; findings of ancient eastern and western civilizations; temporary collections.
Near Museo station is the Cathedral of Naples, an example of architecture in which Gothic and Baroquecoexist. In the cathedral, you can also visit the museum of the famous treasure of San Gennaro, saint and patron of the city. The cathedral is considered as an example of both architecture and sculpture, considering the reliefs and decorations on the façade and in the interiors’ details.
After reaching the historic centre from Museo station, you can visit very famous landmarks of Naples such as Via San Gregorio Armeno, the streets of the shepherd makers.
Another attraction close to the Museo stop is in the rooms of the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”. In medical school, it is possible to visit one of the most important human anatomy museums in the world.
The Museo station is one of the few where you can change trains and go from line 1 to line 2. To take line 2 you need to refer to the same station but using the name “Piazza Cavour”.
Vanvitelli
The Vanvitelli station is the 10th stop of the Naples Metro line 1 and it is the one to take as a reference to go to the Vomero district. Plus, Vanvitelli is one of the art stations. In fact, it was designed by a famous Italian architect, Michele Capobianco, and by his son Lorenzo. In addition, they both took artistic advices from Achille Bonito Oliva. In the inner ambient of this station you can see artworks by very important artists such as Giulio Paolini, Vettor Pisani, Gilberto Zorio. Furthermore, there is a luminous work by the Italian architect and artist Mario Merz which represents the Fibonacci sequence.
Getting off at Vanvitelli station you will be in Vanvitelli square, the square dedicated to the architect Luigi Vanvitelli that is a crossroad between Via Scarlatti and Via Bernini, the main streets of Vomero district. In addition to its exits, the station also leads to other transports such as the Chiaia funicularand the central one.
The main attractions and landmarks near Vanvitelli stop are Villa Floridiana, Castel Sant’Elmo and Certosa di San Martino.
Villa Floridiana is in a large park. It was a royal residence of the Bourbons that now houses the national museum of the Duca di Martina. In this museum there are mainlyceramics, but temporary exhibitions are also set up. In the back of the villa there are several scenic spots.
Castel Sant’Elmo is one of the sevencastles of Naples. Its name is due to its standing on the ruins of a church dedicated to Sant’Erasmo. The peculiarity of this castle lies in its typically Neapolitan material, the yellow tuff. In the S. Elmo castle,you can visit the museum of contemporary art “Napoli Novecento”. In this museum there are around 170 works of Futurist and Neorealist visual art.
Next to Castel Sant’Elmo there is the Certosa di San Martino, one of the most important examples of baroquearchitecture and art in the city. The Certosa di San Martino has over 100 rooms, two churches, three cloisters and various gardens. Almost all the rooms are part of the National Museum of San Martino, a Museum with an exhibition aimed to represent the artistic and cultural history of Naples.