Spanish Quarter, Naples: the Maradona mural, the underground tour and practical tips

What the Spanish Quarter is

The Quartieri Spagnoli date from the 16th century, when the Spanish viceroy Pedro de Toledo laid out a chequerboard of streets above the new Via Toledo to house Spanish garrisons. The plan, attributed to Giovanni Benincasa and Ferdinando Manlio, has barely changed: a tight grid of straight alleys climbing steeply towards Castel Sant’Elmo, lined with tall, narrow buildings and bassi, the ground-floor homes that open straight onto the street.

It is a very dense neighbourhood, with around 14,000 residents in about 80 hectares: a place where people live, work and make noise. For years it was described mainly in terms of crime; today plenty of visitors walk through every day, many of them drawn by the Maradona mural. Its churches include Sant’Anna di Palazzo and Santissima Trinità degli Spagnoli.

Largo Maradona and the mural

The Quartieri’s best-known mural is at Via Emanuele De Deo 60, on the corner of Vico Concordia, in the little square everyone now calls Largo Maradona. It was painted in 1990 by Mario Filardi, then 23, with money collected by local fans, and took him two nights and three days. In 2016, after Filardi’s death, local artist Salvatore Iodice restored it.

Since Maradona’s death in November 2020 the square has become one of the most sought-out stops in the city, with crowds of visitors and plenty of stalls around them. It has not always been an easy mix.

What has changed recently

• October 2025: after police checks and seizures targeting unlicensed vendors, traders covered the mural in protest for about two weeks. The dispute ended with an agreement brokered by the Chamber of Commerce.
• January 2026: the city approved a redevelopment by architect Geppy Klain covering about 197 m², with step-free lava-stone paving, benches, planters, pergolas, two removable kiosks, lighting and information panels, paid for by the private owners of the site.
• Late summer 2026: the mural was unveiled again after a restoration of about three months costing around €150,000, with brighter colours and new details. In early September the kiosks and utilities were still being finished.

Access remains public and free. Some reports say it is open “during the day”, so if you want to be sure of getting in, go in daylight. A second large Maradona portrait is in San Giovanni a Teduccio, in the east of the city, not in the Quartieri.

The Spanish Quarter underground tour

Beneath the Quartieri lies a network of cisterns and tunnels. The visit is run by LAES – Libera Associazione Escursionisti Sottosuolo, active since 1988, which markets it as “La Napoli Sotterranea” and as the only original route recognised by the Campania Region.

• What you see: you descend about 40 metres to cisterns of Greek origin, the course of the Carmignano aqueduct and a large cavern used as an air-raid shelter in the Second World War.
• Length: about 60 minutes, in Italian and English.
• Times: several departures a day, usually at 10:00, 12:00 and 16:30, with extra tours on some days. The official site is not fully consistent about times, so confirm when you book.
• Meeting point: Vico Sant’Anna di Palazzo 52, near Piazza del Plebiscito. Some pages still give the old meeting point outside the Gambrinus café on Piazza Trieste e Trento: go by your booking confirmation.
• Rules: booking required, children from 7, dogs allowed, photos allowed. Not wheelchair accessible and not advised for people with heart conditions. There is an alternative route for claustrophobic visitors.

Wear comfortable shoes and bring a layer: it is cool and damp down there even in August.

Mind the names: two “Napoli Sotterranea” tours

This is the most common mix-up when booking. The LAES Spanish Quarter tour and Napoli Sotterranea in Piazza San Gaetano, on Via dei Tribunali, are two different operators, with entrances in different parts of the centre. The content is similar (Greco-Roman cisterns, an aqueduct, wartime shelters), but the tickets are not interchangeable.

Always check the meeting-point address before you pay. To compare every underground visit in the city, from the Galleria Borbonica to the catacombs, start with our guide to underground Naples.

Getting around the Quartieri and staying safe

The easiest way in is Toledo metro station (Line 1): besides its Via Toledo exit it has an exit on Largo Montecalvario, already inside the Quartieri, reached through a long underground corridor. Otherwise, walk up any of the alleys that climb from Via Toledo: the whole quarter lies on the uphill side of the street.

There is no official safety advisory specific to the neighbourhood. The consensus among people who know it is that daytime and early evening are fine, and that its reputation is worse than today’s reality. The real risks are two:

• scooters, which speed through alleys barely wider than a car: walk at the edges and do not stop in the middle of the street for photos;
• pickpockets, especially in crowded spots like Largo Maradona. Bag-snatching from scooters is rare but does happen: keep your bag and phone on the wall side.

Late at night, stick to the main streets. And remember that people live here: ask before photographing anyone or the inside of someone’s home.

Spanish Quarter tickets and tours: what is worth it

You can explore the neighbourhood perfectly well on your own. If you spend money, spend it on the underground and on good context.

• Underground tour: €18 on both Tiqets and GetYourGuide. On Tiqets the operator is LAES itself, rated 4.9/5 from more than 130 reviews, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. LAES does not publish its own price online, and unofficial sources quote lower figures for direct bookings: if budget matters, phone the association first. If you prefer to pay online with free cancellation, the partner is the easier option.
• History and street art walk (GetYourGuide, from €16): useful if you are into murals and want someone to explain the Quartieri and the centre.
• Museo Maradona (Tiqets, €10): the same as the official price, with fast-track entry and an in-app audio guide; non-refundable.

We are an independent guide: if you book through the Tiqets or GetYourGuide links on this page we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

An afternoon in the Spanish Quarter

A simple plan: take the metro to Toledo and look around the station (it is worth the stop), leave by the Largo Montecalvario exit and walk to Largo Maradona. Zigzag through the alleys from there, then join the underground tour in the early afternoon from Vico Sant’Anna di Palazzo. Afterwards you are a few minutes from Via Toledo, the Galleria Umberto and Piazza del Plebiscito, and from the Royal Palace.

If you want to combine the walk with street food and a guide, see our Naples food tours. And if Maradona is why you came, round off the day with the stadium and the Museo Maradona.