18 Iconic Buildings to Explore in Campania

Checkout places to visit in Campania

Campania is one of the regions of Southern Italy and stretches along the Tyrrhenian Sea, from the mouth of the Garigliano River to the Gulf of Policastro. The mild climate, the beauty of the coasts, the richness of its art and history, and the love for food make Campania the fascinating territory that it is.

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Iconic Buildings to Explore in Campania

Amphitheatre of Pompeii

Pompeii’s amphitheatre was built by C. Quintius Valgus and M Procius, two of Sulla’s commanders who became the city’s magistrates after its subjugation by the Romans. This dates the amphitheatre to 70AD, making it one of the earliest constructed Roman amphitheatres and the oldest one left standing. It is located in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii and was buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, that also buried Pompeii itself and the neighbouring town of Herculaneum.

Aragonese Castle of Baia

The Aragonese Castle is a fortification that stands on a tidal island of trachytic rock on the eastern side of the island of Ischia, connected by a 220 m long brick bridge to the ancient Borgo di Celsa , known as Ischia Ponte. The islet on which the castle was built derives from a syntactic eruption that occurred over 300,000 years ago. It reaches a height of 113 meters above sea level and covers an area of approx56 000 m².

Casa Malaparte on the Italian island of Capri was a house conceived in lockdown. Built-in the late 1930s, its first occupant, Curzio Malaparte — an Italian-German poet. The house was conceived around 1937 by the well-known Italian architect Adalberto Libera for Curzio Malaparte. Malaparte actually rejected Libera's design and built the home himself with the help of Adolfo Amitrano, a local stonemason.

Castel Nuovo, also called Maschio Angioino or Mastio Angioino, is a historic medieval and Renaissance castle, as well as one of the symbols of the city of Naples. The castle dominates the scenic Piazza Municipio and is the seat of the Neapolitan Society of Homeland History and of the Naples Committee of the Institute for the history of the Italian Risorgimento, housed in the premises of the SNSP. The civic museum is also located in the complex.

Castel Sant'Elmo

Castel Sant'Elmo is a medieval castle, used as a museum, located on the Vomero hill near San Martino in Naples. It was once called Paturcium and stands in the place where there was, starting from the 10th century, a church dedicated to Sant'Erasmo. This imposing building, partly derived from the rock, originates from a tower observation Normancalled Belforte .

Castello di Arechi

The Castello di Arechi is a medieval castle, located at a height of about 300 meters above sea level, overlooking the city and the Gulf of Salerno. It is said of Arechi because the construction of this fortification is traditionally associated with the Lombard duke Arechi II. The castle rises on top of Mount Bonadies dominating the city of Salerno from above. Even if monetary discoveries attest the frequentation of the hill already in the III-II century. BC, the first construction system dates

The Estense Castle, or castle of San Michele, is the most representative monument of the city of Ferrara. It was built in 1385 as a fortress for political and military control and for the defense of the Este family, therefore also thought of as a repressive tool. The first stone was symbolically laid on 29 September, the day of St. Michael, the warrior archangel at the head of the celestial militias as well as the traditional fixed date for removals.

House of Menander

The Casa del Menandro is one of Pompeii's most prominent houses. It has an outstanding, elegant peristyle beyond its beautifully frescoed atrium. On the peristyle's far right side a doorway leads to a private bathhouse, lavished with exquisite frescoes and mosaics. The house was excavated between November 1926 and June 1932 and is located in Region I, Insula 10, Entrance 4 of the city.

House of the Faun

The House of the Faun is a house of Roman times, buried during the ' eruption of Vesuvius in 79, and found as a result of the archaeological excavations of the' ancient Pompeii: it is one of the largest homes in the city and owes its name to a statue in bronze, depicting a satyr, placed in the impluvium. It almost completely occupies Insula 12 of Regio VI.

House of the Vettii

The House of the Faun is a Domus of the Roman era, buried during the ' eruption of Vesuvius in 79, and found as a result of the archaeological excavations of the' ancient Pompeii: is one of the greatest examples of ' Roman art of I century and is named after the owners, Aulo Vettio Restituto and Aulo Vettio Conviva. It is located in region VI, near the Vesuvian Gate, bordered by the Vicolo di Mercurio and the Vicolo dei Vettii. The house is one of the largest Domus in Pompeii, spanning the entir

The Castel dell Ovo is the oldest castle in the city of Naples and is one of the elements that stand out most in the famous panorama of the gulf. It is located between the districts of San Ferdinando and Chiaia, in front of via Partenope. Due to various events that partially destroyed the original Norman appearance and thanks to the subsequent reconstruction works that took place during the Angevin and Aragonese period.

Royal Palace of Caserta

The Royal Palace of Caserta is a historic royal palace, with an adjoining park, located in Caserta. Commissioned in the 18th century by Charles of Bourbon, King of Naples and Sicily, based on a project by Luigi Vanvitelli, it occupies an area of 47,000 m² and, with over 1,000,000 m³, is the largest royal residence in the world by volume. In 1997 it was declared by UNESCO, together with the Carolino Aqueduct and the San Leucio complex, a World Heritage Site.

Saint James' Charterhouse

The Charterhouse of San Giacomo is the oldest monastery on Capri. Built-in 1371 at the behest of Count Giacomo Arcucci on land donated by Queen Giovanna I of Anjou, the Charterhouse houses the museum dedicated to the German painter Karl Diefenbach. Since December 2014, the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities has been managing it through the Campania Museum Complex, which in December 2019 became the Regional Museum Directorate.

Temple of Apollo

Temple of Apollo is the oldest religious building in Pompeii, dated to 6th Century BC because of its architectural decorations, though its current layout dates back to the 2nd century BC. The temple, in the center of a sacred enclosure, was surrounded on all four sides by a wide series of tuff columns from Nocera, originally grooved and with Ionic capitals, that were being replaced with stucco columns and Corinthian capitals painted in yellow, red, and dark blue.

Villa di Poppea

The Villa Poppaea is an ancient Roman seaside villa situated between Naples and Sorrento, in southern Italy. The villa is believed to have belonged to Poppaea Sabina, the second wife of Emperor Nero - certainly, its size and lavish decoration indicate that its owner must have been considered wealthy. It was now one 0of the prime attractions in this area.

Villa Lysis is a neo- neoclassical villa located in the northern part of the island of Capri, in via Lo Capo. The villa mixes modern and classic architectural elements. It is a unique and enchanting spot, closely tied to the life and tastes of Jacques d'Adelswärd Fersen, a Parisian count who withdrew to the island of Capri in self-imposed exile to escape a series of scandals in his home country.

Villa Rufolo is a building in the historic center of Ravello, a town in the province of Salerno, which faces the Duomo in the Piazza del Vescovado and whose initial layout dates back to the thirteenth century, with extensive nineteenth-century alterations. The villa is entered through an opening in the arched entrance tower, and after a short street a clearing is dominated by the Torre Maggiore: the latter facing the bell tower of the cathedral in Ravello, overlooking the terraces.

Villa San Michele

Villa San Michele is the life’s work at Capri of the Swedish physician and author Axel Munthe. It is surrounded by an impressive garden, which recently won the price as Italy’s most beautiful private park. Behind it is the Barbarossa mountain, which Axel Munthe turned into a sanctuary for migratory birds. It was one of the iconic attractions in this area and it attracts a lot of tourists here.

Map of Iconic Buildings to Explore in Campania