Borgo Santa Lucia

It extends to the offices of the newspaper Il Mattino, the so-called “Pallonetto of Santa Lucia” and the slopes of Mount Echia nearly to Monte di Dio.

Santa Lucia has been identified with the history of Naples ever since the Greeks from Cumae landed here to found the small market harbour of Falero, which later gave rise — between the beach, the islet of Megaride and the Pizzofalcone hill — to the polis Partenope (from the siren who tried to enchant Ulysses); later that town would be known as Palepoli (“old city”).

With the arrival of the Bourbon dynasty, the lucìani (as the inhabitants of Santa Lucia are called) became intimates of the kings, serving as craftsmen and suppliers of the royal house.

Already in 1845, the sea level rose considerably, making it necessary to bury the original sanctuary and build a new one on top of it; after the annexion of the Kingdom of Naples to Italy (1861) Santa Lucia underwent a complete transformation, including the enlarging and straightening of the Partenope promenade.

The offices of the Campania regional government are located in Palazzo Santa Lucia, and the area is the site of the conference center of the University “Federico II " and of the Cervantes Institute of Spanish language and culture.