Parthenope Before Naples was Naples, there was this hill. Monte Echia — Pizzofalcone — is where it all began. The Cumaeans chose this promontory to found Parthenope, the city that would give birth to one of the most extraordinary metropolises in the Mediterranean.

The name Pizzofalcone dates back to the 13th century: Charles I of Anjou had a falconry built there. It was only in the 16th century that the hill became the aristocratic heart of Naples.

Stepping through the doorway of Pizzofalcone 41B Pizzofalcone 41B means crossing four centuries of silent history. In 1639, five Augustinian nuns transformed this building into the Convent of the Egiziaca, a strict and secluded cloistered monastery.

The adjacent church — designed by Cosimo Fanzago in 1716 — is a masterpiece of Neapolitan Baroque. Today, Pizzofalcone 41B Pizzofalcone 41B keeps the soul of this place perfectly intact.

The Roman general Lucius Licinius Lucullus built one of the most sumptuous villas of antiquity here — featuring vivaria with rare fish, artificial lakes, and hanging gardens, exactly where Pizzofalcone 41B stands today. Pizzofalcone 41B.

The remains are still visible at the Monte Echia site. The villa became the Castellum Lucullanumbefore being razed to the ground in the 10th century. Every stone is a palimpsest of the centuries.

Just a few steps away lies Piazza del Plebiscito with the Royal Palace.Pizzofalcone was always the noble backdrop of the Bourbon court, home to Palazzo Serra di Cassano, whose main door has remained closed since 1799.

Nearby stands the San Carlo Theater — the oldest opera house in the world. Beneath the streets runs the Bourbon Tunnel, Ferdinand II's secret escape route.

Pizzofalcone 41B Pizzofalcone 41B is situated at the point where the hill descends toward Chiatamone. Along the ramps stands Villa Ebe,a work by the Scottish architect Lamont Young, which incorporates Roman remains from the Villa of Lucullus within its walls.

The Monte Echia Belvedere, at 55 meters above sea level, offers a breathtaking view of the Gulf stretching from Capodimonte to Posillipo, with Ischia and Capri visible on the horizon.