Piazza del Plebiscito, Central square in Naples, Italy
Piazza del Plebiscito is a large square in Naples with the Royal Palace on one side and the Basilica of San Francesco di Paola on the other. The basilica has a curved colonnade that wraps halfway around the square, forming an open space with pale paving.
The square was originally called Largo del Palazzo and sat directly in front of the Bourbon royal palace. It took its current name after the vote that brought Naples into the new unified Kingdom of Italy in 1860.
The name recalls the 1860 vote when Naples joined the Kingdom of Italy. Two bronze riders in front of the basilica show Bourbon kings Charles III and Ferdinand IV, placed here after French rule ended.
The square is fully pedestrianised, stretching from Via Toledo to the seafront between the Royal Palace and the basilica. The Municipio metro stop and several bus lines serve the area. The paving was laid in 1994 for the G7 summit, replacing the asphalt of the roadway behind the Royal Palace.
The church dome rises 53 metres, close to the height of the Pantheon that its design echoes. The square itself covers about 25,000 square metres, and from 1963 to 1994 it served as a public car park until the G7 summit brought paving stones and full pedestrianisation.
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