Santa Chiara Monastery and Museum

Naples is a hectic city, one full of character and entertainment, but all the same, it is loud and overwhelming for those more used to the slower life - so how's about escaping the chaos for a bit in a peaceful bit of history? Right on Spaccanapoli is Santa Chiara Monastery, a beautiful piece of history with some great displays showing off another slice of Naples's incredible story. This is an ideal addition to an already busy day or a great way to take a breather from a day of exploring Naples and its charming pace of life!

Typically when navigating around Naples I use Spaccanpoli as a landmark, its designation as the Naples Splitter makes it the ideal way to get lost tourists from one side of the city to the other, but this time our destination is on Spaccanapoli! Santa Chiara Monastery sits right near Piazza del Gesù, fairly central to the city and surrounded by several other interesting buildings such as Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo, a 15th-century church with a seriously distinct facade. Spaccanapoli can be reached via public transport, but there are no metro stops directly at the Monastery - the most convenient stop is probably Dante on metro Line 1, which is just a short walk away from Spaccanapoli and a bit further to the monastery, around 5-10 minutes walk. As ever, the centre of Naples is a tricky one to navigate by car and while there are some parking options, they are often small and challenging to find, so drivers beware.

Once at Santa Chiara Monastery, you will need to enter under the sizable gated archway and then you have a couple of options - feel free to stop off and view the church, remembering it is an active church so try not to disturb any ceremonies in progress. When you are ready to move on, pass down the left-hand side of the church (when facing the building from the entrance archway off of Spaccanapoli) and head down the gentle gradient to the entrance to the museum. Pass into the museum, purchase your ticket as you head through and begin your tour, starting with the gorgeous central cloister and gardens...

While we had a beautiful time around the museum, it is safe to say we spent most of our time in the gardens of the cloister, admiring the frescos and beautiful tiling, especially on a sunny day, is simply marvellous. The tall walls of Santa Chiara Monastery drown out the drone of the city so much that we could hear birds tweeting in the orange trees. Being respectful of where not to sit, this is a great place to unwind in the sunshine, a beautiful place to simply exist for a moment.

Exploring beyond the cloister will take you through to a few areas of note, one includes a rather impressive selection of historical relics, another is a sample of the library and some of the incredible books on offer as well as an elevated section protecting the ruins of the Roman Baths at Santa Chiara. The religious complex here dates back to the early 14th century, built by Queen Sancha of Majorca and her husband King Robert of Naples, originally built in the Gotico Angioiano and decorated in the Baroque style by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro. It would, unfortunately, suffer great damage thanks to the bombings of World War II in 1943 but would be restored largely to its original splendour by 1953. Behind the main altar is the tomb of King Robert, with the side chapels housing multiple other tombs. There is also an impressive nativity scene in the baroque style.

Once you've seen all you wish to see at Santa Chiara then you can head out via the café - the modest size of the museum here makes this the perfect add-on adventure, one we really enjoyed checking out. Naples has no end of museums but the beauty of the cloister at the monastery is something truly unique and well worth a visit in itself! Plus its convenient location on Spaccanapoli makes it an excellent companion to a day walking the Naples splitter, exploring the shops and eateries and then escaping to Santa Chiara when you need some peace and quiet...