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The Art Stations

More than 200 works of contemporary art inside the Naples Metro stations: an underground gallery open to everyone, for the price of a metro ticket.

200+ works
of contemporary art
15+ stations
by world-class architects
Toledo
among Europe's most beautiful
€1.50
the price of the visit

A museum beneath the city

The Art Stations are the project that turned the Naples Metro into one of the most original diffuse museums in the world: since the late 1990s, every new station on Line 1 (and later on Line 6) has been entrusted to an internationally renowned architect and filled with works by contemporary artists.

The result: more than 200 works by over 100 artists — from Anish Kapoor to William Kentridge, from Mimmo Paladino to Michelangelo Pistoletto — on show every day for the price of a metro ride.

The stations not to miss

Óscar Tusquets Blanca
The «Crater de luz» and the blue sea mosaics: named by CNN and the Daily Telegraph among the most beautiful stations in Europe. Descending, you cross the city's history from the Aragonese excavations down to the sea.
Karim Rashid
Pop and ultra-colourful: pink and lime surfaces, the «Synapsi» sculpture and a visual language devoted to the digital age, right in front of the Federico II university.
Álvaro Siza & Souto de Moura
A construction site turned museum: the Roman port of Neapolis and three shipwrecks emerged during the dig. Archaeology lives alongside the essential architecture of the two Portuguese Pritzker winners.
Gae Aulenti
The gateway to the MANN: copies of the Farnese Hercules and the Carafa horse head greet travellers heading to the Archaeological Museum.
Atelier Mendini
Mosaics, colourful spires and works by Sol LeWitt and Luigi Ontani: one of the most photographed stations, which regenerated the whole square above it.
Dominique Perrault
Criss-crossing escalators under a great glass sail and Michelangelo Pistoletto's «Mirror paintings», 40 metres below ground.
Atelier Mendini
An open-air art park around the station: works by Mimmo Paladino, Enzo Cucchi and other masters of the Transavanguardia.
Gae Aulenti
On Piazza Dante: Joseph Kosuth's light installations, Nicola De Maria's mosaic and works by Jannis Kounellis in the heart of the old town.

How to visit them

Suggested mini-tour (about 1 hour)

  1. Start at Garibaldi — Perrault's escalators and Pistoletto's mirrors.
  2. Stop at Università and then Municipio, with its view of the Castel Nuovo.
  3. Continue to Toledo — the famous blue light well (take your photos here!).
  4. Finish at Materdei or Salvator Rosa, Mendini's museum-stations.

With a single TIC ticket (90 minutes) you can see almost all of them; off-peak hours (10:00–16:00) are quieter and better for photos.

Frequently asked questions

A project by the City of Naples and Metropolitana di Napoli SpA that, since the 1990s, has commissioned world-class architects for the Line 1 and 6 stations and filled them with contemporary art: today more than 200 works by over 100 artists.

The price of an ordinary ticket: ANM single €1.50 or TIC €1.70 (90 minutes with free transfers — ideal for seeing more than one).

Toledo is the most celebrated: CNN listed it among the most beautiful stations in Europe for its «Crater de luz». But Municipio, Università, Materdei and Garibaldi are all worth the trip.

Yes, photography for personal use is allowed (no tripods, and don’t block passengers). The middle of the day is the quietest time.

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