Cafeography
Naples · Sanità & Capodimonte

Cafés in Sanità & Capodimonte

The Rione Sanità, where Kimbo and Toraldo began, and the hill of Capodimonte.

Photo: Jonathan Attanasio, Pexels License

The Rione Sanità lies in a valley north of the Borgo dei Vergini, running up to the slopes of the Capodimonte hill. It was built at the end of the 16th century in a valley used for burials since Greek and Roman times, and early Christian catacombs still run beneath it: San Gennaro from the 2nd century, San Severo from the end of the 4th and San Gaudioso from the 5th.1

Two of the city's big roasters started here. Kimbo's blend was created in 1963 in a bar in the Sanità run by the brothers Francesco, Gerardo and Elio Rubino, and family lore says Totò was a customer.2 The comic actor was born in the quarter.3 Toraldo followed in 1968, when the Simonetti brothers and their mother, Maddalena Toraldo, opened a small premises with a roasting plant.4

Local tip: Pair the Museo di Capodimonte with a coffee at Capodimonte Café, at the museum's address on Via Miano 2, which has Wi-Fi and tables outside.

At a glance

32Cafés listed
0With opening hours
–Earliest opening
–Latest closing
  • Most common features: wi-fi (3%), outdoor seating (3%), indoor seating (3%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Naples.

Coffee chains in Sanità & Capodimonte

The bridge that cut the Sanità off

Joseph Bonaparte commissioned the Ponte della Sanità, built in 1806–1809, to carry Corso Napoleone straight from the center to the Reggia di Capodimonte. It isolated the valley below, overshadowing the basilicas of Santa Maria della Sanità and San Severo.5 Its official name is Ponte Maddalena Cerasuolo, after a young worker and partisan who fought on it during the Four Days of Naples.5 The neighborhood kept its street life going underneath, and the basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità is still the center of the old quarter.51

Getting there and where the bars are

Museo and Materdei on Metro Line 1 and Piazza Cavour on Line 2 are the nearest stations.1 Via Foria, at the bottom of the quarter, has the most bars: Bar Sport 1938 at number 20, Rescigno at 40, Caffè Leon d'Oro at 105 and Caffe Foria at 120.

Inside the valley, Via della Sanità has Caffe Del Principe at 17, caffetteria S. Vincenzo at 116 and caffetteria santoro at 151. Caffetteria Miracoli is on Piazza Miracoli, Bar Perú on Via Arena della Sanità, and Caffè Doris and Caffetteria Madonna on Via Bartolomeo Caracciolo Detto Carafa.

Capodimonte

At the top of the hill, the Museo di Capodimonte occupies the palace King Charles of Bourbon began in 1738 to house the Farnese collection, inherited from his mother, Elisabetta Farnese. The king, Charles VII of Naples and later Charles III of Spain, needed room for the paintings and objects he had inherited. The collection now includes Caravaggio's Flagellation of about 1607–1608.6

Capodimonte Café shares the museum's address, Via Miano 2, and has Wi-Fi and seating inside and out. Gran Caffè Varriale is at Via Miano 13, and Caffetteria Passaro on Via Sant'Antonio a Capodimonte.

The Fontanelle, the Vergini market and the palazzi

The Cimitero delle Fontanelle was in use from the 17th to the 19th century, including for victims of the plague of 1656.1 Via dei Vergini, where the quarter meets the old city, has an open-air street market.1 Italy's tourism board singles out two of the quarter's buildings, the Palazzo dello Spagnolo and the Palazzo Sanfelice.3

Sources

  1. Rione Sanità, Wikipedia (Italian), accessed October 2026
  2. Kimbo al SIGEP di Rimini "ospite" di Cupiello e Camaleonte (press release), Kimbo, via ANSA (January 16, 2024), accessed October 2026
  3. Rione Sanità, Italia.it (ENIT), accessed October 2026
  4. Alla scoperta delle Torrefazioni Eccellenti: Caffè Toraldo in Campania, Beverfood (March 12, 2025), accessed October 2026
  5. Sanità Bridge, Comune di Napoli tourism DMO, accessed October 2026
  6. Museo di Capodimonte, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

More of Naples

Municipio & Porto

49 cafés

Centro Storico

96 cafés

Piazza Garibaldi & Vasto

73 cafés

Toledo & Quartieri Spagnoli

67 cafés

Vomero & Arenella

117 cafés

Chiaia & Lungomare

38 cafés

Mergellina & Posillipo

29 cafés

In Sanità & Capodimonte, also browse: Outdoor seating Wi-Fi

FAQ

Sanità & Capodimonte cafés: questions

Which coffee brands started in the Rione Sanità in Naples?

Kimbo and Toraldo. Kimbo's blend was created in 1963 in a bar in the Sanità by the brothers Francesco, Gerardo and Elio Rubino, and family lore says Totò, who was born in the quarter, was a customer. Toraldo was founded there in 1968 by the Simonetti family, in a small premises with its own roasting plant.

How do you get to the Rione Sanità in Naples?

The nearest metro stations are Museo and Materdei on Line 1 and Piazza Cavour on Line 2. Via Foria, at the bottom of the quarter, has the most bars. Above the valley, the Ponte della Sanità carries the road to Capodimonte over the quarter rather than through it.

What is the Ponte della Sanità in Naples?

A bridge built in 1806–1809 on the orders of Joseph Bonaparte to carry Corso Napoleone straight to the Reggia di Capodimonte. It cut the Sanità valley off from the rest of the city. Its official name is Ponte Maddalena Cerasuolo, after a young partisan who fought there during the Four Days of Naples.

For café owners

Own a café in Sanità & Capodimonte?

Free listings are free for good. A featured page gives you photos, a menu and your own URL, in your café's own design, for less than a coffee a day.

Get listed, free See a page in its own design