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This is the best of Naples’ small musical companies, offering classical chamber music and the occasional jazz group. A typical evening might feature the music of Debussy, Ravel, Chausson and Franck.

Musical comedies are a speciality at this theatre, which is also one of the few that may offer shows outside the usual season of October to May. A chance to see what contemporary productions are like, in line with the centuries-old tradition of excellent comic theatre in Naples.

Mainstream theatre and touring international musicals (usually in English) are featured here, as well as dance, local musicals and concerts. Recent international productions have included Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and Fiddler on the Roof .

Lively local productions, often in dialect. A typical season might include titles such as Una moglie coi baffi (A Moustachioed Wife) or Le sorprese del divorzio (The Surprises of Divorce).

In ancient times, this spot was part of the vast estate of the Roman general Lucullus. At the end of the 5th century an order of monks founded a monastery here, then the Normans built the first castle. It was modified by succeeding dynasties, achieving its present form in the 16th century. Legend has it that its name derives from a magic egg (uovo ) hidden inside, supposedly placed there by the Roman poet Virgil. The building is now used for cultural events.

This rather sombre fortress is a study in stylistic contrasts – in direct opposition to its bulky grey towers, the marble Triumphal Arch exudes the delicacy of the early Renaissance. Inside, the spartan blankness is relieved by the wondrously complex ceiling of the Barons’ Hall, while the fresco fragments and sculptures in the chapel juxtapose with the harsh reality of the dungeons. In addition there are fine collections of religious and secular artwork. Go up to the battlements to take in the panorama (see Castel Nuovo, Naples).

If there is one place that could be called the true museum of Naples, this is it. So varied are the collections and the architecture that all aspects of the city’s history and cultural output seem to be represented here. These include a large collection of Nativity scenes and figures, some of Naples’ most significant paintings and sculptures, views of the city painted in different eras, a decorative arts collection, and the exuberantly Baroque church, decorated by the best Neapolitan artists of the 17th and 18th centuries.

This small modern theatre, in the thick of the teeming Quartieri Spagnoli, offers more challenging theatrical fare, both intelligent, avant-garde local works and new international fringe and experimental plays, translated into Italian.