Naples – A short causeway leads from the seafront to the small island where Castel dell’Ovo stands. Here, according to a story told in Naples, the body of the siren Parthenope washed ashore. She gave her name to an early Greek settlement and remains a symbol of the city today.
The familiar story brings together several ancient and later traditions. Homer leaves the siren unnamed. Only later texts connect Parthenope with the place from which Naples emerged. Knowing the differences reveals more around the bay than an appealing founding legend.
Parthenope at a glance
Parthenope is the Greek name; Partenope is the common Italian form. The name refers to a siren and, in tradition, to the early Greek settlement near Naples.
As of November 2026 · Sources and further information at the end of the article.
What Homer tells us about the sirens
In the twelfth book of the Odyssey Circe warns Odysseus, on his way home, about the sirens. Their song attracts sailors so irresistibly that they abandon their voyage. Odysseus has his companions plug their ears with wax. He wants to hear the song himself and has them tie him to the mast. The crew keeps rowing even when he demands to be untied.
The scene explains how the hero survives the encounter. Homer does not name the individual sirens in this episode. If you look in the Odyssey for a siren called Parthenope or for the founding of Naples, you will find both only in other traditions. Later stories connect the familiar figures with specific coasts and cities.
Their appearance changed as well. In many ancient depictions, sirens have a woman's head or upper body and a bird's body. The familiar fish tail belongs to later visual traditions. In Naples, you can see both ideas at different fountains.
How Parthenope reached Naples
In the poem Alexandra Lycophron tells how the sirens threw themselves into the sea after their encounter with Odysseus. The current carried Parthenope to the coast. People built a tomb and honoured her regularly. Strabo later mentions a tomb and a contest in her honour in Neapolis. Such texts show that the siren could be understood as a local guardian or cult figure in the ancient city.
Local tradition in Naples places the event at Megaride, the small island off the coast. You cannot identify the tomb itself on a walk. But the story helps explain the connection between harbour, arrival and the founding of a city. On the bay, the sea was part of everyday life and of people's ideas about where their community began.
Parthenope, Palaepolis and Neapolis: three names in the city's history
The earlier Greek settlement stood in the area of Pizzofalcone and the coastal strip by Megaride. As a new city developed farther east, the older settlement became known as Palaepolis connected. Neapolis means 'new city' in Greek. The modern name Napoli developed from it.
Ancient writers and later accounts differ on the settlement's origins and dates. It is therefore better to see the city's history as a development in several stages. Pizzofalcone and Megaride mark the older coastal area. The later Neapolis stood where the historic old town is today. Visiting both places also reveals the spatial difference between a rocky hill by the sea and the street grid of the city centre.
Three stops following the siren
Start at Lungomare and walk to the causeway in front of Castel dell'Ovo. From the shore, you can see how Megaride and Pizzofalcone relate to each other. You do not need to enter the castle for this first stop. Check current access to the interior separately if you want to go inside.
The Fontana della Sirena stands on Piazza Sannazaro in Mergellina. Onofrio Buccini's figure holds a lyre. The fountain originally stood by the old railway station. Today it is closer to the sea and to the place where local legend locates Parthenope's arrival.
You can see another siren in the historic centre at the Fontana di Spinacorona near Via Guacci Nobile. She has wings and, in a common interpretation, extinguishes the flames of Vesuvius. The city also offers a political reading. Comparing the two is worthwhile. In Mergellina, the figure occupies a large square; in the centre, you discover her on a wall along a narrow street.
| Station | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Megaride and Castel dell’Ovo | Island, harbour setting and view towards Pizzofalcone. |
| Piazza Sannazaro | Siren Fountain with a lyre in Mergellina. |
| Fontana di Spinacorona | Winged siren and depiction of Vesuvius. |
Why the name Partenope remains
Partenopeo is used in Italian to describe something Neapolitan. The name also lives on in art, place names and institutions. After seeing the two fountains and the waterfront, you can better appreciate how the city has retold the same myth at different times.
For a full day, you can combine the walk with Sights in Naples . For another example of how local beliefs are passed on, see our article about the cornicello as a lucky charm. If you want to explore more of the Greek-influenced coast, our guide to Sorrento on the Bay of Naples.
Map – Castel dell’Ovo and Megaride in Naples
The map marks Megaride. The Siren Fountain on Piazza Sannazaro is to the west; Spinacorona is in the historic old town.
Sources and Further Information
- City of Naples – Parthenope, Megaride and the founding myth (accessed November 2026)
- Lycophron – Alexandra, ancient tradition about the sirens (accessed November 2026)
- Treccani – Parthenope in ancient sources and cult (accessed November 2026)
- City of Naples – Fontana della Sirena on Piazza Sannazaro (accessed November 2026)
- City of Naples – Fontana di Spinacorona (accessed November 2026)
