On the afternoon of Saturday 3 October, walk into Palazzo Reale from Piazza del Plebiscito and follow the courtyards and corridors to the talk you've chosen. That day the Campania Libri Festival stays open until 22:00, so dinner can wait. Piazza del Plebiscito is about a 9-minute walk from Follaky.
Among the events in Naples in October 2026, five already have confirmed dates on the official websites: the Campania Libri Festival from the 1st to the 4th, the TXT Festival from the 2nd to the 5th, Piano City Napoli from the 16th to the 18th, the Neapolis Marathon on Sunday the 18th, and Rossini's La Cenerentola at the Teatro di San Carlo from the 20th to the 27th. Three or four nights in Chiaia let a couple build their trip around one of these.
Campania Libri Festival and TXT Festival, 1-5 October
The fifth edition of the Campania Libri Festival runs at Palazzo Reale from Thursday 1 to Sunday 4 October, 10:00 to 21:00, and until 22:00 on Saturday 3; the entrance is from Piazza del Plebiscito. Talks are free, on a first-come, first-served basis; only the evening performances at the Teatro di Corte need booking. This edition marks fifty years since the first staging of Roberto De Simone's La Gatta Cenerentola.
From 2 to 5 October, Teatro di Napoli – Teatro Nazionale presents the first edition of the TXT Festival, devoted to writing and new drama and curated by Pier Lorenzo Pisano: over twenty events across Teatro Mercadante, Ridotto del Mercadante and Teatro San Ferdinando. The guest is playwright Martin Crimp: the talk Tracce di Crimp takes place on Friday 2 at 19:00 at the Mercadante, free with booking. The theatre, in Piazza Municipio, is about a 15-minute walk from Follaky.
Piano City Napoli and the Neapolis Marathon, 16-18 October
Piano City Napoli returns from 16 to 18 October for its twelfth edition: a festival of piano concerts only, spanning every genre from classical to pop, some held in private homes. As of 16 September, the 2026 programme, venues and times have not yet been published: follow the official website for updates.
On Sunday 18 October, the sixth Neapolis Marathon starts and finishes in Piazza del Plebiscito, about a 9-minute walk from Follaky: the start gun goes at 8:00 and the route takes in Castel dell'Ovo and Maschio Angioino. At the same time, from the same square, the half marathon and the non-competitive 11.1 km Sea Run also set off.
La Cenerentola at the Teatro di San Carlo, 20-27 October
From 20 to 27 October, the Teatro di San Carlo stages Gioachino Rossini's La Cenerentola in five performances: Tuesday 20, Wednesday 21 and Friday 23 at 20:00, Sunday 25 at 17:00, Tuesday 27 at 19:00. Speranza Scappucci conducts, with staging by Damiano Michieletto; Angelina is sung by Aigul Akhmetshina on the 20th, 23rd and 27th, and by Aleksandra Meteleva on the 21st and 25th. The opera is in Italian with Italian and English surtitles and lasts about three hours, including the interval.
Tickets can be bought at the box office at Via San Carlo 98/F, open every day from 10:00 to 18:00, or online via Vivaticket. The theatre is about an 8-minute walk from Follaky: you can nip back to your suite to change before the performance.
Three or four nights: which dates to choose?
Three nights leave two full days between arrival and departure; four leave three. Three possible stays, built around the official calendars:
- Books and theatre: Thursday 1 to Monday 5 October, four nights between Palazzo Reale and the Mercadante.
- Piano and marathon: Friday 16 to Monday 19, three nights with Piano City and Sunday morning's marathon.
- An evening at the opera: Thursday 22 to Sunday 25, three nights with La Cenerentola on Friday 23 at 20:00, and Saturday for another side of Naples.
The third one ends on a Sunday, when check-out is from Vico Monteroduni 16. To choose between three and four nights, read Three or Four Nights in Naples.
Staying in Chiaia in October: your base
Follaky Secret Garden is a boutique B&B in Chiaia, inside Palazzo Giovagnoni, within a private residential park. Between one event and the next, Piazza dei Martiri is about a 3-minute walk away and the seafront 7.
On foot, you enter from Via Chiaia 149F, using the park's private lift; for taxis and luggage, give Vico Monteroduni 16, as explained in the guide to reaching us. Check-in is from 15:00 to 20:00, in person with Monica or Fabio.
October's calendar sets the reason for the trip; where you come back to in the evening is up to you. There are two suites, each for two guests, with a queen bed and Follaky Breakfast included: the Suite Chiaia Deluxe Garden View is the cosier of the two, with a window onto the two neighbouring private gardens; the Suite Toledo Deluxe Private Patio is larger and brighter, with a private patio. Compare the two suites and check your October dates.
