The Doll Hospital, Napoli

From the things I read before the trip, I expected Naples to be a little seedy, a little dangerous.

Instead I found a lovely little seaside town resplendent with castles and flowering trees.  And also the strangest tourist attraction I've been to yet: Ospedale delle Bambole, or The Doll Hospital.

Tucked away on an alley off an alley, it's not the easiest place to find. It's also a bit off the beaten tourist track, which means that the area surrounding retains its authentic Italian neighborhood feel (despite the sensationalized Museum of Torture and various souvenir stands nearby).

Inside the Courtyard

From the alley, look for some dolls in a carriage and a sign in Italian. Enter the courtyard and you can't miss the Ospital delle Bambole.  The tiny foyer is full of dolls and doll parts, as well as a ticket counter (€3 to enter).  The doors to the hospital are animated to show hospital staff performing surgery on a doll, which is half creepy and half endearing.

Through the main doors you find yourself in a creepy, sculptural doll graveyard. There are doll arms, doll legs, and doll eyes everywhere you look.  The attendant will turn a crank to begin an interactive, Tim Burton-esque stop-motion video that shares the story of the hospital, which began in the 1800s with a Neopolitan puppet theater designer (apparently this was a profession in the 1800s) who began helping local children repair their broken toys.  Word spread, and now four generations of the family have committed to life as a "doll doctor".

Art? Storage? Display? Creepy?

Even better, upon exiting we met a lady who had brought her very first doll in for repair. It had taken three months for the doll hospital to find properly aged and matching fabric, but the doll now looked good as new and the owner was overjoyed!

Long story short, if you've got some extra time in Naples, perhaps before your train, the hospital is a fun, slightly weird, and definitely unexpected attraction in which to spend a few minutes.

Finally, instead of cake I will advise you to try a Neopolitan specialty: sweet, crispy Sfogliatella, which can be found literally everywhere in the city.  My particular favorite is filled with chocolate!