Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Italy Naples Bar Nilo
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Bar Nilo

Locals pay their respects at a shrine to soccer player Diego Maradona—which claims to contain a real lock of his hair.

Naples, Italy

Added By
Windshieldwiper
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
This shrine allegedly contains a real lock of the soccer star’s hair.   Ivan Romano / Getty Images
Come for the drinks, stay for the unbridled football fanaticism.   Windshieldwiper / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In the summer of 1984, the SSC Napoli shockingly signed one of the greatest soccer players in the world during the time, the Argentine Diego Maradona, for a record-breaking sum. After finishing in the lower half in of the league the season before he joined, Maradona took Napoli to win the Italian league in 1987 and 1990, as well as the UEFA Cup in 1989. During that time, Maradona would become a legend on the Argentine national team as well, by winning the won them the World Cup in 1986. 

After the player's sudden wave of success, the population of Naples was sept up in a transcendental wave of euphoria. In a short time, Diego Maradona became an icon of the city. After he left Napoli in 1991, the team would revert to mediocrity. Today, Naples is filled with countless pictures, stickers and murals of Maradona in the streets.

The star player has become an icon of the city and the secular equivalent of a venerated saint. To pay homage to Maradona, do as the locals do and head to Bar Nilo, a local watering hole that contains a shrine to the athlete. The bar's altar is filled with photos of Maradona in the different stages during his career, from his early days in Argentina to his highest career achievements at Napoli.

What really pushes the shrine over the edge is that, much like real Catholic reliquary, the bar claims to feature a lock of Maradona's hair. It rests in a place of honor at the heart of the shrine.

Related Tags

Bars Sports Soccer

Know Before You Go

Order an Aperol spritz to sip on while you gawk at the memorabilia.

Community Contributors

Added By

Windshieldwiper

Published

July 11, 2024

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Bar Nilo
Via Nilo, 26
Naples, 80138
Italy
40.848976, 14.256071
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Church of Santa Luciella ai Librai

Naples, Italy

miles away

The Anatomical Machines of Cappella Sansevero

Naples, Italy

miles away

Sacristy of San Domenico Maggiore

Naples, Italy

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Naples

Naples

Italy

Places 34
Stories 5

Nearby Places

Church of Santa Luciella ai Librai

Naples, Italy

miles away

The Anatomical Machines of Cappella Sansevero

Naples, Italy

miles away

Sacristy of San Domenico Maggiore

Naples, Italy

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Naples

Naples

Italy

Places 34
Stories 5

Related Places

  • Pele and Gypsy Womanl by Niall O’Lochlainn

    Dublin, Ireland

    Dalymount Park Murals

    Outside an Irish football stadium are murals commemorating history and local heroes.

  • Walking into the Oxford is like stepping back in time.

    Denver, Colorado

    The Cruise Room Bar

    This swanky speakeasy is Denver’s oldest bar—and hasn’t changed a bit since 1933.

    Sponsored By Visit Denver
  • Elf Freunde Kreisel

    Kaiserslautern, Germany

    Elf Freunde Kreisel

    A team of concrete athletes stands in the middle of a traffic circle.

  • Front view of the statue

    Ipswich, England

    Bobby Robson Statue

    A life-sized statue commemorating the former manager of Ipswich's football team.

  • Igralište Batarija

    Trogir, Croatia

    Igralište Batarija

    The local club's soccer field is practically surrounded by UNESCO-protected monuments.

  • Kvareli, Georgia

    Kvareli Fortress Football Pitch

    This medieval fortress is (or was till 2017) the home stadium of the football club FC Duruji Kvareli.

  • The Lamppost and Clock (With permission of Tottenham Hotspur Press Office)

    London, England

    Tottenham Hotspur Lamppost

    A replica of the gaslit streetlamp under which three teenagers founded a football club.

  • Plymouth, England

    Jack Leslie Statue

    A statue of a pioneering Black footballer outside his former home stadium.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.