The beautiful Cloister Garden of the Santa Chiara Monastery is in the heart of the Spaccanapoli neighborhood of Naples. After a coffee at one of the many nearby local cafes and a short stroll through the historical section of the city center you can wander through a small, airy, outdoor oasis away from the crowds and the traffic. The Cloister, decorated by the landscape architect Domenico Antonio Vaccaro in 1739 (commissioned by the abbess Ippolita Carmignani) ... the inner courtyard are lined with exquisite hand-painted Majorca tiles that gleam beautifully against the quiet and contemplative environs of a church and garden and wall pathways. As you walk through the cloisters you feel miles away from the nearby crush of the city. The green and scented lemon trees and shrubberies and flowers and muralled walls and stainglassed windows are lovely. See the cloister garden of the Santa Chiara Monastery for yourself when in Naples, at Via Santa Chiara 49C, they're open every day from 9am to 1pm and from 2.30pm to 5.30pm (www.santachiara.info).