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| Where Was Minerva Academy Filmed? All 2026 Series Filming Locations Revealed. |
Minerva Academy was filmed almost entirely in the province of Naples, Campania, Italy, with the production turning grand historic properties into the severe, old-fashioned military school at the centre of the story. Rather than building the academy entirely on a sound stage, the eight-episode 2026 series used real architectural landmarks, allowing its corridors, courtyards, gardens and imposing rooms to carry much of the atmosphere themselves. That choice makes the locations almost feel like another character in the drama — one that apparently has very little interest in letting the students have an easy day.
The principal filming location was the Royal Palace of Portici, an 18th-century royal residence positioned at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. For Minerva Academy, the palace became the visual and architectural foundation of the fictional institution, with its historic interiors, monumental staircases, courtyards and grand exterior spaces transformed into the academy where Salvo and the other cadets are subjected to an unusually strict education.
The real palace gives the series the kind of imposing surroundings that would be difficult to recreate convincingly with modern sets, particularly when the story demands an institution that feels deliberately trapped in another era.
Inside the Royal Palace of Portici, several distinct areas were incorporated into the fictional academy. The palace library became an important academic setting where students study, conduct research and spend time between their demanding training sessions. Its book-lined appearance gives the academy a sense of old-world scholarship, although the atmosphere is considerably less relaxing than anyone might expect from a room full of books.
Another major interior location was the Pompeian Room, whose classical decoration and elaborate frescoes were adapted into the commanding officer's private office. The room's ceremonial appearance suits the authority-heavy environment of the series, particularly during scenes in which the academy's leadership lays down rules or confronts students over their increasingly complicated behaviour. It is a setting where even a simple conversation can feel as though somebody is about to receive a very serious lecture.
The palace's monumental courtyards and grand staircases were also used extensively throughout the production. These spaces provide the backdrop for morning formations, disciplined routines, tactical activities and flag-raising ceremonies. Their scale helps reinforce the contrast between the young characters and the institution surrounding them: the students may be the centre of the story, but the architecture constantly reminds them who is supposed to be in control.
The Royal Gardens surrounding the palace provided another important section of the academy. These historic outdoor grounds were transformed into training areas where the cadets undertake physical conditioning and outdoor tactical exercises. The gardens also give the series some visual breathing room after the darker interior scenes, although calling military-style training in a historic royal garden "relaxing" would probably be stretching the definition considerably.
The second major filming location was Villa Campolieto, an 18th-century villa in Ercolano along the celebrated Golden Mile. While the Royal Palace of Portici establishes the academy's grand public face, Villa Campolieto supplies some of the more secretive and oppressive environments. Its older stone cellars, basement areas and underground passages were used for scenes involving hidden activity inside the academy, giving these sequences a noticeably darker visual character.
The subterranean corridors and basement spaces of Villa Campolieto became particularly important to Salvo's storyline. They provide the setting for unauthorised fencing encounters, secret student networks and his investigation into the disappearance of his best friend. The contrast with the bright, formal palace interiors is deliberate: above ground, the academy presents order and discipline; below it, the characters discover a much messier world where rules are easier to break and secrets are considerably harder to bury.
The wider province of Naples also appears throughout the series through selected outdoor transitions and coastal scenery. These locations broaden the visual identity of Minerva Academy beyond the academy walls, placing the characters firmly within the Campania landscape. The open views and natural surroundings work as a counterpoint to the restrictive school environment, where students spend much of their lives following rules that leave remarkably little room for personal freedom.
The production's location work was completed during a 19-week filming period, with principal photography beginning on 10 March 2025 and officially wrapping on 17 July 2025. That gave the series plenty of time to make use of the historic properties and surrounding landscapes before moving into the lengthy post-production process ahead of its global Netflix release.
Because filming took place at real heritage locations, however, the full list of exact spaces used by the production was not necessarily made public while cameras were still rolling. Keeping some details private is understandable when a production needs to work without crowds of curious visitors turning a filming day into an unofficial fan convention.
The locations also fit the story unusually well. Minerva Academy follows Salvo, a teenager from a group-home background who enters the military high school with a personal reason for being there: he wants to investigate what happened to his missing best friend.
Around him are students dealing with family pressure, expectations, rivalries and the academy's rigid rules, including Vincenzo, who is determined to follow the military path established by his father, and Camilla, a wealthy girl from Milan whose father sends her to the academy in an attempt to change her behaviour. The historic locations therefore do more than provide attractive scenery; they reinforce the series' central conflict between young people trying to establish their own identities and an institution demanding conformity.
From a viewer's perspective, the decision to film at Royal Palace of Portici and Villa Campolieto gives Minerva Academy a stronger sense of place than a generic fictional school ever could. The palace makes the academy look prestigious and intimidating at the same time, while Villa Campolieto adds the shadowy side of the story without needing excessive visual tricks.
There is also something amusing about watching teenagers navigate romantic tension, friendships, family expectations and secret investigations while surrounded by architecture that looks as though it has already witnessed several centuries of drama. Apparently, ordinary school corridors simply were not dramatic enough.
The Royal Palace of Portici is particularly effective because its historic grandeur creates a strange contradiction at the heart of the series. The building is beautiful, but the fictional academy operating inside it is deliberately restrictive.
That contrast makes the characters' struggles more noticeable: they are surrounded by extraordinary architecture while being given very little control over their own lives. Villa Campolieto takes the opposite approach, using darker and more enclosed spaces to make the academy's hidden world feel increasingly uncomfortable. Together, the locations give the series a visual rhythm that moves between grandeur, confinement and secrecy.
For viewers hoping to turn Minerva Academy filming locations into a real Italian travel itinerary, the two principal sites offer a particularly appealing connection to the series. Both are historic properties in the Campania region and provide a very different experience from simply recognising a modern street or anonymous building on screen. However, visitors should always check current public access arrangements before planning a trip, because filming locations can have separate preservation, event and visitor schedules.
One important detail is that the locations publicly associated with the production do not necessarily represent every single camera position used during filming. Productions often move between different parts of a large property, and some specific interiors or working areas may remain private.
In the case of Minerva Academy, keeping precise filming information limited during production also helped protect the working environment and avoid disruptions while the cast and crew were on location. Not every locked door needs to become a tourist attraction just because a television camera once pointed at it.
Overall, Minerva Academy's filming locations are one of the strongest parts of its visual identity, particularly because the production allows the real architecture of Campania to do much of the heavy lifting. The Royal Palace of Portici supplies grandeur, order and institutional authority, while Villa Campolieto brings darker corridors and hidden spaces into the story.
The surrounding Neapolitan landscape then opens the world back up again, creating a useful contrast with the academy's rigid routines. For a series built around discipline, secrets and teenagers attempting to survive an institution that seems determined to make everything unnecessarily complicated, the locations are almost perfectly chosen.
So, if Minerva Academy has made you curious about the real places behind the fictional academy, the Royal Palace of Portici and Villa Campolieto are the key destinations to put on your travel radar. Would you actually visit these historic locations after watching the series, or would you rather enjoy the academy's chaos safely from your sofa? Share which Minerva Academy filming location caught your attention most, and let us know which scene made you want to see the real place for yourself.