Piazza Giovanni Bovio is also known as Piazza Borsa because of the monumental building of the Stock Exchange that overlooks it. The name of the square is due to Giovanni Bovio, philosopher and politician of the Kingdom of Italy. It is located in the historic center of the city of Naples. In the center of the square is the statue of Vittorio Emanuele II.

The current conformation is the result of works carried out at the end of the 19th century on the occasion of the Rehabilitation project started in different districts of the city following a devastating cholera epidemic and in order to clean up the city from the poor sanitary conditions that housed there.

The square has been interested for ten years, and until 2011, from the works for the construction of the station of the subway (University station, L1 line) that have unearthed a numerous series of finds including the remains of the Byzantine fortification, a relief depicting a war trophy, the bow of a ship and two marble slabs of the imperial era with the representation of legionaries and togate men. The exhibits are on display at the Stazione Neapolis museum inside the underground "Museum" stop.