Tour of Naples Fontanelle Cemetery Catacombs and Sanità Quarter with Local Guide

Tour of Naples Fontanelle Cemetery Catacombs and Sanità Quarter with Local Guide

Not far from the historic center of Naples is one of the most fascinating places in the city, it is the Fontanelle Cemetery.

The cemetery was built inside an ancient tuff quarry when in 1656, because of the Plague, the bones of a large part of the Neapolitan population were thrown away, which could not resist the serious epidemic. Over the years many others were added, leading to the birth of the cult of "pezzentelle souls", to whom the people turned to obtain graces and interecessions.

To accompany you there will be a guide who will tell you the legends that hover around the characters guarded in the cave.

After this mystical experience you can take a walk to the Sanità district, whose name derives from the ancient belief that the area was rich in natural and supernatural "salubritas".

You will walk through the crowded alleys of the neighborhood and staying in contact with the Neapolitan people, going to the discovery of one of the most beautiful and hidden corners of the city.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Cimitero delle Fontanelle, Via Fontanelle 80, 80136, Naples Italy

The Fontanelle cemetery is an ancient cemetery in the city of Naples, located in via Fontanelle. It is so named for the presence in ancient times of water sources. The cemetery holds about 40,000 remains of people, victims of the great plague of 1656 and cholera of 1836.

The cemetery is also known because there was a special ritual, that of the "pezzentelle souls", which provided for the adoption and the arrangement in exchange for protection of a skull, which corresponded to an abandoned soul.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Rione Sanita, Quartiere Stella, Naples Italy

The Rione Sanità is one of the areas less known by tourists and yet has a lot to offer. Once the prejudices have been overcome, today it presents itself as a welcoming and very interesting neighborhood. Here are the catacombs of San Gennaro and San Gaudioso, symbolic places rich in history.

Walking through its streets, beauty is at hand, you can see the Basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità and the famous scenographic buildings such as Palazzo Sanfelice and Palazzo dello Spagnuolo.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Santa Maria della Sanita, Piazza della Sanita' 14 Piazza Fra Via Sanità e Via Teresa degli Scalzi, 80136, Naples Italy

In Piazza Sanità in Naples stands the seventeenth-century basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità, a jewel of the Baroque era.

The basilica is considered one of the best works of the Dominican architect Fra 'Nuvolo, who gave shape to a splendid example of the Neapolitan baroque.

The church has a Greek cross plan with thirteen lateral chapels and a raised presbytery under which the previous early Christian basilica is kept, as well as the entrance to the Catacombs of San Gaudioso (not included in the itinerary).

Duration: 30 minutes

Pass By: Palazzo dello Spagnolo, Via Vergini, 19, Naples Italy

The Palazzo dello Spagnolo was erected in 1738 on commission of the Marquis of Poppano Nicola Moscati for whose project was commissioned by the architect Ferdinando Sanfelice. The building is today the object of numerous visits thanks to the monumental double-ramp staircase, defined as "falcon's wings". This was thought of as a sort of meeting place, in which there was a real social life.

This place was often frequented by Charles III of Bourbon, who in the palace changed horses to take oxen, the only animals capable of carrying it to Capodimonte along the steep Via Vergini.

At the end of the century it was bought by a nobleman of Spain, Tommaso Atienza, whose nickname the Spanish is the reason why the palace is called today in this way.