Via Tribunali
The streets of Naples may look like a free-for-all, but in fact they're usually being shared harmoniously by pedestrians, scooters and children playing football. The streets off via Tribunali are no exception, and offer a mosaic of working-class Naples, with roving tomato vendors selling pictures of the Virgin Mary alongside vegetables, humble food stores, Gothique and Baroque churches, pizzerias and street altars.
Church of San Gregorio Armeno: Though originally built in the 8th century to house the relics of St Gregory, Bishop of Armenia, the convent was later divided into two parts to distance the nuns from the rest of the faithful.
Via San Gregorio: December 8 is the day of the Immacolata, and from November onwards the pretty Via San Gregorio has a festive feel. When the big day finally arrives, the street is lined with Neapolitan crib scenes with traditional nativity figures (a 400-years-old tradition), as well as more modern characters drawn from the worlds of showbiz, sport and politics. You'll need about two hours (as opposed to the usual five minutes) to make your way from one end of the street to the other.
San Lorenzo Maggiore: This church commissioned by Charles I in the late 13th century is a jewel of Angevin Gothic art.
The city below the city: For a real history lesson, visit that lies below the city. Among the attractions are the tufa quarries that supplied the stone to build acqueducts and catacombs, and were later used as air-raid shelters and secret storehouses. A 90-minute tour with the Associazione Napoli Sotterranea will show you also the rest of the Roman theater inside a modern apartment.
Church of Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio: At the entrance to the church there are three small columns, each surmounted by a bronze skull - hence the local name 'church of the skulls' - where carnations are laid every day. It was built in the 17th century, and its macabre distinguishing features are explained by the presence of an underground cemetery and ossuary. Here, well-preserved skulls stare out at you from alcoves - a reminder of the popular cult of the souls of the Purgatory, a cult the Christian church stopped recognising in 1968.
Cappella Sansevero: This little private chapel contains some of the most extraordinary and bizarre sculptures to be found anywhere in the city.
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