Chiesa Santa Maria Maggiore

Lonely Planet review

The full title of this church, Santa Maria Maggiore alla Pietrasanta, is a reference to a 17th-century practice of kissing the church's pietrasanta (holy stone) to gain indulgences. Dating to the 6th century, the church was originally built by San Pomponio, the Bishop of Naples. According to legend, he did so to appease worried locals, who reported sightings of the devil in the form of a pig on the site.

The church was modified in the 17th century by Cosimo Fanzago, whose dome is visible from miles around. The Romanesque campanile (bell tower) is one of Naples' oldest, built sometime between the 10th and 11th centuries. Adjacent to the church, the 15th-century Cappella Pontano boasts an exquisite majolica-tiled floor.