Dark sights in Naples
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A
Chiesa Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco
Guarded by three bronze skulls, this 17th-century church is macabre. Inside, two winged skulls adorn either side of the main altar. Built by a congregation dedicated to praying for souls in purgatory, the church became a centre for the Neapolitan cult of the dead which, although officially banned, is said to be far from extinct. Cult practices included lavishing care and gifts on a skull as a means of keeping in touch with an absent loved one.
Below the church in the hypogeum (currently closed) you can still see a dusty hoard of skulls and bones.
On a lighter note, the church boasts some fine paintings by Massimo Stanzione and Luca Giordano.
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B
Palazzo Sanfelice
If Sanfelice’s sweeping architectural statement leaves you stair-crazy, a quick walk north will lead you to his debut effort inside the Palazzo Sanfelice. Upon its completion in 1726 the double-ramped diva became the talk of the town, and from then on there was no stopping Sanfelice, who perfected his dramatic staircase design in various palazzi across the city.
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C
Chiesa Santa Maria della Sanità
Topped by a striking green-and-yellow tiled dome, the 17th-century Chiesa Santa Maria della Sanità boasts canvases by greats like Andrea Vaccaro, Luca Giordano and Giovan Vincenzo Forlì, as well as two contemporary sculptures by Riccardo Dalisi.
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D
Cimitero delle Fontanelle
Creaking with the skulls and bones of some 40,000 Neapolitans, the ghoulish Fontanelle Cemetery was first used during the plague of 1656, before becoming the city’s main burial site during the cholera epidemics of 1835 and 1974.
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