Naples Cimitro delle Fontanelle and Sanita' district small group tour

The Mater Dei neighbourhood is set in between the Vomero hill and the lower part of Naples, and it is exactly in the heart of this rione that you will find the Cimitero delle Fontanelle – also known as ‘e Funtanelle.

This cemetery has been set into a natural cave, right outside the walls of the Ancient Greek-Roman city, where the graveyard and the mass graves where located. These tufo caves had been used for centuries - since the 1656 - to collect the corpses of the victims of the plague. Only in the 1872 the structure of the "open air" cemetery was then organised and gates opened to the public.

Your guide will explain you in detail the traditional belief of the “anime pezzentelle” and why Neapolitan people are so related to them – not even mentioning the legends linked to some of the skulls kept into the cave! And we are sure that after this tour the thought of adopting a skull will tickle your fancy!

You will then be led into the rione Sanita’, whose name comes from the Ancient belief that the area was rich of natural and supernatural salubritas. Set outside the walls of the Greek polis, many ipogeos and paleo-Christian catacombs have been found into the area.

In the late XVII century, it was supposed to become one of the noblest neighbourhoods of Naples, but century by century it has become more of a popular district, where you can actually get in touch with the so called “real Naples”.

This journey off the beaten track of the historical centre will bring you to discover one of the most beautiful and hidden sides of the city.