The studio is located in the heart of Spaccanapoli. Just leave the house and you are enveloped by colorful streets, narrow alleys, the masters of the art of the nativity scene and the smell of sfogliatelle. Also called the Babel of Naples, Spaccanapoli is a perfectly linear street, about one kilometer long, which divides the ancient city in half. Along Spaccanapoli, in fact, you can find the Carafa di Maddaloni Palace, the San Severo Chapel with the Veiled Christ, the Complex of Santa Chiara and the Church of Santa Maria ad Tutti Bene dei Sette Dolori. Not only that: along the Spaccanapoli there are also monuments of historical and artistic interest. Just to name a few, walking along the street you will find the famous statue of the Nile God dating back to the Greek-Roman era. Or the great obelisks of Naples, those of San Gennaro and San Domenico.
La via dei Presepi
Spaccanapoli is also the neighborhood of the cribs, where the crib shops from all over the city are gathered. Here it is possible to admire the masters at work, in order to create all the elements that enrich the traditional nativity scene: terracotta shepherds dressed in very precious clothes, cork houses and much more. also meet the famous people who have caused a stir during the last twelve months and who, therefore, earn a place of honor among the merchandise of shopkeepers.
Watch out for the crowd: being the street of the cribs, it is literally besieged during the Christmas period. In order not to be overwhelmed by the crowds, we advise you to walk it early in the morning, as soon as the shops open.
Cappella Sansevero - Cristo Velato
In Spaccanapoli it is possible to admire the Veiled Christ, one of the most fascinating and mysterious works that can be seen in Naples. It is said that the marble veil on the body of Christ is actually a fabric veil, transformed into rock thanks to a special liquid invented by the sinister Prince of San Severo, an illustrious alchemist. Many, however, argue that the surprising effect is all the result of the talent of Giuseppe Sanmartino, the sculptor who created the veiled Christ. The discovery of a secret room and some macabre works, visible in the San Severo Chapel, helped to give the Prince and the veiled Christ an aura of mystery. The Chapel is worth a visit not only for Christ but also for the other works present in this little gem hidden in the alleys of Naples: a place full of esoteric and religious symbols, which we help you discover.
Duomo e Tesoro di San Gennaro
Also known as the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, the Naples Cathedral includes the Basilica of Santa Restituita and the Royal Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro. It is one of the most important places of historical and artistic interest in Naples as the basilica houses the baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte, the oldest in the West, while the royal chapel houses the relics of the patron saint of the city. , from which it takes its name. It is here that the famous rite of the dissolution of the blood of San Gennaro is hosted three times a year.
Next to the Cathedral of Naples is the Museum of the Treasure of San Gennaro which contains numerous precious objects, including the famous Bishop's Miter, considered by scholars to be one of the most precious objects in the world inside which diamonds, emeralds and rubies are set.
Napoli Sotterranea
A part as mysterious as it is fascinating of the Neapolitan city is undoubtedly that of Underground Naples. Few people know that under the characteristic streets of Spaccanapoli, forty meters deep, there is another Naples that preserves an unexplored historical heritage unknown to most. The origin of the history of the subsoil of Naples dates back to the third century BC. when the Greeks used the tuff that was present here to build the buildings, walls and temples of the city. when they began to extract the tuff from the subsoil to strengthen the city walls. Subsequently, in Roman times, these underground passages were enlarged and adapted to collect rainwater, thus creating an aqueduct that will serve to bring water to Neapolitan houses until 1885. Visiting the subsoil of Naples allows you to take a journey through time of almost two thousand years and retrace the history of the city from the times of the ancient Greeks to the present day.
Chiostro di Santa Chiara e Decumani
The monastery of Santa Chiara is the largest Gothic basilica in Naples with four monumental cloisters: the cloister of San Francesco, the cloister of the Friars Minor, the service cloister and the majolica or Clarisse cloister. This, created by Vaccaro between 1742 and 1769 on a fourteenth-century structure, is decorated with colorful ceramic tiles that reflect bucolic themes, allegories and scenes of Neapolitan daily life. Along the portico there are 66 pillars surmounted by as many arches, while on the walls there are beautiful Baroque frescoes. On the avenues there are benches and columns, also tiled. The church also displays masterpieces by Giotto and Tino da Camaino, an archaeological area on the Thermae of Neapolis, the Opera museum with the history of Naples up to the twentieth century, a section of marble decorations, one of which on the finds found during the excavations.