Duomo di San Gennaro - Via Duomo 147, Spaccanapoli, Naples, Italy
Tel: +39 (0)81 449 097
The Cathedral of Naples (or Duomo) is the main church of Naples, southern Italy. It is dedicated to San Gennaro (St. Januarius), the city's patron. The church houses a vial of the Saint's blood that is brought out twice a year, on the first Saturday in May and 19 September, and usually liquefies. According to legend if the blood should fail to liquefy, then something bad will happen to Naples.
The simply vast Duomo di San Gennaro is the city's cathedral and is without doubt one of the most stunning buildings in the whole of Naples. Built on the ancient site of a previous cathedral dating back to 570 AD (Cattedrale Stefania), the Duomo di San Gennaro in Naples stands next to the Basilica di Santa Restituta, which was constructed in the 4th century. Over the years the Duomo has been both restored and redesigned, particularly after much of it was destroyed by a large earthquake in 1456. Notable features include a gilt wooden ceiling (1621), golden roundels painted above the pillars depicting various saints, the Cappella del Tesoro di San Gennaro (Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro) built between 1608 and 1637 and many spectacular statues and frescoes. In 1620, the artist Domenichino was commissioned to paint many of the frescoes and had to paint under armed guard to protect him from jealous local artists. He died in 1641 after suspected poisoning, before he had completed his work. The committee refused to use a Neapolitan painter after this suspicious death and the dome was completed by the Roman Giovanni Lanfranco.
Church open: daily - 09:00 to 12:00 and 16:30 to 18:30
Church admission: charge

Chiesa San Domenico Maggiore (San Severo Chapel) - Via Francesco di Sanctis 19, Spaccanapoli, Naples, Italy
Tel: +39 (0)81 551 8470
San Domenico Maggiore is a church in Naples, southern Italy, located in the square with the same name. The square is one of the most interesting in Naples and is on the street popularly called "Spaccanapoli" (namely via Benedetto Croce at this particular section of its considerable length) in the historic center of Naples. It was one of the three main east-west streets of the original Greek city of Neapolis. This massive Gothic edifice was built from 1289 to 1324 and then was rebuilt in the Renaissance and early baroque eras.
This grand masterpiece is the funerary chapel of the Sangro di Sansevero princes, who were renowned military leaders from a famous family. Naples' Sansevero Chapel was begun in 1590 by Giovan Francesco di Sangro and updated between 1749 and 1770 by his descendant Raimondo di Sangro, who is responsible for its present appearance. The Sansevero family contains six saints and they are portrayed inside the chapel. Highlights include a wonderful marble-inlay floor, the painted ceiling 'Glory of Paradise' which was commissioned in 1749, and many detailed statues and sculptures, such as Giuseppe Sammartino's famous 'Veiled Christ' (1753), which is situated in the centre of the chapel and is one of the most famous sculptures in Naples.
On Piazza San Domenico is another of Naples's baroque spires, this one a 1737 confection called the Guglia di San Domenico by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro.
Church open: Easter to September, Monday and Wednesday to Saturday - 10:00 to 16:40 and Sunday - 10:00 to 13:00
October to Easter, Monday and Wednesday to Saturday - 10:00 to 18:40
Church admission: charge

San Gregorio Armeno - Piazzetta San Gregorio Armeno 1, Spaccanapoli, Naples, Italy
Tel: +39 (0)81 5520186
The church-monastery of San Gregorio Armeno is in the heart of the historic center of Naples and has given its name to the street on which it is situated.
The San Gregorio Armeno is one of the oldest convents in Naples and is of great importance. This was a convent of great wealth and the nuns who once lived here enjoyed a comfortable life, with countless sumptuous banquets. With many interesting features, such as candlelit shrines, detailed wooden ceilings, famous frescoes by Luca Giordano, well-preserved 18th-century interiors and a wonderful organ, this picturesque church affords a spectacular view of the Bay of Naples.
You can visit in the centre a marble fountain, decorated with dolphins and other marine creatures, with the sculpture of  Christ and the Samaritan by Matteo Bottigliero from 1733.  Church open: daily - 08:30 to 12:00

If you like cribs (Presepe) and want to see really all about the Neapolitan Crib, you should definitely visit the famous street of the nativity scene makers, in Naples’s historic city, the Via San Gregorio Armeno.
During Christmas time, more than half a million tourists come to see the shops with the original miniature figurines. A walk to this napolitan crib street it's obligatory in this period.
Difficult to describe with words or pictures the moltitude of little shops and stalls where crib artisans exhibit their creations. The shops in this street are especially busy.
Here you can admire numerous shops with creative nativity figurines in all variations. Besides the Jesus and Madonna figurines you will also find detailed copies of all household objects, gastronomic delights, exotic animals, and sometimes even caricatured politicians.
However, the most shops are open all year round and you can take your time and have a look around after New Year’s.
A good period to visit the street is in september-november, when all the handicraftsmen start to prepare their shop for the busy Christmas time


Cappella di Santa Restituta - Via Duomo 147, Spaccanapoli, Naples, Italy
Tel: +39 (0)81 449 097
At more than 1,700 years old (Built in the 3rd century), the Cappella di Santa Restituta is the oldest church is Naples, and one of the oldest in the whole of Italy. Christian emperor Constantine ordered the construction of this ancient church and it was built on the site of a temple to Apollo. Highlights include the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte, with an octagonal dome built in the 5th century, impressive early Christian mosaics and also an underground archaeological area.
Naples Cappella di Santa Restituta (Santa Restituta Chapel) attraction open: daily - 09:00 to 12:00 and 16:30 to 18:30
Church admission: charge

Certosa di San Martino - Museo Nazionale di San Martino, Largo San Martino, Vomero, Naples, Italy
Tel: +39 (0)81 578 1769
The Certosa di San Martino (Italian St. Martin's Charterhouse) is a former monastery complex, now a museum, in Naples. It is the most visible landmark of the city, perched a top the Vomero hill that commands the gulf.

This monastery resembles a stately palace and is full of grandeur, both inside and out. Construction started in 1325 under the royal patronage of Charles of Anjou and the building has been updated several times over the years. The Certosa di San Martino in Naples has a breathtaking view of the entire city and the majority of the monastery is now a museum with many splendid paintings, frescoes, a scale model of the monastery dating back to the 18th century and also the renown gouaches of Vesuvius by Dalbono, in various angry poses. There are also some 18th-century floors made with majolica tiles and beautiful terraced gardens, with many mature plants and flowers. Also worth seeing is the Quarto del Priore (the prior's apartment) - the residence of the only monk who had contact with the world outside of the monastery - which is incredibly luxurious. In the early 1800s, under French rule the monastery was closed and was abandoned by the religious order. Today, the museum houses a museum with a display of Spanish and Bourbon era artifacts, as well as displays of the presepe--Nativity scene--considered to be among the finest in the world.
Church open: Tuesday to Sunday - 08:30 to 19:00 (some rooms are closed in the afternoon)
Church admission: charge

Next to the monastery is the star-shaped Castel Sant'Elmo (tel. 081-5784030 ), built by the Angevins in a strategic position above the city from 1329 to 1343. It was enlarged in the 16th century and today offers a magnificent 360-degree panorama of Naples and its bay after a walk through the echoic medieval stone halls now used for conferences and exhibits.

Gesù Nuovo - Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, Spaccanapoli, Naples, Italy
Tel: +39 (0)81 551 8613
Gesù Nuovo (Italian New Jesus) is the name of a church and a square in Naples, Italy. They are located just outside the western boundary of the historic center of the city.
This magnificent Neapolitan Baroque church was constructed between 1584 and 1601 and stands proudly in the centre of the Piazza del Gesù Nuovo. The striking facade is reminiscent of Renaissance palaces and the church also features a large dome, which over the years has been rebuilt twice due to major earthquake damage. Points of notable interest include the highly detailed interior decoration, which was completed in the 18th century taking almost 50 years, many superb frescoes by leading Italian painters such as Francesco Solimena, a gallery of portraits and numerous beautiful statues and sculptures. The two imposing side Reliquaries, with 70 busts of saint martyrs in golden wood, were made in the most part in 1617 by the Neapolitan woodcarver Giovan Battista Gallone.
Church open: Monday to Saturday - 06:30 to 12:45 and 16:15 to 19:30, Sunday - 06:30 to 13:30

I Girolamini - Via Duomo 142, Spaccanapoli, Naples, Italy
Tel: +39 (0)81 449139
The Girolamini was built between 1592 and 1619 by Giovanni Antonio Dosio, an architect from Florence. At the end of the 18th century the large dome and facade were reconstructed in a neoclassical style, adding to the beauty of this church. In the Second World War the church was badly damaged by bombing and has undergone much renovation since. Interesting features include the 1684 fresco by Luca Giordano, which is situated on the inside of the entrance, and wonderful cloisters built in 1600. In a city full of  medieval and Baroque churches and monasteries, the premises that contain the church of the Girolamini constitute one of the most supremely important "religious areas" in the history of the city.
The gallery is relatively small but holds one of the most important collections of Neapolitan art, works running from the late 1400s to the 1700s, including works of Solimena, Giordano and Ribera.
Church open: daily - 09:30 to 12:50

Pio Monte Della Misericordia - Via Tribunali 253, Spaccanapoli, Naples, Italy
Tel: +39 (0)81 446944
The striking octagonal Pio Monte Della Misericordia church in Spaccanapoli was built in 1601 by a charitable institution. Situated near to Naples' Duomo, the original church was soon considered too small and was actually destroyed in 1655 to make way for the new, larger church, which was built between 1658 and 1678. There are many beautiful paintings, some dating back to the early 17th century, including Caravaggio's altarpiece, which has influenced many Italian artists over the years. CARAVAGGIO was in Naples for short, but his work completely changed the way of painting for long, long time...The Pio Monte della Misericordia and the Church of S. Domenico Maggiore used to be the scenaries of his art, transferred in part to the Capodimonte Museum together with most of the masterpieces of his best disciples.
Church open: Monday to Saturday - 09:00 to 13:00

San Giovanni a Carbonara - Via San Giovanni a Carbonara 5, Decumano Maggiore, Naples, Italy
Tel: +39 (0)81 295873
San Giovanni a Carbonara is a church in Naples , southern Italy . It is located at the northern end of via Carbonara, just outside what used to be the eastern wall of the old city. The name carbonara (meaning "coal-carrier") was given to this site allocated for the collection and burning of refuse outside the city walls in the Middle Ages.
This peaceful church is mixture of wonderful Renaissance architecture and sculpture of the highest quality. Located just outside the Capuana Gate of the old city walls, the San Giovanni a Carbonara dates back to the mid-14th century when it was constructed to honour John the Baptist. This church is of great historic value in Naples and inside there are a dramatic staircase, magnificent statues and many splendid sculptures. The church has been altered many times over the years and has recently been restored to its original state, thanks to a conservation scheme in Naples.
Church open: Monday to Saturday - 09:30 to 13:00

San Giuseppe dei Ruffi - Piazza San Giuseppe dei Ruffi 2, Spaccanapoli, Naples, Italy
This late 17th-century was built by Dionisio Lazzari and it is located near to the Duomo in Naples. The Baroque exterior of the building is one of the most impressively solid and dramatically Baroque facades in Naples.. However, the interior, although initially looking like expensive marble is actually a clever, realistic paint effect as real marble proved too expensive at the time of construction. The San Giuseppe dei Ruffi is an interesting church to visit, particularly when the choir of nuns are singing.
Church open: Monday to Saturday - 07:30 to 13:00 and 16:00 to 18:00, Sunday - 07:30 to 10:30

Santa Chiara - Via Benedetto Croce, Spaccanapoli, Naples, Italy
Tel: +39 (0)81 552 6209
Santa Chiara is a religious complex, that includes the Church of Santa Chiara, a monastery, tombs and an archeological museum.
The Santa Chiara in Naples, located opposite the Gesù Nuovo, is the leading monument of Angevin Gothic in Naples. Built between 1310 and 1328, this ancient church has undergone many changes over the years. In the Second World War, much bombing destroyed many of the original frescoes that once covered the interior of the church. Highlights include a vast rectangular hall, a restored 18th-century marble floor, beautiful tombs of notable Italians - including some sculpted by Giovanni and Pacio Bertini of Florence in the mid 1300s, and the Chiostro delle Clarisse, Naples' most famous cloister, transformed in 1742 by Vaccaro with the addition of precious majolica tiles in Rococò style.
Church open: daily - 07:00 to 12:30 and 16:30 to 18:30
Cloister, Monday to Saturday - 09:30 to 13:00 and 14:30 to 17:30, Sunday 09:30 to 13:00
Church admission: charge