Greco-Roman Neapolis

The two sunken rectangular pits in the center of Piazza Bellini reveal the original Greek walls of Neapolis. These stone blocks date back to the fourth century before Christ, marking the western boundary of the ancient city. While bars and…

The Complesso Monumentale di Santa Chiara distinguishes itself with its majolica-tiled cloister, where rows of octagonal pillars are wrapped in eighteenth-century hand-painted ceramic scenes of rural life. Queen Sancia of Majorca…

The center of Piazza San Domenico Maggiore holds a tall, marble spire topped with a bronze statue of Saint Dominic. This monument dates to the mid seventeenth century, commissioned by the people of Naples to thank the saint for sparing the…

Deep beneath the Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore lies a sprawling maze of Greek and Roman stone corridors. These cool, shadowed passages began as an ancient cistern system, carved out by the Greeks to provide the city with water.…

The church of San Lorenzo Maggiore rests on a distinct layer of history, featuring a yellow facade that rises above the surrounding neighborhood of Spaccanapoli. Beneath the stone floor lies an entire excavated Roman marketplace, a…

The Roman Theatre of Neapolis hides beneath the street level of the San Lorenzo Maggiore complex, buried under centuries of urban growth. You identify it by the arched stone remnants of the cavea, the seating area where thousands once…

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta features a facade defined by a neo-Gothic portico added in the nineteenth century. This structure rests directly above the excavated ruins of a Roman market and a Greek street, creating a vertical layer…