Would you like to visit some of the most unusual and little-known spots in the historic heart of Naples? Then join a passionate local guide on a walking tour of the old town, see some of the places that locals love most, and discover secret stories and legends about them.
The tour starts from Piazza Bellini, where traces of the ancient walls of the Greek Neapolis are preserved. Walking through the historic center of the city you can still see the original network of roads: the decumani, the main streets which today correspond to Via dei Tribunali and the famous Spaccanapoli. Follow your guide through the intricate maze of alleys that characterize the city for fully appreciating the smells, sounds and colors of Naples.
One of those streets leads to the monumental Church of San Domenico Maggiore, where the Gothic and Baroque styles blend perfectly, which has hosted illustrious figures such as the philosophers San Tommaso d'Aquino, Giordano Bruno and Tommaso Campanella, and Caravaggio who painted his Flagellation for one of the noble chapels of the church. During the walk, you'll also discover an ancient cult between sacred and profane, that of the so-called "pezzentelle souls" of Purgatory, which is still very dear to Neapolitans.
Your tour of unusual Naples cannot but include Via San Gregorio Armeno, better known worldwide as Via dei Presepi: here you can feel the spirit of Christmas 365 days a year thanks to the master craftsmen who produce the characters of the Neapolitan nativity scene with the same 18th-century technique. A few steps from this extraordinary place is Piazza San Gaetano, the site of the ancient Greek agora later transformed into a Roman Forum whose remains are preserved in the basement of San Lorenzo Maggiore, the church where the writer Boccaccio met his beloved Fiammetta.
Your total immersion in Neapolitan culture wouldn't be complete without a visit to the imposing Naples Cathedral, better known as the Duomo di San Gennaro, home to the relics of the city's patron saint where the miracle of the liquefaction of his blood takes place every year, protecting the city and all Neapolitan people.
Guided tour
