When I walked into this church complex on a grey Tuesday morning around 9am, I didn't know what to…read moreexpect aside from the cream colored ceiling with inset paintings in the famous Sacristy of Vasari. Built in 1411 as Santa Maria Monteoliveto, part of the Olivetan order supported by the Neapolitan aristocracy in prestige and finance, the church during those times was located outside the city walls, a self-sustaining monastic community. Later in 1798, when another church on nearby land dedicated to Sant Anna was severely damaged during an earthquake, the Archconfraternity of the Lombardi (a Catholic lay brotherhood based in Naples,) obtained the sale of the Monteoliveto building and converted it from monastery to the church it is today. On entry there's a simple hallway with a counter on the left from where to purchase tickets, and show your city/museum pass for reduced admission. Current admission as of April 2026 is €8 for regular adults; €6 reduced for those under 26, students, teachers, journalists; €6.50 with certain city/museum passes; free for children under 12, disabled and caregivers, tour guides. Tickets are available for purchase online too. Architectural details and artwork hailing from the Renaissance adorn multiple chapels, ceilings, altarpieces. The aforementioned Sacristy of Vasari, transformed by Giorgio Vasari from its prior medieval style, incorporates painted geometric forms and symbolic figures depicting the 48 Ptolameic constellations personified across the vaulted ceiling, a sight to behold! The wood panel artwork lining the walls are some of the most intricate I've seen too! The "Lamentation of the Dead Christ" is a collection of life-sized terra cotta statues by Guido Mazzoni, known for his masterful rendering of facial expressions capturing emotions. Seven characters form a semicircle around the body of Christ, though when I was there they were placed out of order due to restoration work. The smaller chapels lining the nave each stand out in character too. Eye-catching frescos and architectural elements aside, what warmed my heart was how thoughtful and friendly the staff was here, both 1) the staff at the front desk at the time of purchasing my ticket, and on seeing me look confused, directed me on the path to the rest of the church, 2) the maintenance/cleaning staff who kindly gave me pointers on the flow of the visit while I was walking around, in a very polite manner, not the usual "you're going the wrong direction" type of grunt. Thanks for making my visit such a pleasant one! In total spent about 45 minutes here, aside from me there were only a handful of other visitors. For more info: https://www.santannadeilombardi.com/en/

Hemming in the western edge of Piazza del Plebiscito, this basilica is reminiscent of the Pantheon…read morein Rome with its focal dome, and colonnaded portico arms branching north and south. Commissioned by Joachim Murat (Napoleon's BIL) in 1816 as a tribute to Naps himself, it was Bourbon King Ferdinand I who took credit for completing the construction under his rule when the the French government was ousted and rule reverted to the Neapolitan and Sicilian houses, hence the equestrian statues erected in the square directly in front of this basilica. A little tricky to find the opening hours as the building info on G-maps is confusingly vague, it lists several businesses including a handful if BnBs within the same location, and from the number of reviews it doesn't seem like a much trafficked site (or maybe intentionally so for local safeguards). Either way, from the pictures online the dome is sizeable, there are a couple side chapels though not much extra to gaze upon. In the evening the exterior is lit with color lights and adds a chill ambiance to the piazza. Many local kids riding bikes, some families and friends taking a walk. With free entry, if I was in the area again during the daytime would definitely peek in to check it out!

Located in Piazza del Plebiscito, the main square of Napoli, San Francesco di Paola contains a…read morenumber of statues and chapels while its shape and grandeur harkens Rome's Pantheon. Good for a quick visit.

Completed in 1324, Basilica San Domenico Maggiore resides near "Spaccanapoli" in the historic…read morecenter of Naples, and containing both an older church plus a monastery nicely represents the Gothic style with well preserved works of art and tremendous detailing throughout its fairly small interior.

Naples isn't Florence, Venice, or Rome and nothing could have screamed that louder than Certosa e…read moreMuseo di San Martino, a diamond in the rough. Located at the very top of the Vomero district and sitting beside the imposing Castel Sant'Elmo, the Museo di San Martino does little to outwardly win your heart. Here, you need to work to reveal the wow factor. Immediately after paying the entry fee I walked into a tired-looking courtyard. As one of the first things you encounter, it's easy to wonder what you've gotten yourself into. Next you'll wonder how to find the treasures talked about on the audio guide you rented. Pro tip: don't bother renting the audio guide, something I rarely say. Next up is a beautiful church, classic Italian, ornate and lovely. Friends I was with walked from here through another building, then out to the gardens. I'm not sure what's happened since some of the photos posted here on yelp, but it was impossible to walk through the gardens thinking anything other than "how hard would it be to pull some weeds?" The garden is a lovely stroll with beautiful views but majorly unkempt. So look a little harder. It wasn't until I began wandering off the beaten path here that I discovered riches. Naples is known for their hand-carved nativity scenes, assembled by locals at the start of December. Here, you'll find the best of that genre, featuring entire city scenes, flying angels, babies, toddlers, water features, the poor and unbathed... the list goes on. One of the things Neopolitans are quick to tell about their nativity scenes is how realistic the figures are. That is: the people are not made to look like models. They feature the faces of the the needy, the unattractive, those generally not featured in the arts from this time, making the scenes all the more interesting. Anyhow, there's a heavenly assortment of nativity-scapes here including a huge one that goes dark and then brightens to daylight. This section is a must-see. There's tons of other ancient (circa the 1500's) sculptures here as well as some fabulous views of Mount Vesuvius. There was honestly more to see here than I even saw. In the end, despite Museo di San Martino not being a place that screams "see me", it is.

This place is nothing short of awesome. It used to be a monastery and sits right next to Castel St…read moreElmo. In a way it has been turned into a museum, but there is still much of it that is reflective of the former monastery. I actually discovered this place completely by accident, namely because I was looking for the entrance to the Castel and ended up walking in here instead. Needless to say the old monastery part of this, especially the religious art that covered the walls, was nothing short of mind blowing. Mind you, it can be easy to get lost in here, however once you find your way into the courtyard, the serenity of the place literally washes over you.

Visited in April 2026, and was really blown away by the detail in the marble sculptures. The way…read morethe sheerness of the fabric captured all the folds and wrinkles over the forms of the Christ and Modesty sculptures was stunning. My mind can't even begin to comprehend how Genoese sculptor Francesco Queirolo carved the life-like roped fishing net texture and structure draped over the two human figures out of solid stone for Disillusion. He certainly was a virtuoso in this art form. The other statues in the room were incredibly elaborate and detailed as well. As other reviews have mentioned, the chapel has a strict no photography policy, there are multiple security guards posted around this room and they watch with hawk eyes so don't even try. The "anatomical machines" portion of the exhibit was two open bodies one male, one female, preserved for scientific study, showing possibly the most complete real life version of the human cardiovascular system including veins and arteries. Fascinating, though could present an ick factor for those that aren't into seeing explicit internal organs. Open daily 9am-7pm except Tuesdays. Regular admission is €12.00 for adults, €6-8 for students, handicapped, youth 10 yrs and over. Free admission to 9 yrs and under. Audio guides are available for an additional €3.50 fee. Regular admission feels steep for essentially access to 1.5 rooms, given the amount of people, had to dock a star. A lot of info available on their website below, I don't think you need the audio guide if you can read thru the descriptions in advance, though cell service isn't great inside, so wouldn't recommend trying access it live. https://www.museosansevero.it/en

Visited May 20, 2022. Booked tickets online. Great small museum. Don't worry if you don't score a…read moreticket online. There seemed to be a short line for those who didn't have tickets. The highlights are the Veiled Christ, Modesty & Disillusioned. It really was something else to see that kind of artistry with marble. Be sure to go downstairs and check out the 2 anatomical studies which display all the veins in a human body.

Located in the Materdei section of Naples, Fontanelle cemetery contains the remains of some 40,000…read morepersons, many victims of WWII and the plague. Free to enter, and predictably solemn, expect to spend approximately 60 minutes inside taking in the scope of tributes.

It's the most macabre place I've ever been. There are thousands of skulls and bones everywhere. but…read moreit's very interesting. super recommend