Early Christian catacombs reborn thanks to the young people of the Rione Sanità
At the foot of the Capodimonte hill, in the Rione Sanità district, the Catacombs of San Gennaro are the largest and most important in southern Italy. Dug into the tuff from the second century, they are arranged on two levels with wide galleries and halls, unlike the narrow catacombs of Rome. They take their name from St Januarius, patron saint of Naples, whose remains were brought here in the fifth century.
The catacombs preserve frescoes and mosaics from the second to the tenth century, including the oldest known image of San Gennaro, and an underground basilica carved from the rock. Their recent history is remarkable: for decades the Sanità was a poor and neglected district, until a group of young people from the neighbourhood formed a cooperative, La Paranza, reopened the catacombs and turned them into one of the most visited sites in the city, creating jobs and pride.
Tip: the ticket also includes the nearby Catacombs of San Gaudioso; after the visit explore the Sanità, with the Palazzo dello Spagnolo and the Fontanelle cemetery.
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