This itinerary is a walk along the invisible boundary that separates faith from superstition in Naples.
First stop, the Dome, in the famous San Gennaro Chapel, dedicated to the beloved patron saint of the city. The two ampoules containing the crystallized blood of Christ are very important objects of devotion. Three times a year, during a solemn ceremony, believers flock to assist the miracle of the blood’s liquefaction: it’s considered a harbinger of good omen for the city.
Afterwards, you’ll visit piazza San Gaetano and via San Gregorio Armeno, where the veneration of the Nativity Miracle fosters a flourishing crafts tradition, unique in the world: the production of small clay statues for the crib, with the famous “good luck pastors”. Finally, in Via dei Tribunali, you’ll enter the hypogeum of the baroque church of Santa Maria del Purgatorio. It’s an ancient ossuary where, from time immemorial, the so called cult of the dead is practiced, through which the devotees promise to take care of the remains of a soul in the purgatory in return for some favors from the afterworld...or at least for some winning number.
Last stop: a visit to the Sansevero Chapel. The marble statue of the Veiled Christ is a masterpiece that perfectly embodies the aesthetic sense of death which pervades the Neapolitan culture.
