Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
be Carlo Vanvitelli's extraordinary, round, vaulted
crypt
, complete with six altars. The
main altar features a statue of
Madonna and Child
by Domenico Gagini, set against stucco
work by Giuseppe Sanmartino, creator of the incredible
Cristo Velato
inside the Cappella
Sansevero.
T293
(
www.t293.it
;
Via dei Tribunali 293; noon-7pm Tue-Fri; C55 to Via Duomo)
Sneaky T293 is a fantastic surprise for lovers of contemporary art. Hidden away up an an-
onymous stairwell, it has a knack for thought- provoking shows which feature some of the
world's most exciting artists (think Henrik Olai Kaarstein, Damien Roach and Martin Soto
Climent). Check the website for current exhibition details.
GALLERY
Chiesa di Santa Maria del Carmine
( 081 20 11 96; Piazza del Carmine; 6.30am-noon Mon, Tue & Thu-Sat,
6.30am-1.30pm Wed, 6.30pm-2pm Sun; R2 to Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi)
Its 17th-
century
campanile
(bell tower) is Naples' tallest and this iconic church is home to a fam-
ously nimble crucifix. Now hanging in a tabernacle beneath the church's main arch, the
cross reputedly dodged a cannonball fired at the church in 1439, during the war between
Alfonso of Aragon and Robert of Anjou. Equally miraculous is the 13th-century Byzanti-
ne icon of the
Madonna della Bruna
, held behind the main altar, and famously celebrated
with fireworks each 16 July.
Indeed, the much-loved Chiesa di Santa Maria del Carmine is shrouded in legend. Ac-
cording to Neapolitan folklore, when Conrad (Corradino) of Swabia was charged with at-
tempting to depose Charles I of Anjou in 1268, his mother, Elisabetta di Baviera, desper-
ately tried to collect the money required to free her son. Alas, the money arrived too late,
Conrad lost his head and his grief-stricken mamma handed the cash to the church (on the
condition that the Carmelite brothers prayed for him every day). They agreed, the church
went up and a monument to Conrad still remains in the transept.
Just northwest of the church and Piazza del Carmine, the
Piazza del Mercato
has an
even more macabre past. The starting point for the deadly plague of 1656, it was here that
over 200 supporters of the ill-fated Parthenopean Republic of 1799 were systematically
executed.
CHURCH
