Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A pictorial history of Naples is told in the section
Immagini e Memorie di Napoli
(Images and Memories of Naples). Here you'll find portraits of historic characters (Don
Pedro de Toledo in Room 33, Maria Carolina di Borbone in Room 43); antique maps, in-
cluding a 35-panel copper map in Room 45; and rooms dedicated to major historical
events such as the Revolt of the Masaniello (Room 36) and the plague (Room 37). Room
32 boasts the beautiful Tavola Strozzi (Strozzi Table), whose fabled depiction of 15th-cen-
tury maritime Naples is one of the city's most celebrated historical records.
It's worth noting that some of the exhibitions may close down for some part of the day,
so it's a good idea to phone ahead and check if you're especially keen on seeing a particu-
lar part of the museum.
Cimitero delle Fontanelle
( 081 744 37 14; Piazza Fontanelle alla Sanità 154; 10am-5pm Thu-Tue; C51)
Currently holding an estimated eight million human bones, the ghoulish Fontanelle Ce-
metery was first used during the plague of 1656, before becoming the city's main burial
site during the cholera epidemic of 1837. At the end of the 19th century it became a cult
spot for the worship of the dead, which saw locals adopting skulls and praying for their
souls.
Dubbed the
culto delle anime pezzentelle
(cult of the poor souls), the practice took hold
here after Father Gaetano Barbati began cleaning and cataloguing the abandoned skeletal
remains in 1872. Devotees joined him, adopting the anonymous skulls, building little
scarabattole
(cabinets) to encase them in, and praying for their souls. It was hoped that
once a soul was released from purgatory, it would bestow blessings in gratitude. No doubt
Father Gaetano would have turned in his grave when, in 1969, the Archbishop of Naples
banned the practice, condemning it as 'fetishistic'. Decades later, the cemetery remains a
powerful testament to the melding of the sacred and the profane in Neapolitan spirituality.
Of the countless bodies laid to rest here, only the two lying in coffins in the left-hand
nave have been identified: Count Filippo Carafa and his mummified wife, Donna Mar-
gherita Petrucci. According to legend, poor Margherita died choking on a
gnocco
(a gnoc-
chi), hence her somewhat panicked expression. The left-hand nave is also home to the
cemetery's mysterious 'sweating' skull, Donna Concetta. To the faithful, the skull was the
resident fortune teller, responding in the affirmative by sweating, and in the negative by
not. Exactly how Donna Concetta performs her 'trick' remains a mystery.
While you can visit the the cemetery independently, the lack of information makes join-
ing a guided tour such as those organised by the Cooperativa Sociale Onlus 'La Paranza' (
Click here
)
much more rewarding. Avoid guides offering tours at the entrance.
CEMETERY
