Catacombs of San Gennaro

The catacomb is cut into the yellow tuff of the Capodimonte hill on two levels that are not stacked directly one above the other. Its galleries are far wider and higher than the famous Roman catacombs, which is a relief if you dislike tight spaces. The official account:

• Origins in the 2nd century AD, as a family burial ground that grew into a community cemetery.
• Expansion in the 4th century after the burial of Saint Agrippinus, a bishop of Naples. On the lower level is the underground basilica of Sant'Agrippino, with a bishop's chair carved from the rock.
• The remains of San Gennaro were brought here in the 5th century by Bishop John I; the bones returned to the city in 1497, and the catacomb kept his name.
• The Crypt of the Bishops on the upper level, with 5th-century mosaic portraits, including one of Quodvultdeus, bishop of Carthage.

The guide sets the pace and the route, and the hour passes quickly. Ask questions: the tours are small enough for it.

The San Gaudioso catacomb lies under the Basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità, down in the valley, and is entered from beneath the high altar. Gaudiosus was a North African bishop from Abitina, in modern Tunisia, who reached Naples after refusing to accept Arianism under the Vandals and died between 451 and 453. His burial drew others, and the cemetery grew around it.

The reason to go is later and stranger. In the 17th century, the skulls of the dead were set into the walls and their bodies painted below them in fresco, often with the clothes and tools of their trade, so that each tomb shows a skull above a painted figure. Tours also last about an hour, and the meeting point is inside the basilica on Piazza Sanità.

The ticket is valid 12 months for San Gaudioso, so you do not have to do both on the same day. Doing both, a sensible order is San Gaudioso first and San Gennaro second, then down to the Capodimonte museum or back into the Sanità.

The San Gennaro entrance is at Via Capodimonte 13, beside the large domed Basilica del Buon Consiglio, on the main road up to the Capodimonte museum. From Museo station on metro Line 1 it is about 1.9 km (1.2 miles) on foot, roughly 25 minutes, and most of it climbs. A taxi from the old town saves the climb; for buses up the hill, check the ANM journey planner on the day.

The better way, if you have the legs for it, is through the Rione Sanità. From Museo station to the Basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità is about 1 km, and from there up to San Gennaro another 1.1 km, about 15 minutes, uphill. That route puts both catacombs, the Sanità's baroque palaces and lunch on the same walk. Our Rione Sanità walk lays it out.

A same-day ticket from the MANN also brings a 25% discount here under the museum's ExtraMANN scheme. The Holy Mile (Miglio Sacro) is a longer walking tour of the Sanità and its churches, run every Saturday and Sunday, in English at 9:30 a.m.

• Not on a Wednesday. Both catacombs are closed.
• Bring a layer in summer. Underground galleries stay cooler than the street.
• Shoes with grip. Floors are uneven tuff, with steps between levels.
• Children generally cope well: the spaces are wide and the tombs are empty. The San Gaudioso skulls are more confronting; judge for your own family. See also our guide to Naples with kids.
• Eat in the Sanità. Concettina ai Tre Santi for pizza and Poppella for the fiocco di neve pastry are both in the neighborhood below.

Naples: Catacombs of San Gennaro Entry Ticket & Guided Tour

Sold by the catacombs' own operator, Catacombe di Napoli. Timed and non-refundable: be at the ticket office, Via Capodimonte 13, 15 minutes early. The San Gaudioso part is valid for 12 months.

45 minutes

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