Naples - Fontana Monteoliveto

North of the post office, just east of the via Toledo and west of the Piazza Jesu Nuovo, on the via Monteoliveto is the Fontana di Monteoliveto. Lions and eagles and Charles II oh my! Built in 1669, another towering eclectic baroque sculpture. This was given as a gift to the city from King Charles II … the city thanked Charles II and didn’t mention that they had really wanted a toaster. I mean what’s the point in registering at Macy’s?

This particular little piazza has seen some rather industrious graffiti artists and yes that is a street sign that has been wedged in the fountain.  On the

Fontana Monteoliveto, held up by graffiti

Naples - Santa Chiara

Santa Chiara - Piazza Gesu Nuovo

Bell Tower Santa Chiara

Located in the Piazza Gesu Nuovo the church of Santa Chiara is possibly most famous for the cloister that is lined with Majolica tiles. It was damaged heavily during the allied bombing of 1943 which destroyed all of the baroque interiors.

When the church was reconstructed after the war it was as its earlier incarnation as a gothic church, so one will have to imagine the baroque splendor that was lavished on it in the 18th century.

The bell tower is an amazing work of art. It stands separate from the church and is massive. It’s hard to get a sense of scale from pictures but it just seems to have been built over scale. Built of brick and stone it was finished in the renaissance era and has some fine classical detailing on it.

Naples - Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco

Along the via dei Tribunali just east of Santa Maria Maggiore and just west of San Paolo Maggiore stands yet another façade darkened with age; Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco.
I would not have originally noticed this church had it not been for the bronze skulls on posts outside. From there one begins to look at the façade and the wealth of carving reveals crowned skulls with drapery drawn out of the eye sockets. The whole effect is rather striking, if a bit sinister and Lovecraftian.

The church was built in 1616 and appears to have become a center for Naples unofficial cult of the dead. There were certainly offerings there when we were visiting. There is a hypogeum underneath the church (well where else?).

Santa MAria delle Anime del Purgatori ad Arco

Naples - San Paolo Maggiore

San Paolo and San Gaetano

Back at Piazza San Gaetano, at the intersection of Via Tribunale and the Via San Gregorio Armeno is the church of San Paolo Maggiore. The magnificently restrained façade post-dates the late 17th century Neapolitan earthquake.

The façade consists of ten Corinthian pilasters painted gray with white capitals. Above the central portal the second order is of composite pilasters in the same gray and white configuration and they support a rounded pediment. The molding between the pilasters reminds me of some of the wainscoting at Versailles, though overall the coloring and complicated staircase is slightly reminiscent of the vestibule of the Lauentian library.

The church was built on the site of a temple to the Dioscuri (our old friends Castor and Pollux) and two of the columns from that temple can still be seen on the façade.

Naples - Porta Nolana

The Porta Nolana

The Porta Nolana is located about 100 yards north of the Circumvesuvia train station on the Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi. I believe this gate to be part of the Aragonese walls that surrounded Naples in the 15th century. Unlike the Porta Capuana, which has been cleaned up and restored, the Porta Nolanna is incorporated into occupied residential buildings in various states of decay. It’s actually quite fantastic.

Naples - Duomo

Just west of the church of the Girolamini is the Duomo or cathedral of Naples; San Gennaro. This is the site of the famous Miracle of San Gennaro; twice a year his dried blood (in a vial) liquefies. The façade of the cathedral is a riot of gothic architecture, most of which dates from the late 19th century. The three portals however are supposed to date to the 13th century.

The via Duomo itself is a narrow street lined with shops and even some trees!

Naples - Santa Maria della Colonna

The adorably cute Santa Maria della Colonna

Santa Maria della Colonna: Directly opposite the church of the Girolamini is the little yellow church of Santa Maria della Colonna. This delightfully whimsical gem is nestled, or rather wedged, between two residential blocks that have seen better days. Well they must have surely?

The church had a number of notable features on the façade. Two statues flank the entrance in niches topped with cockle shells, there are a number of cherubs or seraphim hanging about a plaque over the portal and the upper window has some interesting sculptural detail over the center. The capitals to the pilasters appear to be some sort of hybrid of the Composite order. Which itself was a hybrid (hence the name Composite)… The little dome that tops it all off is irresistibly possibly unnecessarily cute.

After the Piazza Jesu Nuovo, I think this is my favorite square in Naples.

The small roads leading south off the square were also delightful.  Almost quaint, as the below picture attests.