Today’s blog is titled Momento Mori (remember to die) as our day was morbid but fascinating.
On the Church Trail
On the way to the catacombs, we stopped into what we thought was the Gesu Nuovo church but it was actually the Monastero Santachiara Clarisse (Convent of Saint Chiara). We later went into the actual Gesu Nuovo and were awed. Frankly, all churches here are way more impressive than Saint Joseph’s Cathedral we are familiar with in our home town.
The Catacombs of Napoli
We began the day by making a trek up to the catacombs of San Gaudioso – a patron saint of Napoli.
The catacombs are situated in the church of Saint Mary of Health (Santa Maria della Sanità ), named after a fresco of the Saint Mary which is believed by local Neapolitans to heal the person who touches the fresco while praying. The catacombs originally became famous for Neapolitan Catholics in the 5th century as that is where the remains of San Gaudioso were situated.
Our guide let us know that the remains were removed and then the catacombs were lost until the 17th century. There, Dominican monks re-opened the catacombs and began a practice of eviscerating deceased bodies and removing the heads, before creating special tombs for the rich and wealthy around Naples.
The bizarre practice funded the building of the large church which is now the church of Santa Maria della Sanità .
The process of the evisceration was gruesome and our guide theorised that the “workers” who completed the rituals were not paid and were likely to be prisoners sentenced to death or bad monks. Most of them would die within days of the work as the process was completed entirely underground and without any hygiene.
The most amazing thing we learnt about this was what the monks would do with all those heads. Within the main part of the catacombs, the heads would be inserted into the walls, with depictions of the deceased accompanied by inscriptions. For example, one was depicted without any clothes except for a sword (probably a soldier). His inscription read, “today me, tomorrow you.”
The place is most definitely a must see in Napoli and only takes an hour for the tour. The tour is 10 euro and go towards the program, ensuring the church can deliver services to those in the impoverished district of Napoli.
The guardian of the catacombs. Or as Chantal calls him, Skeletor. 
Wondering Around Napoli
After the catacombs, we decided to take a stroll around Napoli to get a good look at all its sights. The city is both old and interesting, with high-density apartments, apparently abandoned buildings, and so many churches.
Two galleries we walked passed were closed. One because of falling debris, the other had no signage to explain why it looked abandoned.
Castel Nuovo
While taking our stroll, we saw some monstrous structure in the distance near the port – it was the Castel Nuovo. This is a medieval castle that practically looks like the one in all those period dramas. It’s complete with a moat!
We ventured inside, paid for a ticket with audio guide and wondered the various featured locations throughout the huge structure. One is still used today for local council meetings.
There was also an art gallery inside, which included pieces from medieval, Neapolitan baroque and 19th century periods.
A recent discovery was an ancient (Roman) burial site underneath the area of the castle. There was also a dinner hosted for the king’s niece’s wedding, where the king apparently fed those he suspected of treason by feeding them to a crocodile kept at the castle.
Chris and Chantal 
Hello you two. I found this to be a compelling, and found myself wanting more. I am really enjoying your trip to Italy. Keep it up. xxxxx
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