Hidden Naples

Naples is the Italian city richest in esotericism, legends, and mysteries. These stories and secrets intertwine in a web of references and allusions that envelop the city in a subtle yet visible network, discernible to those with eyes to see and hearts to believe. Whether passing through Naples as a tourist or as a simple citizen of their own city, one often fails to realize that they are near places whose stories and mysteries are capable of leaving one astonished: from miraculous blood relics (seven, plus that of San Gennaro) to the sites of the cult of purgatorial souls, a cult bordering on paganism that, in some aspects, is still alive in the city, to the locations of the underground Naples: the city below, from which the city above originated. This book aims to be a guide and a reference for those who wish to be curious tourists. That is why we have decided to complement the book with maps and photos of the described places because, while the stories we tell are fascinating, the actual places are a thousand times more captivating: the esoteric and secretive part of Naples is something real and visible, in its palaces, churches, and even in the names of its streets. And it is out there, ready to be experienced.