What you will visit during the San Lorenzo – Underground of Naples Tour

San Lorenzo Underground

History and archeology, architecture, sculpture and painting have written chapters of undisputed importance on S. Lorenzo Maggiore of Naples. The chapters are the amalgamation with the truest story of the ancient Naples. They are the heart, it can be said, as well as S. Lorenzo and in fact, geographically and topographically it is the heart of the old Naples. The deepest roots of the current complex of S. Lorenzo are found in the subsoil of the Greek-Roman Neapolis, on which arose, in the VI century, the paleochristian basilica of S. Lorenzo, near the "Via Augustale", where, at that time of the Romans, the general markets were located. Donated to the Friars Minor by Bishop Giovanni of Aversa, in 1234, the early Christian basilica of S. Lorenzo was later replaced by the current monumental complex, begun in 1284 under King Charles I of Anjou. At the origin of the Greek route, and during the Roman period, ie between the 5th century BC and the 5th century AD, the insula of San Lorenzo was divided into three insulas with two hinges. In the first insula San Gennaro all'Olmo was built, in the second insula the monastery of San Pantaleone and the Macellum and the shops below, in the third insula it is assumed to be the Roman basilica. The situation described gives a picture of stratifications and transformations that preceded the construction of the early Christian basilica dedicated to the proto-martyr Lorenzo during the years of the Neapolitan bishop Giovanni II (533-555). In 1234 Bishop Giovanni d'Aversa gave the basilica to the Franciscan Friars with the addition of small surrounding buildings. The traces of this basilica had been completely lost, only after the work of arrangement of the floor (1955) and the transept (1958) of the present church, it was possible to identify almost completely the area. Between 1270 and 1275, Carlo I decided to build a larger basilica and began the works by entrusting them to French architects and craftsmen, constituting a unique example in the Neapolitan area.

Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore

With the advent of Charles I of Anjou and then of the French dynasty, Naples became the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Considering that the city was left in a long state of neglect by the Normans and then the Swabians, it is clear that this historical event was the premise for an urban and administrative rebirth for Naples, with a consequent cultural and artistic rebirth. The Basilica of San Lorenzo was the first church to be rebuilt according to the unmistakable French Gothic style, introduced by architects and workers following Charles I. The current plan of the Basilica, built according to the needs of the Franciscan spirit, presents itself with a single large central nave, an apse and 23 side chapels. The Apse, one of the most daring and of Gothic conception in Italy, has a space that develops according to the French Gothic style, not only for the circular plan with ambulatory and radial chapels, but also for the ribbed vaults on ogival arches, for polystyle pillars, for flying buttresses and for counters. Among the chapels of the whole basilica, there is the one dedicated to the Madonna degli Angeli, which presents frescoes realized in 1333-1334 by Antonio Cavarretto, disciple of Giotto, dedicated to the life of the Virgin. The Transept, on the other hand, has at its center the high altar in marble, executed in 1500 by the sculptor Giovanni Merliano da Nola, placing at the center of it the statue of San Lorenzo, the martyr to whom the church is dedicated, on the right San Francesco and a Left Sant'Antonio. His martyrdom is carved under the statue of San Lorenzo with fine realism. Under San Francesco the miracle of the ravaged wolf of Gubbio, and under Sant’Antonio the miracle of the fish listening to his word.

The Main Decuman

The Decumano Maggiore is one of the most important streets in the historic center of Naples. Built by the Greeks in the old Neapolis, together with the two decumans it represents the historic center of Naples, officially declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995. The Decumano starts from Piazza Bellini and continuing along via San Pietro a Majella and via dei Tribunali crosses away Duomo, to then reach the Capuano Castle. On the Decumanus we find a multitude of sites of historical and artistic interest. Starting from Piazza Bellini we can admire the remains of the Greek walls from the 4th century BC and the former Convent of Sant'Antonio in Port'Alba. On Via San Pietro a Majella, we find the Church of San Pietro a Majella and the Conservatory. Going further we find the Cappella dei Pontano and the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Pietrasanta. On via Tribunali, after the Church of Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio in Arco, we come across Piazza San Gaetano, which stands on the ancient Greek agora, overlooked by the Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore and the Basilica of San Paolo Maggiore. Near the intersection with Via Duomo we find the beautiful Church of the Girolamini and the Palazzo Pio Monte della Misericordia. At the end of the decumano we find Castel Capuano and Piazza Enrico de Nicola with Porta Capuana.

San Gregorio Armeno

The street which is popularly called San Liguoro, turns out to be one of the stenopori (from the gr .: stenosis, narrowing, and poros, passage) typical of the Greek urban architecture which characterizes the whole ancient center of Naples. As stenoporos (pivotal in Roman urbanism), the street served as a link between the two plateiai (from the gr .: plateia piazza) the larger plateia (now Via dei Tribunali) and the lower one (today's Spaccanapoli). The two main streets of the ancient Neapolis (from the Gr. "New Town"), today's Naples, were therefore joined perpendicularly right by this road, at the height of the Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore, where the agora rose. Subsequently, the road was called plateia Nostriana because the XV bishop of Naples, Saint Nostriano, had built baths for the poor there. Starting from Piazza San Gaetano we immediately see on the right the battered eighteenth-century building of the Banco del Popolo, once owned by the Casa degli Incurabili, which also owned another adjoining building from an older century. Today, in a serious state of neglect, it needs important interventions since it has presented several failures that led in 2011, in addition to the already existing safety measures with Innocenti pipes, the installation of a temporary emergency protection for the many tourists. About halfway up, there is the historic church of San Gregorio Armeno founded around 930 on the foundations of the ancient temple of Ceres. Only in 1205 the church was named after the saint of the same name. Arriving at the end at via San Biagio, on the left we see the church of San Gennaro all'Olmo, run by the Giambattista Vico foundation (not by chance the philosopher was baptized here). Opposite, that which is traditionally identified as the domus Ianuaria, that is the house of San Gennaro. A plaque placed in 1949 mentions this place as the birthplace of the saint.