Naples is a city rich in history, traditions and folklore and the Neapolitan people, endowed with an incredible imagination, have always explained each event through numerous legends. Discover these folk tales through the words of a local guide who will show you around some of the city's most mysterious places.
One of the most famous squares in the old town is Piazza del Gesù Nuovo, where you'll find the Spire of the Immaculate Conception and the namesake church built by the Jesuit order, whose ashlar facade is covered with diamond-shaped stones that conceal a curious mystery. A few steps farther, you'll admire the famous Monastery of Santa Chiara which is linked to the legend of the Munaciello, one of the most popular in Neapolitan culture. The monastery was built at the behest of Queen Sancia de Maiorca, whose ghost still wanders around the beautiful majolica cloister.
Then reach Largo Corpo di Napoli, better known as Piazzetta Nilo, which is the area where the Alexandrians from Egypt settled and where they had a statue erected to symbolize their most precious resource, the Nile River. Today, the square preserves one of the relics most dear to Neapolitans: the miraculous hair of Maradona.
Meet spirits and sprites as you make your way through the alleys of Naples: the ghost of Maria d'Avalos, who still roams the halls of Palazzo di Sangro; the Janare, ancient spiteful witches whose legend is linked with the history of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore della Pietrasanta, and the spirit of Bianca, the ghost of a young girl who is said to haunt the Palace of Count Spinelli. Numerous mysteries are also hidden in the subsoil of the city, such as the one related to the small Church of Santa Luciella and its Skull with Ears venerated in an ancient cult.