19/06/2026
So Naples doesn't just have a few beautiful churches. It has around 500 historic ones and around 1,000 religious buildings which is probably why it has a nickname of "the city of 500 domes."
I'll admit churches aren't my thing when I am travelling so I didn't go into lots of them but nonetheless what makes this remarkable isn't just the number, it's the time span.
Neapolitans have been building churches here continuously across 17 centuries, since 313 AD, so a single street can hold an early Christian basilica, a Gothic nave, a Renaissance chapel and a Baroque facade within a few steps of each other. The oldest, Santa Restituta, dates to the 7th century and now sits inside the cathedral, built on the remains of a temple to Apollo.
They changed their use too San Lorenzo Maggiore was the meeting site of the city parliament for centuries. Others sheltered the poor, buried the unclaimed or guard the relics of San Gennaro. The Sansevero Chapel holds the Veiled Christ, marble carved so finely it looks like wet cloth (but you aren't allowed to take photos or video)
It's fascinating history even if you aren't necessarily religious and another layer to this city that many write off as just dirty & busy.
