Wandering With
Wandering With
Yasmin Saoirse
Ancient Ruins, Death Cults and Dodgy Cab Drivers
Ancient Ruins, Death Cults and Dodgy Cab Drivers
Part one of how to and how not too, spend a few days in Naples, Italy.
Content Warning; Human Bones
Last year I felt hard done by, only getting away once. Then this year happened.
I have that urge to get away that I cannot fulfil, so I have decided to dive into my photos from Naples and Pompeii. From the three times I have visited.
I love Italy, I love history and I love food. A lot of people are always surprised when I say I have visited Pompeii three times. People see it as somewhere you visit once to tick it off your list. For me its somewhere I could keep returning too. And every time discover something new to love about it.
Praedia of Giulia Felice - Pompeii
It might be considered macabre, and it is to an extent. It is emotional when you think what happened there all those years ago. Its impossible to ignore as Mount Vesuvius waves from the skyline as we walk through history. We should never forget about the people who died there when we are exploring Pompeii.
The first time I visited was in 2014. I went on a day trip from Rome to Naples and Pompeii with my mother. I can whole heartedly say that I do not recommend this way of visiting. It was a very long time on a coach and very little time in Pompeii itself. This said, we got the most out of the trip. Although we did have a tour guide who was a little bit obsessed with all of the phallic iconography around the ruins. We had a very short tour of Pompeii by Penis, if you will. 😂
The second time I visited Naples and Pompeii was with my friend Jace. One of the best humans I know. But it was not one of our best experiences.
From not being able to find our apartment, to eventually finding it is miles away from anything, to getting extorted in a cab, to Jace turning into a crispy lobster after only a few hours inside the archaeological park AND to top it all off… me getting my period whilst attempting to climb Mount Vesuvius, in a white dress! It was not a good couple of days. 😆
However, we did have one good day in the main city. The highlight of that trip was visiting The Catacombs of San Gennaro in Naples. I mentioned in an Instagram reel recently, I like visiting cemeteries, catacombs and burial sites when traveling. Fortunately, my friend Jace enjoys this too. We both share a fascination on how cultures part with the dearly departed.
The Catacombs of San Gennaro
The Catacombs of San Gennaro
The Catacombs of San Gennaro are amazing on several fronts: firstly, their age. It is believed the site was first used as a pagan burial location in the 2nd century. And was continually used up until the 10th century. Secondly, their architecture. The catacombs are made up of the ruins of centuries of cemeteries and basilicas. Thirdly, the mosaics and paintings some of which date back to its early days. Fourthly, everything has been done to make these catacombs as accessible as possible. In 2009 they removed all of the architectural barriers to widen passageways and bring in ramps. And finally, they are amazing, because they are empty.
When the catacombs were restored in the 19th century the remains were moved to other Christian cemeteries in the area. One of these is The Fontanelle Cemetery. We had never heard of it; it was our guide around the catacombs that told us to visit them. And we were not disappointed.
The Fontanelle Cemetery.
The Fontanelle Cemetery.
Located in a cave in a hillside off of a back road around a 20-minute walk from The Catacombs of San Gennaro, is where you will find The Fontanelle Cemetery. An ossuary, a charnel house. Where the remains of an unknown many rest. It is beautiful tragic chaos. These remains, many of them found their way there after the flooding of overpopulated local cemeteries in the 17th – 19th centuries. Being on the outside of the city. This is where the bones were brought. Later it became the last stop for many of the poorest residents if Naples especially during the cholera epidemic in 1837.
In 1872 all of the remains were exhumed. With the intention of cataloguing and then reinterring them. Instead, they were catalogued and left on the surface, in wooden boxes and on shelves. A consequence of this was the start of a death cult dedicated to these unknow remains. With people adopting the skulls, worshiping them and voicing their silent names that centuries forgot but the spirits shared with the care takers in their dreams. This is what they believed at least. The cult supposedly was disbanded in 1969. When Cardinal Corrado Ursi warned against its fall into fetishism. He ordered the cemetery to be closed.
When we visited in 2018 the cemetery had been re-opened for some time. I have checked out their website recently and it says the site is undergoing some more restorations. If you are planning a trip soon. Be sure to check their website before going!
I have not told you about my third trip to Naples and Pompeii. The “take two” of mine and Jace’s escape to Napoli! You’ll have to come back next week for part 2!
Fancy a chat before then, or to check out what else I am up to? Be sure to check out my social media links below.