Cimitero delle Fontanelle

The Cimitero delle Fontanelle is a vast ossuary on Via Fontanelle in the Rione Sanità district of Naples, in Italy's Campania region, set in a series of large caves cut into the tuff hillside. The remains of an estimated several tens of thousands of people are stored here, many of them victims of the plague of 1656 and the cholera epidemic of 1836. The bones had been moved from city churches and mass graves, and in the 19th century local people began a custom of adopting and caring for the skulls, offering prayers for the anonymous dead in exchange for favours. The Church discouraged the practice in 1969 and the site was closed for many years before reopening to the public. Visitors enter a cathedral-like central cavern lined with stacked bones and rows of skulls, some in small shrines or boxes left by devotees, with glass-fronted cabinets and altars in side galleries. The atmosphere is quiet and solemn rather than macabre. Entry is free, though donations are accepted to support upkeep, and a visit takes about 45 minutes. Mornings are quietest, and the site is open daily with set hours. The cemetery is a 20-minute walk from the Catacombs of San Gennaro, so the two are often combined. Visitors should behave respectfully, keep voices low and follow local rules regarding photography, as this is a place of burial and remembrance. Flat shoes are advised for the uneven floors, and the interior is cool and damp compared with the street outside.