Duomo di Napoli and Cappella del Tesoro di San Gennaro

The Duomo di Napoli stands on Via Duomo in the Centro Storico of Naples, in Italy's Campania region, and is the city's cathedral and the home of the cult of its patron, Saint Januarius (San Gennaro). The Gothic cathedral was founded around 1294 under the Angevins, though its facade was rebuilt in the 19th century and the interior was reworked in the baroque period. Visitors enter a wide nave with a coffered ceiling, side chapels and tombs, and can step down to the Basilica of Santa Restituta, an older early-Christian church incorporated into the complex, with a baptistery that preserves ancient mosaics. The highlight is the Cappella del Tesoro di San Gennaro, a baroque chapel completed in the 17th century and decorated with frescoes, marble and bronze work. The chapel houses the reliquary of Saint Januarius, including ampoules of the saint's blood, and the adjoining Treasure Museum displays one of the richest collections of silver, gold and jewelled objects in Europe, assembled over centuries of devotion. The famous liquefaction of the blood is celebrated on 19 September, 16 December and the Saturday before the first Sunday in May, when the cathedral fills with worshippers. A visit usually takes one to one and a half hours. Weekday mornings are the quietest, and the cathedral closes for a midday break, so timing matters. The Treasure Chapel and museum use timed entry. The cathedral lies on the route of Via dei Tribunali, about twelve minutes on foot from Dante metro station, and combines naturally with the pizzerias and churches of the surrounding streets. Visitors should dress modestly, with covered shoulders and knees, as the building remains an active place of worship.