San Paolo Maggiore
A Baroque church raised on a Roman temple — two 1st-century Corinthian columns still lean against the facade, connected by a beam that has been there since the building almost fell down.
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Built over a temple of the Dioscuri, this church compresses nearly two thousand years into one visit: Roman columns, an 8th-century dedication marking a victory over Saracen raiders, Theatine Baroque reconstruction from the 1580s, and a nave whose frescoes by Massimo Stanzione were nearly wiped out by Allied bombing in 1943. The damage is still visible.
What to look for
- The two ancient Corinthian columns standing in front of the facade, joined by a fragile projecting beam — the last remnant of the Roman temple of the Dioscuri
- Fragments of Stanzione's frescoes in the nave depicting Sts. Paul and Peter, preserved only partially after the 1943 bombing
- The marble pavement and nave pilasters, fashioned from stones of the original Roman temple reused by 18th-century craftsmen
On Piazza Gaetano, one to two blocks north of Via dei Tribunali in the historic centre.
San Paolo Maggiore is one of 36 sights worth the detour in Naples, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Naples pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Naples
- HerculaneumWhere Pompeii draws the crowds, Herculaneum kept the wooden doors, carbonized food, and 300 skeletons still in the boat houses.
- Stadio Diego Armando MaradonaThe city officially renamed this 54,726-seat ground for Maradona on 4 December 2020 — locals still argue over what to call it.
- Teatro di San CarloThe world's oldest continuously running opera house opened here in 1737 — decades before Milan's La Scala existed.
- Naples National Archaeological MuseumA cavalry barracks in 1585, a university for 160 years, now the building where the largest single sculpture ever recovered from antiquity lives.
- Museo di CapodimonteA Bourbon king built this palazzo to hold art he inherited — then it got looted, evacuated, and reassembled across three centuries.
- Castel Nuovo (Maschio Angioino)Built in three years flat from 1279, this waterfront castle was the seat of kings of Naples, Aragon, and Spain for over five centuries.