✨ Naples rediscovers its soul: the Fontanelle Cemetery reopens
After years of waiting, Naples gives back to the city and travelers one of its most fascinating and mysterious places: the Fontanelle Cemetery, in the heart of the Rione Sanità.
📅 The official inauguration is scheduled for Saturday, April 18, 2026, with a large participation of the local community, institutions, and citizens.
👉 From April 19, it will be permanently open to the public.
🏛️ A unique place in the world
The Fontanelle Cemetery is not just a historical site.
It is a former ossuary of over 3, 000 square meters, carved into the tuff, which houses the remains of thousands of people. A place where history, spirituality, and popular tradition deeply intertwine.
Here is born one of the most suggestive rituals of Naples:
💀 the cult of the "pezzentelle souls, " that is, the symbolic adoption of a skull (the "capuzzella") in exchange for protection.
An intimate bond between the living and the deceased that tells the most authentic soul of the city.
🕒 Opening hours and visit modalities
📍 Opening: 6 days a week (closed on Wednesdays)
⏰ Hours: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm (last entry at 5:15 pm)
❌ Closed on December 25
🎟️ Ticket:
Around €10
Free for residents of the III Municipality
Dedicated worship times: Monday and Friday (9:00 am – 10:00 am)
👉 Access by reservation
👉 Limited entries (max 75 people at a time)
👉 Guided or accompanied tours
🌍 A project of rebirth
The reopening is the result of an important shared work between the Municipality of Naples and the La Paranza Cooperative.
A project that is not just restoration but social regeneration:
improvement of accessibility ♿
new services for visitors
training and job opportunities for young people in the neighborhood
enhancement of the local cultural heritage
A concrete example of how culture can transform a territory.
❤️ Why visit it
Visiting the Fontanelle Cemetery means:
entering the most authentic and profound Naples
discovering unique traditions in the world
living an experience outside the classic tourist circuits
truly understanding the relationship of Neapolitans with memory and spirituality
🏡 Wanda B&B's advice
If you choose to stay at Wanda B&B, we recommend including this visit in your itinerary, perhaps combining it with:
a stroll in the Rione Sanità
a visit to the catacombs
an authentic gastronomic stop in the neighborhood
👉 It's a different, intense Naples, one that leaves a mark.
✨ Naples never stops telling stories.
And some of the deepest... are found right below the surface.