Hotels near Naples Cathedral (Duomo di San Gennaro)

The Duomo di San Gennaro houses two glass ampoules of dried blood from San Gennaro, the city's patron saint, beheaded in AD 305. Three times a year - the first Saturday of May, 19 September, and 16 December - the blood is processed before crowds and, if it liquefies, signals a good year for Naples. The 14th-century Gothic cathedral also incorporates two earlier basilicas (Santa Restituta and the 4th-century Baptistry of San Giovanni in Fonte, the oldest in the Western world).

Free entry to the main cathedral; EUR 6 to access the Baptistry, archaeological excavations beneath, and the Royal Chapel of San Gennaro with its Caravaggio. Mass is held daily; tourist visits should avoid 11am-noon Sundays.

Pro Tip: If you are in Naples on 19 September, queue from 7am for the liquefaction ceremony at 9am - it is unlike anything else in Italian Catholicism. Otherwise, the archaeological tour beneath the Baptistry is the best EUR 6 in Naples.