Porta San Gennaro

One of the ancient gates of the city off Via Foria. The gate has a small chapel and there is a fresco by Mattia Preti. The nearby caption reads, "This fresco on Porta San Gennaro is the only one surviving of the seven original frescoes commissioned to Mattia Preti as a votive offering for escaping the plaque of 1656. It is located on the oldest entry gate to Naples and is already mentioned in the documents of 928 A.D. and subsequently incorporated in the expansion of the sixteenth-century wall built by viceroy Pedro da Toledo. It depicts the Immaculate Virgin with the Child in her arms, flanked by San Gennaro, San Francesio Saverio and Santa Rosalia who intercede for the cessation of the disease. In 2021 Friends of Naples and AReN, in synergy with public entities and private donors have offered the restoration of the fresco to the city of Naples." Thanks to that restoration, the gate is in better condition than many other ancient sites in Naples and is worth a stop. And try the pizza place next door!