Obelisco di San Domenico, Naples, Ghid vizitatori și ce de văzut în apropiere

The Obelisco di San Domenico, also called the Guglia di San Domenico, is a baroque spire in Piazza San Domenico Maggiore, in the historic centre of Naples. The people of Naples raised it after the plague of 1656 as thanks to Saint Dominic, and it now anchors one of the liveliest squares of the old town.

The story behind it

The plague of 1656 was one of the worst epidemics the kingdom of Naples ever suffered, and it killed a very large share of the city's population. The citizens vowed a monument to Saint Dominic in return for deliverance. The spire came after the square and the church beside it, and it took decades to finish. Work began to designs by Cosimo Fanzago and was completed in the 18th century by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro, with a statue of the saint at the top.

The square has long been a meeting point of Neapolitan nobility and learning. The neighbouring convent of San Domenico Maggiore is where the philosopher Giordano Bruno studied. The symbol of the Dominican order is a dog carrying a torch. It plays on the Latin Domini canes, the Lord's dogs, and the torch stands for the fire of truth the friars wanted to spread. The square also holds Palazzo Sansevero, tied to two famous stories: the 1590 murder of Maria d'Avalos and her lover by her husband, the composer Carlo Gesualdo, and the alchemist prince Raimondo di Sangro, whose name still carries a mysterious aura in Naples.

What to look for

• The tall decorated shaft of the spire, crowned by the statue of Saint Dominic, which rises well above the rooftops of the square.
• The Dominican emblem of the dog with a torch, a play on words that explains why the friars chose it.
• The apse of the church of San Domenico Maggiore closing one side of the square, a good backdrop for the obelisk.
• The facade of Palazzo Sansevero, where the stories of Gesualdo and Raimondo di Sangro belong.

Tips for your visit

• The obelisk stands in an open square, so you can see it at any time and it costs nothing. Ten to twenty minutes is enough to look around, longer if you stop at a cafe.
• Morning is calmer for photos, while the evening brings a lively crowd to the square.
• The church of San Domenico Maggiore and the nearby Cappella Sansevero can be visited inside, but check current opening hours before you go.
• You are on the edge of Spaccanapoli, so the old town streets, the workshops of Via San Gregorio Armeno and Piazza del Gesu Nuovo are all a short walk away.

See it on a quest

Haunted Naples: The Alchemist Prince passes this square, which suits a route built around the dark stories and alchemical legends of the old centre. You reach the obelisk on foot as one stop of a longer walk, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

In search of "Cazzimma" through Naples is a different way to cross the same streets, with a Neapolitan attitude as its theme. You walk between the stops, hear about each place when you get there and solve a puzzle in front of what you are looking at. One ticket covers the whole group.