These catacombs attached to the church of San Gennaro extra Moenia are the most important in southern Italy, prized for both the length of the period they were in continued use -- from the emergence of Christianity until the 10th century -- and the well-preserved fresco cycles that decorate their corridors and chapels -- spanning from the 2nd to the 10th centuries. Organized on two levels, its broad corridors and halls distinguish it from the narrower Roman catacombs. Among the most interesting things here is the Cripta dei Vescovi, a bishop burial chamber magnificently decorated with mosaics dating from the 5th century. The lower level holds the Basilica di Sant'Agrippino ipogea ("ipogean," or subterranean) where St. Agrippino, the 3rd-century bishop of Naples, is buried. Also nearby is the Cubicolo di San Gennaro, with the tomb of the patron saint of Naples, whose remains were moved here in the 5th century.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Amalfi Coast, 2nd Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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