Built in 1343 with the annex convent, this church was used by the Angevin dynasty to bury their last members. It is one of Naples's undiscovered jewels, which is not surprising, considering that it's rather difficult to find. First, you'll need to climb a scenic staircase leading to the baroque Consolazione a Carbonara church, and continue farther up until you reach three portals. Admire the central one -- the Gothic entrance to the Cappella Santa Monica -- and take the portal to the left. This will lead you into a terraced courtyard, and there you will finally find the entrance to San Giovanni, which you can access from its 15th-century lateral portal. Inside the church are several important works of art, including, in the apse -- flat, not rounded as is usual -- the Monumental Tomb of King Ladislao, a 15th-century masterpiece by several Tuscan artists. Behind the monument is the circular Cappella Caracciolo del Sole, with a majolica floor and beautiful frescoes from the 15th century, very handsome but less harmonious than the other circular chapel in this church -- Cappella Caracciolo di Vico. This chapel, located to the left of the presbytery, is an architectural tour-de-force from the beginning of the 16th century, graced by a beautifully carved 16th-century altar. At the end of the courtyard, an entrance gives access to yet another chapel: the Cappella Seripando with a Crucifiction by Vasari.

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

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