The Fontanelle is an old cemetery of bones in the city of Naples,, located in a former quarry tuff in the heart of the Sanità district.
Its origin dates back to the sixteenth century and is linked to the history and above all the misfortunes of the people of Naples, was used to store bones to accommodate the bodies of the population during the great epidemics of plague and cholera, were not place in the public graves of the churches within the city.
The place has been for almost a century, from the end of ‘800, a cult destination for some pay, other dictated by piety towards the souls of the dead, which led the women of the people to adopt a skull “to capuzzella” and to pray for the deceased anonymous, said “pezzentella anima” (“poor soul”) since abandoned, for once to come to heaven could grant pardons as a sign of gratitude.
The bones and skulls are anonymous object of great devotion, creating the link between the world of the living and the dead eternally present in Naples.
Today, the Fontanelle Cemetery is a place of worship and macabre fascination, where some of rituals, legends and tales of miracles are concentrated.
