CHURCH OF MONTEOLIVETO (SANT'ANNA DEI LOMBARDI), Tour

Even though the church was heavily damaged by bombardments in World War II, Monteoliveto Church has preserved its truly exceptional artistic heritage, which is entirely hidden behind its quaint façade.

As soon as you enter, to the right just beside the atrium you'll find the Correale Chapel built at the end of the 1400s by the brothers Giuliano and Benedetto da Maiano: a perfect jewel of Florentine humanism embedded in the heart of Naples. Giuliano is to thank for the clear architectural layout, while Benedetto made the remarkable, light-colored marble altar depicting the Annunciation, which is a worthy rival of any of Botticelli's and Filippino Lippi's most sophisticated creations.

Still on the right side, cross through three rooms decorated with fourteenth and fifteenth-century sculptures and frescoes to reach the Oratory of the Holy Sepulcher. Here you can admire the statuary group titled Compianto su Cristo Morto, or Lamentation: eight full-size statues made by Guido Mazzoni, an amazing terracotta sculptor from Modena who had moved to work in the court of Alfonso II of Aragon.

This statuary group is one of his greatest masterpieces, and in it you can recognize Alfonso II in the thick, bald Joseph of Arimathea, as well as the features of his father Ferdinando Primo in Nicodemus's stunned features....