San Francesco di Paola

San Francesco di Paola review Rate it

One of Naples' neoclassical rarities, San Francesco is surprisingly unpopular with the locals. Flanked by curving colonnades reminiscent of Saint Peter's square, the church itself is an imitation of Rome's Pantheon. It was erected in 1817 by King Ferdinando, in thanks for the repossession of his kingdom after the period of French rule. It takes its name from a saint who, conveniently, came from the town of Paola in Calabria, near to where Joaquim Murat - Napoleon's brother-in-law and Naples' king from 1808 to 1815 - had been shot by Ferdinando's police after an ill-fated attempt to lead an Italian uprising. The apex of the dome stands 53m (174ft) above the ground - ten metres higher than its Roman counterpart.