The tour opens in this grand semicircular square, designed by Luigi Vanvitelli in the eighteenth century and centered on a statue of Dante Alighieri. It serves as a natural threshold between the modern city and the historic center.

Passing through the seventeenth-century city gate, you enter a covered lane that has been Naples' literary hub for nearly two centuries. The shops here stock everything from rare editions to discounted academic texts, reflecting the neighborhood's long connection to the nearby university.

A short walk leads to this square, where sections of the original Greek perimeter wall — dating to the fourth century BCE — are visible in an open excavation at street level. The contrast between the ancient stonework and the surrounding cafes captures something essential about Naples.

The route continues along the Decumano Maggiore, stopping to explore the street food culture, local folklore, and artistic life that define this corridor. A dedicated stop at Lello Esposito's bronze Pulcinella offers context on how this theatrical figure became a civic symbol across generations.

The final stop brings the tour into the baroque church and its underground hypogeum, where the Pezzentelle ritual took shape. Visitors learn how Neapolitan women adopted forgotten skulls, gave them names, and prayed for their souls in exchange for intercession — a practice rooted in Catholic theology and deeply local in character.