After three months of closure, the Catacombs of San Gennaro reopen and the first tourist to visit them is Hawaiian
The first visitor to the islands comes from Hawaii. Catacombs of San Gennaro and San Gaudioso in Naples, which have been closed for three months due to Covid. The arrival of the girl, 25 years old from the island of Oahu, also surprised the members of the cooperative 'La paranza' that manages the historic site.
“We thought that in the first days of opening – Vincenzo Porzio, a member of the cooperative, told ANSA – it was the Neapolitans who would take advantage of these visits which, due to the reduced number of people imposed by the pandemic, certainly offer a much more intimate atmosphere, and when we received the reservation for an English-speaking guide we were curious to meet the visitor”.
The words of the tourist addressed to the guide who accompanied her seem to confirm this idea. “It is an extraordinarily evocative place,” said Frandina Thornton, 25, “it almost seems like you can hear the voices of the people who took refuge there.” “Today for the reopening, all 40 of us members were there,” Porzio emphasized, “even though only eight worked between the ticket office, bar, guides and personnel in charge of access control and body temperature. But it is a special day and no one wanted to miss it. The strongest emotion? The noise of the opening of the gates, the coffee machine and the ticket printer. It seems little but for us it means a lot. We are starting again. We take the arrival of this girl as a good omen. Now we are waiting for the Neapolitans again, lovers of art and beauty who have always supported the cooperative since it was founded.”
The Catacombs can only be visited by reservation on Thursdays and Fridays.
Article published on 11 February 2021 - 15:43
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