Rest bite from the chaotic traffic and bustling alleys of Naples is the serene Santa Chiara monumental complex. Unmistakable in Napoli fashion the outside walls are scrawled in graffiti, not the cosmopolitan type but blatant vandalism you can find on railway bridges. The contrast for me is all part of the city’s charm, as inside lies the Church of Santa Chiara, a monastery, ancient Roman ruins and its most famed strikingly decorated cloisters.
 
Situated in the heart of the historic centre of Naples, Santa Chiara was constructed in the 14th century under the orders of King Robert of Anjou and his wife Sancha of Majorca. Devoted patrons of the Franciscan Order, the citadel was set up with an unusual double convent built to house both nuns of the Order of the Poor Clares and monks of the Order of Franciscan Friars.
 
The original Gothic complex undertook a Baroque renovation in the 18th century, the work of Domenico Antonio Vaccaro a Neapolitan painter, sculptor and architect. His most distinctive alteration was redesigning the cloisters, building two intersecting avenues to divide the space into four areas. Octagonal pillars line the avenues clad with vibrant majolica ceramic tiles by Donato and Giuseppe Massa, hand painted with rural, maritime and mythological scenes, as well as scrolling floral designs. The playful vivid design that today attracts Instagrammers worldwide seems a bold choice for the contemplative life of a nun in the 18th century.
 
Entering the church you cannot help being struck by the difference, the stark vastness and simplicity of design as the building was almost destroyed during Allied bombings in World War II. A ten-year-long renovation saw the church restored to its original Gothic design, removing any remnants of Vaccaro’s Baroque creation though you can view fragments and decorative pieces that survived in the museum.
 
Santa Chiara is a beautiful example of richly layered Neapolitan history. The tragic bombings destroyed many invaluable artefacts but they also revealed a deeper layer of the city, a Roman thermal bath dating from the 1st century AD which you can explore from scaffolding snaking above the excavated spa.
 
Admission to the Church of Santa Chiara is free and there is a fee to view the cloisters and museum. Based on my visit, the change from fifteen euros will buy you a pizza Margherita.