12mo. [14.3 x 7.9], (1) f. engraved frontispiece, (2) ff., 1-264, 247-275, (1) pp., (3) ff., 1 blank, with 1 double folding engraved map of Naples, 47 engraved plates. Bound in contemporary stiff vellum. Book block loosening, otherwise excellent.

Rare early edition of this popular late 17th- and 18th-century tourist guide to Naples, recognized as such by Schlosser et al. Although there were guides to Naples and its environs prior to Sarnelli, the number was modest and—in contrast to cities such as Rome—there was no canonical plan or order for a visit. After a thumbnail sketch of the history of Naples in antiquity, the work treats churches, with the numerous plates showing exterior facades, high altars, and important funerary monuments. Sarnelli also covers the royal palace, fountains, and other historic monuments, with a relatively brief section at the end of attractions outside the walls, e.g., Vesuvius.

* Libri per vedere. Le guide storico-artistiche della città di Napoli, p. 74; Lozze 3087; Schlosser Magnino, pp. 553, 605.