Vergiliano Park in Piedigrotta, on the slopes of Posillipo

About this activity

The Vergiliano Park, located behind the church S. Maria di Piedigrotta, also known as "Virgil's Tomb Park," is a small oasis where archaeology and history merge. This Park houses the Tomb of Giacomo Leopardi and the cenotaph of Virgil, better known as Virgil's Tomb.

Why visit Vergilian Park

Vergiliano Park is unique in Naples; it is not just a recreational place to picnic or walk the dog, but an archaeological site that manages to project you into history. Beautiful, lush ivy, along with cypresses, holm oaks, myrtle, pines and oleanders, accompany visitors on their walk.

The Tomb of Virgil

Entering from the side of Via Salita della Grotta, the route begins with the Tomb of Virgil at the top of the park, from which you can see the wonderful panorama of the city of Naples. At the entrance we find an epitaph on which the thermal areas are engraved, one of three epitaphs between Naples and Pozzuoli which contain indications for ancient Roman baths. The cenotaph is very similar to the pre-Roman Sardinian Nuraghe, here the inscription "Siste viator pauca legito hic Vergilius tumulus est," says, "Stop, wayfarer, and read these few words: this is the Tomb of Virgil." Inside the park we also find a niche where there is a bust of Virgil.

Leopardi's Tomb and the Crypta Neapolitana

Continuing on, one arrives at the Tomb of Giacomo Leopardi in an altar placed in the cave carved out of the tuffaceous wall. Now the only official burial site, for a long time the Tomb of Giacomo Leopardi was a subject of debate as it was said that the poet's remains did not reflect his physiognomy.

Continuing on, you come to a clearing in front of the entrance to the Crypta Neapolitana, a cave that connected Mergellina to Fuorigrotta built around the 1st century B.C. by Cocceio, a Roman architect, about 670 meters long. The cave is completely dark, but looking at it before entering you can see a point of light that is the exit. Seneca, in a letter to Lucilius tells of the time he went through it in darkness and describes how the flashlights did not make light but "illuminated the darkness," giving power to the darkness, but emphasizes that at the end of the cave there was always light. This account could be seen as teaching Seneca to remind us that at the end of darkness there is always light.

Here at the entrance to the Crypta Neapolitana we find an epitaph for Bruno Risparella, who in 1455 under King Alfonso I of Aragon saw to the restorations, with an epigraph that reads:

"Opus Domini Bruno.

Risparelle d Naples

SVb year dni MCCCCLV

SVb reg ihene dni nri dni Alfonsi regis utriusq Sicilie 2 C"

Upon entering the Crypta it is possible to observe frescoes, in particular, on the right we see the Roman sun god Mithras. The small conduit that runs alongside the Crypta was probably a Roman aqueduct, a good 30 km long that reaches all the way to Baia, explaining how it was dug is a mystery.

The most important things to know about Vergilian Park

In recent years, Vergiliano Park has undergone restoration work by the Superintendence for Architectural and Landscape Heritage and for the Historical and Artistic Heritage of Naples and Province in collaboration with the Suor Orsola Benincasa University of Naples. The Park offers the possibility of following two thematic itineraries: historical-artistic and botanical-literary. The first leads visitors to Virgil's Tomb, passing through the Tomb of Giacomo Leopardi and the Crypta Neapolitana. The second, on the other hand, offers the opportunity to observe plants and shrubs mentioned by Virgil in his major works, with hand-painted captions on majolica tiles.

Curiosities about Vergiliano Park

Popular belief has it that the remains of the poet Virgil are actually preserved in this place, however it is a cenotaph, that is, a Roman sepulchral monument erected in his honor. On the wall of the monument dedicated to Virgil, there appears a curious inscription that reads, "Qui cineres? Tumuli haec vestigia: conditur olim/ille hic qui cecinit pasqua rura duces" (What ashes? These are the vestiges of the mound: here was once buried the one who sang of pastures, fields and condottieri), a sarcastic text dating back to 1554 and affixed by the canons of the convent of the nearby church, testifying to the historical discussion regarding the presence of Virgil's real Tomb.