Naples is one of the city most beautiful in the world, rich in history and culture, folklore and tradition , not to mention the unique landscapes in the world.

Few can say that they know Naples inside out, and even fewer are those who have visited the deepest and most hidden side of the wonderful Parthenope , which covers about 900000 square meters under its foundations. A series of burrows , galleries , catacombs , wells and ancient remains which go by the name of Naples underground sites.

Such evocative and fascinating places creep into various parts of the city with different entrances leading to settings surreal all to be discovered.

Visit the underground sites of Naples

Many are the itineraries e possible routes to visit the basements of Naples . In these places were born legends and  folk cults , such as those related to the figure of the munaciello and of the watermaker .

Tunnels, underground roads, tunnels, catacombs and cisterns are also the protagonists Of Neapolitan esotericism , whose walls guard the events of the city's earliest history.

What all the paths that run under the surface of the city of Naples have in common are their distant origins. In some of these environments, it is possible to retrace the ancient greek-roman roads and visit environments dating back to various civilizations.

Others have been shelter of the people during the world wars , while still others are used for museum  In areas of particular experimentation.

We now set out to discover the most fascinating underground sites.

Among the Streets of Underground Naples

Beneath the surface of the city, at forty meters of depth, there is a hidden world where an ancient Naples has long remained undisturbed.  The emergence of structures is the result of the succession of the greatest civilizations, starting with the Greeks, who from the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. this began excavating quarries to take a particular type of rock employed to erect buildings or the tuff .

At Romans , on the other hand, is owed the design of the urban network at hinges and decumani , and the construction of the tanks for the water supply of the oldest cities. So begins the tour of the Naples Underground: visiting what was once an extensive greek-roman aqueduct . 

During the Spanish Kingdom , the aqueduct was expanded by the viceroy cherono a secondary aqueduct placed further above ground than the Greco-Roman aqueduct. 

In the nineteenth century , However, the aqueduct was closed. A contagious epidemic of cholera spreading through the streets of the city of Naples. The closure was necessary because the sewerage system, built on the level above the aqueduct, was from drinking water from a tuff wall. The rock, which is extremely permeable, causes the pollution of the waters.

In the years of the World War II the people took refuge in the dungeons of Naples for shelter: thus, among the narrow streets and secret passages, one can still encounter the objects of daily life Of the people.

All the artifacts, documents and materials dated from 1940 until 1943 are displayed among the rooms of the War Museum of Naples Underground since 2008. In 1942 the aqueduct became a landfill abusive in which dumped all the construction waste Of reconstruction.

Of the ancient civilizations remains the Greek Roman Theater by Naples Underground . The tour is accessed from a typical Neapolitan home by Via Anticaglia , the so-called " bass ", which is nothing more than an inner courtyard laid out at the same level as the street. In this room, a secret passage leads to what may have once been the degli actors Of the ancient theater. Part of the area was then obtained from a carpentry by neapolitan craftsmen where you can still admire the art of cribs .

Visiting information

The Official and Authorized route of Naples Underground starts from St. Gaetano Square 68 , on via dei tribunali. The path is lighted and accessible, the spaces are wide, the only narrow section being a burrow, not recommended for those with claustrophobia but, fortunately, optional. The tour lasts curca 1.5 hours and is available in several languages and depart daily, year-round, every hour, starting at 10 a.m. with last admission at 6 p.m. It is possible to enter with dogs and it is preferable to wear comfortable clothing. To make your reservation, you can choose from two types of tickets: The Standard ticket (waiting time can vary between 30 minutes and two hours) and the Skip Ticket (priority entrance). The following are present discounts and reductions and other categories.  

The air raid shelter of Naples Underground

Another part of the Naples Underground is the part that can be accessed from Vico Sant'Anna di Palazzo 62 . This portion is characterized by a ancient air raid shelter in the heart of the ancients Spanish Neighborhoods Naples.

Discovered in the 1979 , was among the first tourist sites in the Naples Underground to come to light. Culverts and cisterns of the ancient and extensive People's Aqueduct, which runs through most of the underground sites in Naples, were organized to accommodate the Neapolitan people during the disastrous war events.

After a descent of about forty meters below the road surface, you arrive at the hut which once welcomed thousands of people. Walking through the underground environments of Naples you can also discover the facilities of lighting of the time, with adapted bathrooms and graffiti testifying to life underground. Again, the visit is organized by an association and involves an entrance fee of about 10 euros.

Lapis Museum: the Water Museum 

Another tour proposed by the associations that can to preserve the underground sites is that included in the visit to the Water Museum of Naples, also known as Lapis Museum .

This is a special journey of discovery of the ancient Bubble Aqueduct , which extends into the subsoil of the downtown Naples.

A journey between roman cisterns and tanks , which for so many centuries have been the essential source of drinking water Throughout the city. Among its quarries and environments roam the " watermen " and the " acquafrescai ", who derived precisely from these wells fresh water to sell to the water bank. 

Mosaics and graffiti accompany the evocative visit that begins in the Pietrasanta Square , near the namesake basilica . From here, the underground can be accessed through a glass elevator that runs through the cavity between the tuffaceous walls, where in the 6th century stood the temple dedicated to the goddess Diana .   

Visits to this particular site of Naples' underground can be made daily from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., while the accompaniment of a guide requires reservations during specific time slots. The cost of admission is about 10 euros.

The Neapolis of San Lorenzo Maggiore

Walking through the famous streets of San Gregorio Armeno you arrive at the foot of the monumental and imposing Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore , also located in San Gaetano Square. Beneath its foundation is enshrined a special and extensive archeological area of origin Greco-Roman , one of the most distinctive underground sites in Naples. 

Excavations were unearthed during the nineteenth century, when the existence of an incredible underground area Divided into several layers. The oldest are the terracing from the Greek era carved out of the tuff era during the 4th century BC. On top of these, another stratification was then part developed, which dates instead to the imperial age 1st century BC 

Here stand the remains of an ancient macellum (the covered market ), right at the decumanus major . Roads and tunnels wind their way through the streets of this ancient market where, on the sides of the road, chaos reigned and the lives of merchants, bustling about in their ancient workshops .

Under the transept of the basilica, finally, the most recent layer is visible, characterized by a mosaic pavement that covered part of the floor of a basilica of the era early Christian , built on this site in the 5th century. 

Visiting information

The Archaeological excavations de " The Buried Neapolis " are located within the Monumental Complex of San Lorenzo Maggiore , in the heart of the historic center of Naples Via dei Tribunali, 316 adjacent to Piazza San Gaetano and San Gregorio Armeno. In this fantastic complex you can admire the colorful frescoes in the Sixtus V Hall , the gothic charm of the Chapter House ei findings housed in the museum. The Monumental Complex of San Lorenzo Maggiore is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, with guided tours in several languages (check availability), alternatively you can use the free videoguides downloadable in the cloister with QR code in Spanish, English, Italian and French. The total price of the visit is 9 euros. The following are present discounts and reductions For children and other categories. 

The Catacombs of Naples

Among the various underground sites in Naples, the sites of the ancient burials : the catacombs  by   San Gaudioso and the Catacombs of San Gennaro.

From the first use, the ticket has a validity of twelve months , so if you don't have time to visit both sites, you can come back for a later visit. We recommend that you equip yourself with flashlight electric in order to best admire the frescoes and the works preserved within the catacombs of Naples.

Catacombs of San Gaudioso

Among the most striking sites in the underground of Naples are the Catacombs of San Gaudioso , of more recent origin and dating back to the early Christian era, between the 4th and 5th centuries. This site is located in another part of the city's historic center, specifically in the neighborhood Star of Health .

Again, a superposition of layers is assumed from a greek-roman necropolis That gave way to the catacombs. In this place that has always been dedicated to the worship of the dead, according to popular belief, a bishop coming from Africa who shipwrecked in the city of Naples and built there a monastery. The bishop was later sanctified under the name of San Gaudioso .

Long forgotten under the mud, like much of Naples' underground, the catacombs were rediscovered in the Five hundred. In those years the ancient structure underwent profound changes to allow the construction of the Basilica of Santa Maria Sanità , which was built of the just above the ancient church or chapel of San Gaudioso .

In Six hundred , following a devastating plague epidemic , the catacombs resumed their cemetery functions, taking in the bodies of victims of various epidemics, including the cholera epidemic of the 19th century. They were the Dominican friars to take care of the burials, as evidenced by the presence of the " drains ".

These cavities carved directly from the location housed the corpses lying in fetal position , to allow the position the leakage of liquids. Once the body was dried, the head was embedded in the wall while the rest of the bones were crammed into the ossuaries . 

Today, the striking catacombs can be visited from the crypt Of the church. In this area, which once served as a catacombic ambulatory, there are frescoes depicting the stories of the martyrs , works of Fera . 

At the entrance, a niche decorated with a 6th-century mosaic houses the grave of San Gaudioso. On the left, however, stands the tuffaceous sculpture of the dead Christ, a work of the 17th century.

Visiting information

The catacombs of San gaudioso are a real necropolis located under the basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità and are a testimony from the early Christian era. The 'ticket includes a guided tour that lasts about 1 hour, valid for both the Catacombs of San Gennaro and San Gaudioso, available in several languages. The cost of the ticket is 11 euros, bookable every day from Monday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The following are present discounts and reductions For children and other categories.

Catacombs of San Gennaro

In via Capodimonte , near the Church of the Incoronata in Capodimonte , the entrance of the Catacombs of San Gennaro . The area originated between the 2nd and 3rd centuries and developed around the tomb of a wealthy roman family , also welcoming the grave of the first protector Of the city: St. Agrippinus . 

The Catacombs of San Gennaro constitute the most important monument in the Cristian among the underground sites in Naples and are in fact dedicated to the patron saint of Naples. It was in this place that the spoils of martyr San Gennaro were preserved from the Four hundred . 

There followed such a period. florid for the city that the catacombs, by this time, were increasingly expanded and adorned to accommodate tombs, not only in the ambulatories but also in the important ground. In vestibule of the lower floor is located a baptismal font willed by Paul II In the 8th century.

When the Lombard prince Sicon I purloined the remains of the martyr saint, however, the catacombs plunged into a long period of neglect and decay . It was not until the 18th century that the catacombs of San Gennaro regained public interest, becoming a stop on the Grand Tour.   

During World War II, however, they, like other sites, offered refuge to the Neapolitan population, undergoing . A work of rehabilitation was initiated by Archbishop Conrad Ursi , who in the second half of the twentieth century had the catacombs restored and inaugurated the current entrance.

The staircase leads to the portrait San Gennaro's oldest, dating back to the fifth century. From here follow admirable frescoes of saints and martyrs to a passageway through three arches that leads to a majestic underground basilica . 

Continuing further, one comes across a 6th-century basilica sculpture, on which are depicted the 14 Neapolitan bishops . In the crypt mosaics and portraits depict the bishops, while below this was space carved out of the tufa the confession of San Gennaro, one of the areas closest to where the saint's tomb was once kept. 

Visiting information

The Catacombs of San Gennaro are considered the largest of southern Italy and are located below one of the most characteristic neighborhoods of Naples: the Sanità District. It stretches for about 61,000 meters square on two levels and houses the over 2,000 graves. These include the patron saint of Naples, "San Gennaro", who was laid to rest in this catacomb in the 5th century. The official entrance to the Catacombs of San Gennaro is near the Basilica of the Good Council, at Via Capodimonte 13, but it can also be accessed from the Catacombs of San Gaudioso, near the Basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità. The guided tours at the Catacombs of San Gennaro are held daily, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The total cost of the ticket is 11 euros. The following are present discounts and reductions For children and other categories. Book with Movery!

The Bourbon Gallery

In the neighborhood of St. Ferdinand , one of the oldest areas in the historic center of Naples, hides one of the most extensive underground sites in underground Naples: the Bourbon Gallery. The Gallery was desired by Ferdinand II of Bourbon who commissioned the work from Errico Alvino in 1853. 

The underground tunnel had the goal of joining the Largo della Reggia , where today stands Plebiscite Square , a Square of Victory . The work among public constructions, but the truth is that re vol its construction to re-enter the valid defense in case of citizen riots .

Its soldiers, from the Victoria Barracks and the Cavalry Barracks , they may want to quickly rush to the defense of the royal family. The original plan in theory called for two lanes: the Strada Regia and the Strada Regina .

Everything, because of the difficulties encountered during construction, the trafor was realized with a unique underground tunnel , opened in 1855. The construction of the Bourbon Gallery encountered several obstacles, all of which were overcome thanks to the ingenuity of Errico Alvino. The two bridges underground made it possible to overcome the presence of two large aqueduct cisterns. 

During World War II, the gallery rooms were set up as an electrified air raid shelter, while after the war the gallery was used as a judicial deposit by seized assets .

Surface palaces, on the other hand, use the environments as illegal dumping grounds. In more recent years, the Bourbon Gallery has been the subject of study, and in 2007 other rooms were rediscovered, stimulating an important work of upgrading and putting in security . The site has been open to the public since 2010. 

Today it is possible to visit the Bourbon Gallery, which has become a pleasant and atmospheric environment. A clever lighting network enhances all rooms and enhances the display of cars and vintage motorcycles .

Other artifacts found in the city's basement include a monument dedicated to the fascist Aurelio Padovani , while a second bomb shelter was unearthed in 2013. The entrance fee to visit the Bourbon Gallery costs about 10 euros, and the site is open from Friday to Sunday.

It is also possible to arrange private visits for groups of four people, at a price of 110 euros. Events and concerts are occasionally arranged between gallery rooms and involves a different price.

The main entrance to access the Bourbon Gallery is the Morelli parking lot . Two other secondary entrances open from vico del Grottone 4 , near Plebiscite Square , and by 14 Mount of God Street . 

In the underground the temperature è lower than that of the surface so must visit underground sites equipped with appropriate clothing and comfortable shoes. 

During visits it may be necessary to traverse some more cramped spaces and, despite the satisfactory lighting network, annexed to carry any electrical detail with you or to rely relative to the functionality of your cell phone in order not to get lost nor the slightest flashlight.