tour sotterraneo napoli

Underground Naples is a mandatory stop for visitors and for people from Naples. Visiting this substratum that has supported the city of Naples for about 15000 years means immersing yourself in a unique and exciting experience .

For over 30 years, we have been offering excursions in this fascinating and evocative subsoil. Furthermore, with the help of the members of the Association who work – without ever having received any type of funding from public institutions or private bodies – in the recovery and enhancement of the subsoil, important civil engineering works of antiquity have been recovered.

Thanks to the expertise and collaboration of the Association, whose sole purpose is to make the city of Naples known and loved, Underground Naples has represented a fundamental starting point for other realities born in Italy and Europe.

Taking part in this excursion does not just mean making a 40-meter-deep journey between tunnels and cisterns: it means immersing yourself completely in the historical path, 2400 years long , that has faced the city of Naples and its inhabitants.

In fact, during the excursion it will be possible to admire various historical artifacts ranging from the remains of the ancient Greek-Roman aqueduct to the bomb shelters of the Second World War: a real walking journey through time .

• – Greek-Roman Theater
• – War Museum
• – Co.R.E. Gallery
• – Tufello wine
• – Hypogeum Gardens

Taking this journey through time is possible thanks to the ancient origins of the subsoil of Naples which can be placed in prehistoric times.

This particular substrate has therefore gone through various historical periods, such as the one that began in the third century BC, where the Greeks opened the first underground quarries to obtain the tuff blocks necessary to build the walls and temples of their Neapolis.

In Roman times, the impressive development of the underground network began: the Romans in the Augustan era endowed the city with road tunnels and a network of complex aqueducts, fed by underground conduits coming from the sources of the Serino, 70 km away from the center of Naples.

Other branches of the aqueduct from the Augustan age reached Miseno, to feed the Piscina mirabilis, which was the water reserve of the Roman fleet.

Wide only enough to let a man pass through, the tunnels of the aqueduct branched off in all directions, with the aim of feeding fountains and houses located in different areas of the upper city.

On the walls, you can still see traces of the hydraulic plaster, used by ancient engineers to waterproof the tunnels.

In the 16th century, the old aqueduct and the many rainwater cisterns were no longer able to satisfy the need for water of the city, that had spread like wildfire and this is the reason the wealthy Neapolitan nobleman Cesare Carmignano built a new aqueduct.

It was only at the beginning of the twentieth century that the city stopped digging underground for water supplies and a network of tunnels and terns spread throughout the city of over 2,000,000 square meters was abandoned.

The basements were then used during the Second World War as air-raid shelters to protect people  from the disastrous bombings that hit the city: the cavities were illuminated and arranged to accommodate dozens and dozens of people who, at the sound of the siren, hurried down the stairs..

Remains of furniture, graffiti and various objects in excellent condition still testify today to the great fear of bombing and the several moments of the day lived in the shelters, bringing to the surface an important but at the same time tragic period in the history of the city.

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How to visit Napoli Sotterranea (underground Naples)

by Giovanna Esposito | Nov 2, 2022 | Travel Tips

Naples shows off a thousand shades of colour : sea, sky, meadows, and sun.

It is a city to be discovered , where every corner, every wall and every ‘sanpietrino’ (the little square cement blocks paving several ancient Neapolitan streets) tells a story.

However, the charm of the city is not only open air, as Naples’ subsoil can thrill as much as the historic buildings and museums.

Here there are hidden places talking about historic events and testifying Neapolitan people’s courage .

One of the most evocative routes, hidden in the sunlight, is Napoli Sotterranea (underground Naples), an urban substrate rich in history , one of a kind.

When in Naples, add it to your to-do-list , and experience a 2400-years journey from the Greek age to the modern era, 40 metres underground through tunnels and cisterns .

Di cosa parliamo in questo articolo

How to get to Underground Naples

Napoli sotterranea: history, the second world war, napoli sotterranea and the “pozzari”, the incorporated greek-roman theatre, napoli sotterranea: timetables and tickets.

The entrance is on Via dei Tribunali , right next to the Basilica of San Paolo Maggiore , in Piazza San Gaetano , in the heart of the city centre, and it is marked by white and blue flags.

Remember that this is the only Official Authorized Route of Napoli Sotterranea ; in fact, high safety standards are guaranteed.

From Napoliving rooms , get on at Università metro station (2 minutes walk) and get off at Piazza Dante stop (three stops away).

From there, walk towards Port’Alba and go straight on via San Pietro a Maiella .

After about 600 metres, you will find the entrance on your left.

This evocative itinerary was born around the IV century BC , when the Greeks began digging to extract the tuff necessary for the construction of Neapolis .

The excavations for the extraction reached up to Monte Somma , near the province of Volla , where they found water to connect with the cisterns.

Thanks to a series of long and narrow tunnels , which made the flow from one cistern to another faster, the underground became an aqueduct that supplied the city of Naples.

Later, during the Augustan era , the Romans expanded this aqueduct by 460 km 2 , with the water coming from the mouth of the Serino, in Avellino .

From there, it was channelled in 3 main directions :

• The area of ​​ Naples , Casalnuovo and Acerra ;
• The area of ​​ Ercolano , Pompeii and Stabia ;
• The Piscina Mirabilis in Bacoli , a tank of about 12,000 m 3 .

Unfortunately, in 1885 the contamination of water due to the cholera epidemic forced the Kingdom of Italy to decree the definitive closure of the aqueduct , and the undergrounds became an illegal landfill until 1942 .

In 1942 , during the Second World War , Naples needed anti-aircraft shelters , therefore the Genio Civile – a peripheral state body with a regional function – decided to use the underground, making some the necessary changes.

The first step was the construction of stairs , since the only access routes to the aqueduct were wells ; then, it took covering all the waste with soil .

This means that today the original floor of Napoli Sotterranea is 4 metres below .

Clearly, in order to prevent the bombs from entering them, all the wells were closed , except for the one under the notary archive of the Basilica of San Paolo Maggiore , meant to provide oxygen to the people who would take refuge underground.

The well was chosen according to the belief that churches were immune from bombing .

They were not!

Both the Basilica of San Paolo Maggiore and the Monastery of Santa Chiara were bombed . Unfortunately!

When you walk the itinerary of Napoli Sotterranea , you will also have the chance to admire artifacts from the time it was a refuge , such as toys and cots found at a depth of 36 metres .

Yes, no misreading: once inside, you go down from 36 to 40 metres!

When the underground was an aqueduct , both public and private cisterns were made.

The nobility used servants , called “ pozzari ”, to keep them clean.

Since pozzari were not paid for it, they started to take what they deserved by entering ad robbing the nobles’ houses through the wells .

This practice inspired the Neapolitan legend of the “Munaciello” , a little monk, a legendary spirit, who appears in homes and enjoys making things disappear .

You will arrive at a tunnel 50 cm wide and 50 m long , through which you can access the most beautiful cisterns , flooded to recall the original aqueduct .

The tour around these pools , from where the Neapolitan people drew water with a pot tied to a rope, is the original walkway used by pozzari .

Do know that the access to this area through the tunnel is done with candles , as it is very dark .

If you are claustrophobic , you can wait at the entrance of the tunnel and then rejoin the guide and the others as soon as they have finished visiting this area.

After this suggestive spot, you will arrive at the last cistern under the cloister of San Gregorio Armeno , once communicating with the church of San Lorenzo Maggiore , a place where monks and nuns could meet.

At the end of the tour you will be back to the surface, but wait, because your experience has not finished yet ! The second part of the guided tour is about to start, as you’re going to visit the remains of the incorporated Greek-Roman theatre .

The entrance is in Piazza San Gaetano , the agora of the Hellenic civilization and, later, the Roman forum .

The existence of a large theatre behind the forum emerged from some writings by the Roman poet Publio Papinio Stazio .

For this reason, some archaeologists of the association decided to monitor the area, and they eventually discovered that in a “ vascio ” – typical Neapolitan house at street level – there were some arches .

By removing the plaster, they found an “ opus latericium “, a masonry made with sun-baked bricks, typical of Roman buildings .

The lady living in that house said that the same type of masonry was also present in her cellar , so archaeologists understood that they were in front of the dressing rooms used by the actors in ancient time .

There was great excitement for this discovery, even though most of the theatre is no longer visible since it is incorporated into private homes .

There are houses containing the parterre and part of the terraces , as theatre was used as basement.

The very last part of the tour is in the “ summa cavea ” of Nero’s Teathre , the highest area of ​​the terraces which, until few years ago, was incorporated into a carpentry .

An exhibition of nativity scenes (“presepi”) from the 1700s is set up inside with a perfect synergy: the representations are Roman ruins in scale, so you can admire the miniaturized remains in the shadow of the original ones of the theatre .

Napoli Sotterranea is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm . Guided tours in Italian are set every hour, while guided tours in English are every two hours.

Reservations are required for tours in French, Spanish and German.

The tour lasts about 1 hour and a half; the ticket price is €10 per person .

Our advice is to wear comfortable shoes and to bring a sweatshirt in summer to put on if necessary, for the underground path is very wet .

We hope to have inspired you to discover this historic and evocative place , and we wait for you in Napoliving to give you all the information you may need .

Insegnante di lingua e letteratura inglese per la scuola secondaria, traduttrice e correttrice di bozze. Coltivo con devozione e premura l’interesse per la cultura giapponese, e nutro tutte le mie altre creature con la stessa cura: libri, film, musica. Viaggio tanto, ma resto figlia di Partenope.

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Naples Underground (Napoli Sotterranea)

Tickets napoli sotterranea, galleria borbonica & la neapolis sotterrata.

Beneath the ancient city of Naples is an extensive system of caves, passages and catacombs. Naples underground tours: Napoli Sotteranea tickets, Galleria Borbonica or Neapolis Sotterrata.

The Naples Underground Tours

Under the lively historic center of Naples is an extensive network of streets and squares that partly was built by the Romans and Greeks and carved out of the tuff. If you want you can visit with guided Naples Underground Tours the "underworld" in several places in Naples. 40 meters below street level and excellently preserved networks of hundreds of kilometers. You will see caves, tunnels and underground passages during your tour. The underground routes are very accessible and often well lit. Book a guide and let yourself be taken back in time. There is a lot to explore in these underground temples. Well-known areas and main tours of this underground network in Naples are Napoli Sotterranea , my personal favorite being the Galleria Borbonica and finally La Neapolis Sotterrata . It is important that in most places it is necessary that you have booked your tour in advance. Read more about the three tour options:

Option 1: Napoli Sotterranea

The Napoli Sotterranea is an official route through the underground tunnels of Naples and is the most visited of all routes. You will find a completely different world 40 meters below the streets of Naples, but with a deep connection with the upper world. The following sights can be found on the route of the Napoli Sotterranea tour:

• The Greek Roman Aqueduct : After descending 136 steps you will find the Greek Roman Aqueduct. The area you visit is initially well lit, but in some parts it is too dark. So you can continue the rest of the route with a candle or a flashlight to view the underground water basins. It is a special experience to move through the very narrow corridors of the aqueduct and not recommended for people with claustrophobia.
• The Roman Theater : Also on this Naples underground tour you will visit a typical Neapolitan house, also called "layer". The reason for this is that it is located at the street level of the city. Once inside, a hatch opens to the ancient Roman theater of Neapolis, where Emperor Nero had a private dressing room.
• Summa Cavea : Recently the Napoli Sotterranea has been expanded with a new discovery, Summa Cavea. It is another part of the Roman theater which houses a permanent exhibition of 'Scarabattoli'. Here you will see characteristic settings of beautiful handmade sculptures in glass display cases.

Optie 2: Galleria Borbonica (Bourbon Tunnel)

During the war period from 1939 to 1943, the tunnel of Galleria Borbonica served as an air raid shelter for the people. About 5,000 to 10,000 Neapolitans sought refuge in the tunnel. Many of these people lost their homes to the bombings of the Germans and were even forced to live in the air raid shelters after the war. Today, the tunnel is full of debris and serves as an exhibition space. You will find many antique cars and motorcycles, special objects and old hiding places.

Optie 3: La Neapolis Sotterrata (San Lorenzo Maggiore)

The ancient La Neapolis Sotterrata was originally founded by the Greek settlers in the year 470 BC. Within this ancient city, the monumental complex of San Lorenzo Maggiore occupies a special place. A place that previously housed the agora (vital space of the Greek city, later the Roman Forum). Various excavations have made it possible to identify superimposed layers. In this way, the visitor can see the different settlements that have succeeded each other over time. From Greek to Roman times, from the Middle Ages to modern times.

La Neapolis Sotterrata can be found in Piazza San Gaetano near the church San Lorenzo Maggiore . Here it is possible to discover this underground world on your own, but it is also possible to hire a guide. An extra tip is to take a look above the ground in the Basilica San Paolo Maggiore near Piazza San Gaetano. Here stood a temple dedicated to Castor and Pollux, the mythical sons of Greek god Zeus. Unfortunately, the temple has been destroyed, but you will find two columns of the temple.

Video: Impression of Naples Underground

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The map below shows the three most visited Naples underground areas (1 = Napoli Sotteranea, 2 = Galleria Borbonica, 3 = Neapolis Sotterrata)

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da admin | 28 settembre 2017 | Informazioni | 0 Comments

Il sottosuolo di Napoli

Visita il museo della guerra, mandaci le tue domande e saremo felici di rispondere al più presto.

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Avviso agli utenti

Si informa che ai sensi dell’art. 2, lettera d), del Decreto del Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri del giorno 8 marzo 2020, fino a nuova disposizione, “ è sospesa l’apertura “.

The opening is suspended

We regret to inform you that pursuant to Article 2(d) of the Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of 8 March 2020, “ the opening is suspended ” until further notice.