Underground Naples: the city beneath the city

Beneath the streets of the historic centre lies another Naples, silent and cool, carved into the tuff over more than two thousand years. Greek quarries, Roman aqueducts, cisterns, Second World War shelters, catacombs: the underground tells the city's story layer by layer. In this guide we explain what lies beneath Naples and which tours to choose, many of them just a few steps from Phaedra House.

A city built on tuff

Neapolitan yellow tuff is a light volcanic stone that is easy to work. When the Greeks founded Neapolis, they were already quarrying it from underground to build the city, and the quarries left large cavities beneath it. The Romans connected them with a system of aqueducts and cisterns that carried water to homes. For centuries Neapolitans drew water from wells linked to these cisterns, which were looked after by specialised workers, the pozzari. They moved through the tunnels and, according to tradition, inspired the legends of the munaciello, the mischievous little spirit of Neapolitan homes.

At the end of the 19th century, after the cholera epidemic, the ancient aqueduct was abandoned. During the Second World War the cavities became precious again: they were turned into air-raid shelters where thousands of people took refuge from the bombings. Writing and drawings from those years can still be seen on some of the walls.

The tours to know

[foto da caricare] A tunnel carved into the tuff beneath Naples

Napoli Sotterranea, in Piazza San Gaetano

The best-known tour starts from Piazza San Gaetano, on Via dei Tribunali, a few minutes' walk from the apartment. The guided visit goes down into the Greek and Roman quarries and the cisterns of the ancient aqueduct, passes through the wartime shelters and, in some stretches, continues through narrow candle-lit tunnels. The visit often also includes the remains of the Roman theatre of Neapolis, hidden inside the houses of the neighbourhood: one of the most surprising sights in the city.

The excavations of San Lorenzo Maggiore

In the same square, beneath the San Lorenzo Maggiore complex, the excavations reveal a Roman street with its shops and the market area of the ancient city. It is a different way of seeing the underground: not caves and tunnels, but a real street from two thousand years ago. We also mention it in our guide to the churches of the historic centre.

The Galleria Borbonica

In the Chiaia district, towards Piazza del Plebiscito, the Galleria Borbonica is a tunnel commissioned in the 19th century by King Ferdinand II of Bourbon to link the Royal Palace with the barracks near the sea. Never completed, it was later used as an air-raid shelter and, after the war, as a depot: abandoned vintage cars and motorbikes can still be found inside.

The catacombs of the Rione Sanità

The catacombs of San Gennaro and San Gaudioso, in the Rione Sanità, are among the most important in southern Italy: early Christian spaces with frescoes and mosaics. The visit combines well with a walk around the neighbourhood, one of the most authentic in the city.

The Fontanelle Cemetery

Also in the Sanità, the Fontanelle Cemetery is an ancient tuff quarry where, over the centuries, the remains of thousands of people were gathered. It is linked to the popular cult of the anime pezzentelle: Neapolitans would "adopt" an anonymous skull, care for it and ask it for protection. It is a powerful and unusual place, to be visited with respect.

Practical tips for your visit

• Book in advance: almost all tours are guided only and at set times. Times, available languages and tickets change: check the official website of each tour.
• Bring a light sweater: underground the temperature stays cool all year round, even in midsummer.
• Comfortable shoes: there are stairs and uneven floors.
• Narrow spaces: some tunnels are very narrow; if you suffer from claustrophobia, ask at the ticket office whether there is an alternative route.
• Accessibility: the stairs make most tours difficult for people with reduced mobility.

Legends of the underground

For centuries the underground has fed the imagination of Neapolitans. The most famous legend is that of the munaciello, the "little monk": a little spirit dressed in a habit who would suddenly appear in homes, hide objects or leave a few coins. Many believe the legend comes from the pozzari themselves, who knew the underground passages and could enter homes through the wells. Alongside the munaciello there is the bella 'mbriana, the good spirit that protects the home and the family: some people still greet her when they come home.

With children

For children the underground is often the most fun part of the trip: candles, tunnels, war stories and legends. A few tips:

• choose a tour with a guide who tells the stories in an engaging way;
• explain to younger children beforehand that you will go underground and that some passages are narrow;
• check on the official website whether some tours have age limits.

How to combine it with the rest of the day

[foto da caricare] Piazza San Gaetano on Via dei Tribunali

The underground goes perfectly with a day in the old town: a visit to Napoli Sotterranea in the morning, lunch in one of the historic pizzerias on Via dei Tribunali and an afternoon between Spaccanapoli and San Gregorio Armeno. If you would rather plan the whole day, follow our itinerary Naples in one day.

Sleeping above ancient Naples

Phaedra House is in Piazzetta Sant'Arcangelo a Baiano, about 650 metres from Piazza San Gaetano: you can walk there in a few minutes along Via dei Tribunali. Discover the apartment and see where we are.

For more ideas, browse the Monuments and historic sites section of our guide.