The term Naples underground indicates the dense and complex network of tunnels and cavities, which are found in the Neapolitan subsoil and which form a real city that traces, in negative, the surface city. The underground city extends under the entire historic center of Naples Italy, myths and legends are linked to it still alive today in the collective imagination of the Neapolitans.
The galleries below Naples Italy have been used, over the centuries, in different ways. Born following the extraction of tuff for the construction of the city, they were then used as an aqueduct and as a refuge during the Second World War. Following the great expansion of the city during the reign of the Angevins, a series of laws were enacted that prohibited the transport of building materials to the city. These measures were necessary to avoid the uncontrolled expansion of buildings. But the Neapolitans are not, historically, a people who love prohibitions. Using existing wells, the underlying cisterns were enlarged, thus obtaining more tuff intended for construction. The perpetuation of this activity has meant that today the city stands on a convex surface, causing a widespread fragility of the streets, especially in some points, where repeated chasms open up during days of heavy rain.
The basements were also used as air-raid shelters to protect themselves from the bombings that hit the city during the Second World War. The cavities were illuminated and arranged by the military engineers to accommodate dozens and dozens of people who, at the sound of the siren, hurried down the stairs that went down deep. Taking part in the Naples underground excursion means taking a 2400-year journey through history, from the Greek era to the modern one, at a depth of 40 meters between tunnels and cisterns. During the excursion, in addition to admiring the remains of the ancient Greek-Roman aqueduct and the air-raid shelters of the Second World War. If you are planning your holiday to visit Naples Italy, visit the Naples Underground is one of the things to do.
- View on Google Maps
- Distance 700 meters from Dante Metro Station
