Beneath the vibrant city of Naples, with its thousand colors, lies another city, shrouded in darkness, equally vast, mysterious, and fascinating. Underground Naples is a labyrinth of caves, tunnels, passages, and aqueducts 40 meters below ground. A masterpiece of engineering with a millennia-old past that you must not miss during your trip to Naples.
Greek tuff caves, Bourbon tunnels, Roman catacombs, and WWII air-raid shelters are hidden in Underground Naples, right beneath the historic center. They resemble the mysterious Catacombs of Paris and the underground of Turin. Visiting the other face of the Neapolitan city means taking a journey through 2,400 years of history. Follow our tips for an exciting experience in the belly of Naples. And don’t miss the hypogeal gardens, the geothermal pizzeria, and the art gallery. Yes, Underground Naples is a living city.
- Underground Naples - Official Tour
- Official Underground Naples Tour - Tickets with Guided Tour
- Underground Naples - Practical Information
- What to See on the Underground Naples Tour
- Other Routes of Naples Underground
- Bourbon Tunnel
- Catacombs of San Gaudioso
- Catacombs of San Gennaro
- Naples Underground - History and Legends
- Naples Underground - Image Gallery
Underground Naples - Official Tour
The official Underground Naples tour starts from Piazza San Gaetano - 68, in the heart of Naples' historic center. The tour lasts about two hours and is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm.
The Italian-guided tour starts every hour, while the English-guided tour runs every two hours. On Thursdays at 9 pm, there is a tour in both languages only by reservation and with a minimum of 10 people. On holidays and long weekends, Underground Naples accepts group reservations only outside regular opening hours.
Official Underground Naples Tour - Tickets with Guided Tour
The adult ticket for visiting Underground Naples costs €13.
You can purchase the ticket directly at the ticket office or online if you prefer a priority entrance ticket or a particular tour.
Reservation is mandatory for tours in languages other than Italian and English, for groups larger than 15, or if you want a dedicated guide for your group.
Reservation is always required for the Thursday evening tour at 9:00 pm.
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Underground Naples - Practical Information
The temperature in Underground Naples varies between 15 and 22 degrees, so consider bringing a sweater or windbreaker even during warmer seasons. Wear comfortable shoes to fully enjoy the visit.
If you suffer from claustrophobia, don’t worry, as most spaces are spacious. The only narrow tunnel is optional. Those who are claustrophobic or overweight and prefer not to enter the tunnel can wait outside. The wait will only be 10 minutes.
The tour is also accessible for the elderly, as the steps are very low and handrails are present along the stairs. In any case, if you need to interrupt the visit, speak to a staff member.
You can also visit Underground Naples with children, but strollers are not allowed and must be left at the main entrance and retrieved upon exit.
If you arrive by car, you can park on Via Duomo, Corso Umberto, Piazza Cavour, and Via Costantinopoli in paid parking lots. If you prefer public transport, take the metro line 1, Dante stop.
What to See on the Underground Naples Tour
The historic official Underground Naples tour will take you on a journey to discover this ancient city. You will start the tour by visiting the remains of the Greek-Roman aqueduct, which will amaze you with the intuition and ingenuity of ancient architects.
As you walk underground, you will see graffiti, objects, and furnishings from Neapolitans in the 1940s, who took refuge in these underground caverns used as air-raid shelters.
At the end of the Underground Naples tour, visit the remains of the ancient Greek-Roman theater, known as Nero’s Theater, which is included in your ticket.
It is said that Nero himself performed in this theater, presenting works he composed, despite earthquakes threatening to interrupt his performances.
So head to Via Anticaglia and enter a typical Neapolitan house, called a basso, as it is at street level. Just move a bed and open a trapdoor to access Nero’s Theater. The visit lasts 20 minutes.
It is said that even the Roman poet Statius mentioned this theater in a letter to his wife, describing how it suddenly emerges from a Neapolitan basso.
Continue the tour to discover a recent finding of the Greek-Roman theater. In Naples' historic center, specifically in an old carpentry shop on Vico Cinquesanti near the forum, now Piazza San Gaetano, a fragment of the theater corresponding to the summa cavea, or the upper tier of seats for the audience, has been uncovered.
Another stop on the tour is the Fontanelle Cemetery, an ancient underground cemetery where you will see hundreds of skulls, mostly victims of plague or cholera, but all belonging to “poor souls,” people too impoverished to be buried in regular cemeteries.
At the end of the Underground Naples tour, you will be taken to the War Museum, which houses documents from WWII. This immersive experience shows how people lived underground while awaiting the end of the war.
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Naples Underground is not just a place of memory but a vibrant space of the present. In the darkness of the underground, there is life.
Among the educational and scientific installations to visit is the Seismic Station "Arianna", where updates on seismic activity are recorded.
Botanical experimentation has also led to the creation of the Hypogean Gardens, vegetable gardens deep within the earth.
This initiative, launched on the eve of the 2015 Milan Expo dedicated to feeding the planet, aims to experiment with small-scale cultivation 35 meters underground, without natural light or anthropogenic interference.
The project has attracted the interest of many, including NASA, which is exploring possibilities for extraterrestrial life. Be sure to visit the hypogean gardens, open to the public, university researchers, and botanists alike.
In the underground city, you can’t miss a “tazzulella ‘e cafè.” In the Hypogean Gardens, Naples' most beloved drink is cultivated. It’s called Malocchio Coffee, named after the ritual of coffee and the superstitions typical of Neapolitans. Visit the organic cultivation of Malocchio Coffee, grown in climate-controlled greenhouses 40 meters below ground. Here, the coffee is slow-roasted and stored in tuff cavities.
Have you ever tasted a naturally leavened pizza made in tuff caves? If not, you should know there’s a subterranean pizzeria where an ancient Roman oven once stood, under the arches of the Theatine convent of San Paolo Maggiore, just steps away from the ancient agora, now Piazza San Gaetano. This is the pizzeria of the Bandiera sisters, whose ovens, entirely made of Neapolitan yellow tuff, create microclimatic conditions that give the leavened dough unique organoleptic properties. Don’t miss the chance to try the geothermal pizza.
Did you know that in Roman times, people in Naples already enjoyed flatbread similar to today’s pizza? The Romans used spelt for savory flatbreads, but the Greeks introduced them to leavened wheat bread. This gave rise to the first public ovens. In the heart of Naples, the flatbreads baked in tuff ovens were incredibly lighter than others.
In the underground city, wine is indispensable—the oldest product of the Western world. Naples Underground offers an oenological journey to rediscover the ancient vineyards of Magna Graecia. Among these is the Tufello of Naples Underground, a wine preserved in tuff cavities, maintaining its quality and alcohol content.
Art lovers should not miss the C.o.R.E. Gallery, a Naples Underground space dedicated to modern and contemporary art exhibitions, as well as workshops, conferences, concerts, and readings. Admission is free.
Other Routes of Naples Underground
There are many routes to discover Naples Underground. In addition to the official tour starting at Piazza San Gaetano 68, another route starts from Piazza del Plebiscito, right next to Caffè Gambrinus.
Here are the main routes:
Bourbon Tunnel
A long tunnel that in 1853 Ferdinand II of Bourbon had built as a military route and a strategic escape route for the monarchs themselves. The Bourbon Tunnel, a pride of Bourbon civil engineering, passes under Monte Echia, connecting the Royal Palace and Piazza del Plebiscito to Piazza Vittoria, near the sea and the barracks. Visit the Bourbon Tunnel, accessible from Vico del Grottone, 4; the Morelli parking area on Via D. Morelli, 61; or the Serra di Cassano Palace on Via Monte di Dio, 14.
Four routes are available: Standard, Memory Lane, Adventure Path, and Speleo Light.
Some routes allow you to travel by raft through ancient cisterns and tuff cavities that were used as air-raid shelters. However, be aware that some paths are not recommended for those suffering from claustrophobia.
Reservations are mandatory.
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Catacombs of San Gaudioso
The valley now home to the Sanità district was once a necropolis and burial area, featuring Hellenistic hypogea and later early Christian catacombs like those of San Gennaro and San Gaudioso.
In the 17th century, the area was called "Sanità" because it was considered pristine and healthy, thanks, according to popular legends, to miracles associated with the saints' tombs.
Beneath the Basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità lies what was once the second most important early Christian cemetery in Naples, named after Settimio Celio Gaudioso, known as Gaudioso of Naples or Gaudioso the African, Bishop of Abitinae in Tunisia.
In addition to the saint's remains, the Catacombs of San Gaudioso house early Christian artifacts, 5th-6th century frescoes and mosaics, and some burials reserved for 17th-century nobles.
Purchase your ticket online for priority entry or choose one of the many guided tours.
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Catacombs of San Gennaro
Explore the connection between Naples and its patron saint by visiting the Catacombs of San Gennaro, a burial area spanning 5,600 square meters carved into the tuff of the Capodimonte hill, in the Sanità district, which holds about 3,000 burials. It is likely the 2nd-century AD sepulcher of a patrician family that later donated the space to the Christian community. In the lower catacomb, you’ll find the hypogeal basilica of Sant’Agrippino, where Mass is still celebrated. The upper catacomb was the burial site for bishops.
In the 5th century, the remains of San Gennaro were transferred here, making the catacomb a pilgrimage destination for both faithful and visitors.
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Naples Underground - History and Legends
Naples Underground has a very ancient history. Excavations began about 5,000 years ago, but it was in the 3rd century BC that the Greeks opened the first underground quarries to extract tuff blocks for building the walls and temples of their Neapolis. From this period comes the Greek quarry, discovered about 40 meters below the Santa Maria del Pianto Cemetery.
The excavations continued with the Romans, who during the Augustan era constructed a grand aqueduct and some road tunnels such as the Cocceio Tunnel and the Seiano Tunnel.
In the early 1600s, Naples had grown so much that the old Roman aqueduct and rainwater cisterns could no longer meet the demand for water. Thus, in 1629, a wealthy Neapolitan noble, Cesare Carmignano, built a new aqueduct.
By the 19th century, another underground city stretched beneath Naples, its exact size known to few.
In the early 1900s, underground excavations for water supply ceased, leaving behind a network of tunnels and cisterns spanning over 2 million square meters under the city. During World War II, the underground spaces were repurposed as air-raid shelters.
The cavities were then illuminated and organized to host dozens of people seeking protection from bombings. Furniture, graffiti, and various objects, well-preserved, testify to life in these shelters, offering a glimpse into a tragic history.
Today, not all cavities are accessible, as some are blocked by debris illegally dumped through wells connecting streets and buildings to the underground. Nevertheless, Naples Underground has retained its allure as a secret city of immense historical and cultural value.
Did you know that Naples Underground is home to the Monaciello? According to folklore, the Monaciello is a benevolent or malevolent spirit, depending on how it is treated, that roams the city's homes.
The legend of the Monaciello originates with the activities of the well workers, men responsible for maintaining underground wells. Covered with a large cloak to shield them from moisture, these workers resembled Franciscan monks, hence the nickname Monaciello.
As true masters of the underground city, the well workers could enter homes directly from the wells, especially when women were alone. Thus, the legend of the "dreaded" Monaciello was born.
Naples Underground - Image Gallery
Enjoy your journey into Naples Underground!