Visit Naples underground: tickets, fares, schedules

Are you planning to spend your next holiday on the Amalfitaine coast and want to discover it in an original way? Here you will find everything you need to visit the undergrounds of Naples!

Bordered by the Mediterranean and overlooked by the threatening Vesuvius Naples is a city that does not leave indifferent. With almost a million inhabitants, the sluggish capital of Campania is indeed colourful, noisy and permanent effervescence.

Walking around the alleys of the city centre, admiring the countless churches, discovering the theatre and the Royal Palace, strolling on the People's Square, there are a thousand and one things to see and do in Naples. Old twenty-eight centuries of history, the capital of Campania offers its visitors an exceptional historical and cultural heritage.

If you are looking for a surprising activity, take the direction of the undergrounds of Naples. Eighty kilometers of galleries — dug in the basements of the city — are an original way to discover the history of Naples, from ancient Greeks to modern times.

Are you ready to sink into the heart of the city? Here's all you need to know to visit the Naples underground.

History of the undergrounds of Naples

Visiting the undergrounds of the city of Naples allows you to discover many aspects of the history of this mythical city.

There are Five thousand years , Etruscans would have dug the basements of the city of Naples to extract the tuf, a porous volcanic stone and especially useful for the construction of the buildings. The Greeks will continue the extraction of this stone in order to strengthen the walls of the city and to build monuments there.

At the arrival of the Romans, the underground is transformed into aqueducts, in order to feed the city into water from the sources of Mount Somma. At the end of each underground, there are huge tanks, in which the inhabitants of the various districts of the city come to supply water. Some houses, belonging to rich and powerful families, have direct access to the underground from their homes. It is at this time that the pozzari . These young men descended into the underground by climbing the tuf, in order to recover the water and feed these houses. The city's population grows rapidly and rapidly 1629 , the subterranean must be enlarged to cope with a greater need for water.

♪ 1884 a terrible epidemic of Cholera ravages the city of Naples. Very quickly, we see that cracks cause the discharge of sewers into the water from the underground. They are then left to abandonment until the Second World War. For many years, they will be used to store waste in the city. But, while the city of Naples is bombed, the Neapolitans decide to rehabilitate the underground to protect themselves from bombardments. It is estimated that more than four thousand people found refuge there.

Since the universal exhibition of Milan in 2015, dedicated to food, the city of Naples leads a botanical experience in its underground. Today, thousands of tourists are rushing every year to visit the 3,500 m2 of the Naples underground. An unusual way to visit the city.

What to see and do in the undergrounds of Naples?

The visit lasts about one 1:30 , but know that you will not be able to visit the Naples underground without a guide to accompany you. It would be a pity if a tourist, a little too tedious, lost himself in the countless corridors that the underground counts.

To visit the undergrounds of Naples, or Napoli Sotterranea in Italian, appointment on the Piazza San Gaetano . From there you will access the city's entrances thanks to 136 steps very well maintained, which will lead you to forty meters of depth, in an immense room perfectly lit. It’s gone for a breathtaking visit!

You will first discover one of the gigantic aqueducts built in Roman times. You will witness a very interesting reconstruction on the tuf excavation technique , made using simple wet pious wood. You will also discover the living conditions of the Neapolitan refugees in the underground during the war, as well as an exciting museum of the Second World War. Open your eyes! Many objects were stored in the galleries and graffiti on the walls testifying to the different eras and civilizations. Your guide will not fail to share the many stories and legends that Neapolitans like to tell on their underground.

The visit continues in narrow and dark corridors. Claustrophobes abstain! Munis of a candle, you will discover the former Greek-Roman tanks such as the one built under the emperor Auguste or the famous Piscina mirabili which constitutes the terminal reservoir of the network. Raise your head to admire the wells used by pozzari .

You can also participate in the few scientific and educational activities offered by the underground botanical garden of Naples, Orti Ipogei . Would you like to bring back a little souvenir of your visit? Why not opt for the famous Tufello, an aged wine in the basements of the convent San Gregorio Armeno and that would be good for fertility.

Finally, the visit ends on the surface by discovering the vestiges of the Greek-Roman theatre accessible via a mysterious trape located in a basso , traditional Neapolitan dwelling. This theatre, built in the 4th century before Jesus Christ, was greatly appreciated by Emperor Nero, who loved to sing there. It is also said that he bribed the public before his performances. Train those who didn’t applaud!

How do you get to the Naples underground?

The entrance of Napoli sotterranea is located in Piazza San Gaetano, right next to the Basilica San Paolo Maggiore .

• On foot

If you are staying in the centre of Naples, go to Piazza San Gaetano on foot. This is located in the historic centre of the city.

• By metro

It is easy to travel by metro to Naples.

- Line 1 : the metro stations closest to Piazza San Gaetano are Dante and Museo

- Line 2 stop Cavour

• By taxi

All taxis will lead you to Piazza San Gaetano without any hesitation, for a cost per kilometer reasonable ( expect to enter 1 and 2€ depending on the seasons and hours of the day).

Schedules and rates of Naples underground

HORARI

♪ visits take place every day between 10am and 6pm every hour in Italian, every two hours in English.

RATES

In 2019, the price to visit the Naples underground is to 10€ per person. In order to avoid queueing once on site, we advise you to buy your tickets in advance on the internet.