Underground Naples: a journey beneath the city of a thousand secrets

Naples fascinates as much as it baffles. But what you might not suspect as you stroll through its bustling alleyways is that another world exists… just below. Underground Naples is a maze of tunnels, caverns, ancient cisterns, wartime refuges and buried mysteries.

A parallel universe dug out over the centuries, which today can be explored through several fascinating itineraries. We take you into the bowels of the city, where Neapolitan history is lived by torchlight.

Practical information and tickets to visit Naples in the field

Naples subsoil: a must-see visit

This is undoubtedly the most famous and impressive of Naples’ underground circuits. The tour begins in Piazza San Gaetano, right in the heart of the historic center. As soon as you start your descent, you’re plunged into a whole new world: 40 meters underground, the air becomes fresher, the light dims and the sounds of the city fade away completely.

For around 1h30, a guide accompanies you through this maze steeped in history. You begin by exploring the ancient Greek quarries, dug over 2,400 years ago, then reused by the Romans as cisterns to store drinking water. These spaces are vast, vaulted and incredibly quiet.

The tour then continues through the remains of a Roman theater and the galleries that served as anti-aircraft shelters during the Second World War. Here, you’ll see graffiti, remains of beds, small altars… moving traces of the daily lives of the Neapolitans who took shelter here during the bombardments.

The tour ends with a model of Naples’ underground network, and a number of reconstructions to give a better idea of how these galleries have evolved over the centuries. It’s a rich, fast-paced experience that gives you a whole new perspective on the city.

➡️ If you want to discover Naples in a different way, off the beaten track, this is the tour for you.

Why explore Naples’ subsoil?

A visit to Naples’ underground passages provides a second level of insight into the city. It’s here that we understand the city’s Greco-Roman past, its resilience during war, its popular beliefs and its ability to constantly reinvent itself. Beneath every square, church and alleyway lies a forgotten piece of history. A must-see when visiting Naples.

Naples’ underground network is one of the most extensive and fascinating in Europe. It extends over almost 450 kilometers of galleries dug into tuff, a soft volcanic rock used since Antiquity as a building material. This underground labyrinth has served as quarries, cisterns and shelters during bombardments, as well as places of worship and mystery.

Here are some of the most emblematic sites to visit:

• Napoli Sotterranea (Underground Naples): this is the site we presented above, the one to visit on a first visit to Naples, as it is the most complete.
• Galleria Borbonica (Bourbon Gallery): A 19th-century masterpiece of military engineering, built to link the royal palace to secure areas. Used as an air-raid shelter during the Second World War, it still features cars, toys and graffiti from the era.
• Catacombs of San Gennaro: More than just a burial site, this is a journey through the history of Christianity in Naples, with frescoes and tombs dating back to the 2nd century.

Where is the entrance to the Naples underground?

The main entrance to Naples ‘ underground passages(Napoli Sotterranea) is right in the heart of the historic center, in Via dei Tribunali, more precisely on the :

It’s just a stone’s throw from the famous Via San Gregorio Armeno and Spaccanapoli. So it’s easy to get there on foot if you’re strolling through the center.

Underground video from Naples

Other ideas for exploring Naples and the surrounding area

• Naples in 3 days
• The archaeological site of Pompeii
• Vesuvius volcano