Napoli Sotterranea

Napoli Sotterranea takes visitors down into the tunnels and cisterns that lie beneath the historic centre. Naples is built on soft yellow tuff, and for more than two thousand years its people have quarried the rock under their feet, first to build the Greek city and then to carve out an aqueduct and a network of water cisterns that supplied the town for centuries. During the Second World War many of these spaces were turned into air-raid shelters. The tour presents this as a journey of around 2,400 years, reaching a depth of about 40 metres.

Visits are guided and follow a set route. Below ground you walk through former cisterns and the aqueduct channels, some of them wide enough for only one person, and see the traces left by the shelters, along with the small war museum, a section on experimental hydroponic gardens and a wine-ageing area in the tunnels. The route also takes in part of the Greek-Roman theatre of Neapolis, whose remains were absorbed into the buildings of the later city.

Tours in Italian and English leave from the entrance at regular times through the day, with the main departures at 10.00, 12.00, 14.00 and 16.00, plus a later slot and an evening tour on Thursdays for groups that book. Groups of fewer than ten people do not need to reserve, but a queue-jump ticket can be bought online, and the office answers by phone and WhatsApp. Other languages can be arranged by reservation.

Some passages are very narrow and low, and there are many steps, so this is not a good choice for anyone with claustrophobia or limited mobility; if in doubt, contact the organisers before booking. Wear flat shoes and bring a light layer, as it is cooler underground than on the street, which makes the tour a welcome break in summer. Older children usually enjoy it a great deal.

The entrance is on Piazza San Gaetano, on Via dei Tribunali next to the basilica of San Paolo Maggiore, and is marked with white and blue flags. Via San Gregorio Armeno, the Duomo and some of the city's best-known pizzerias are a few minutes' walk away. Dante and Museo stations on metro Line 1 are both about ten minutes on foot.