Italia — My Blog — Girl from Naples

Napoli is definitely a city with many wonders and thousands of secrets. Every century left an important mark on the city making it how we see it today. Napoli is not just a unique city on its surface, but also in its depths. Napoli was founded by the Greeks around 500BC. and by physically going down under the streets of Napoli you can discover remnants of the original Greek city. This area is called decumani (decumans), from the old term indicating the main streets that ran through the city (today via Tribunali, via Constantinopoli and via Benedetto Croce). You can still visit the Greek tunnels underground where the population used to hide during the bombing of WWII.

There are different sites where you can book your excursion under the city offering different tours (available in other languages as well).

One of the most famous is the Napoli Sotterranea, near via dei Tribunali, one of the busiest streets of the old part. The guide will take you down to the very depths under the centro storico (old town).

The entrance of Napoli Sotterranea in via dei Tribunali.

The visit starts from the 136 steps that go down the ground for about 40 metres. Warning: it is always desirable to bring a jumper as the temperature drops dramatically (or can also be a nice refreshment from the heat). — The steps down.

There are 136 steps down to the tunnels. They are 40 metres below ground. Warning: it is always advisable to bring a jumper as the temperature drops dramatically (or otherwise it can also be a nice refreshment from the heat). One of the best parts to see is the Greek-Roman Aqueduct, big cisterns of water which used to supply the city, and the the remains of the Roman theatre, accessible through a typical Neapolitan house. During WWII, these tunnels were used by the Neapolitans as shelter from the aerial bombing that was destroying and damaging the city. Many objects of daily life were found, like children's toys, clothes and books. There is even a Hypogeum Garden, a scientific project dedicated to the power of the Earth. The garden, is in fact a great attraction not only for tourists but also for scientists and botanists. Here there is a variety of vegetable plants, which were able to grow despite the absence of natural light.

Overall, this tour is very interesting and I really suggest to do it if you have the time. Although, i must warn you if you are claustrophobic! During the visit you will be able to walk through very narrow tunnels carrying only a candle! In case you don't feel comfortable to continue, the guide can take you back to a certain level where you can wait for the rest of the group to come back. To know more about this excursion, visit the official website of Napoli Sotterranea or go to the bottom of the post for tickets and timetables.

The Pozzari were men who used to carry vases to supply the city with water. — The *Pozzari* were men who used to carry vases to supply the city with water.

Some of the caves were used as shelter from the bombing during the WWII. — Some of the caves were used as shelter from the bombing during WWII.

Not far from the Napoli Sotterranea in piazza San Gaetano, there is the San Lorenzo Maggiore church, here you can have a guided tour of the archeological site under the structure of the church. The excursion starts at almost 10 metres under the city from the medieval remains of the church, continuing to the remains of the Greek and Roman city where there are still the visible ruins of the market, a temple, shops, houses, marvellous mosaics and marble architectural remains. Archeologists have outlined a map of the ancient city where the church now is. More info about the excursions on San Lorenzo Maggiore or visit the official website or go to the bottom of the post.

Greek and Roman streets of the ancient city under the church of San Lorenzo Maggiore.

Temples and private habitations under the church of San Lorenzo Maggiore.

Another interesting tour under Napoli is the Bourbon Tunnel. In 2007, a group of geologists discovered a tunnel long about 84 meters of carafa caves just under Piazza Plebiscito. The construction of the tunnel started in 1853 and finished in 1855 for king Ferdinand II of Bourbon. The underground tunnel linked the Royal Palace to the sea, its purpose was as a secret tunnel to move the royal troops. The tunnel was divided in two sections, the Royal Gallery and the Road Regia, one for carriages and the other one for all the pedestrians.

In the years of WWII, the Bourbon tunnel was also used as an air raid shelter. The geologists found a large amount of personal items and objects, cars, motorbikes and vehicles, even statues and funeral monuments.

There is also a tour around the Catacombs of Napoli where you will find the the final resting place of thousands of Neapolitan skeletons from centuries past . There are different tours, one of the most popular is to visit the San Gennaro catacombs. San Gennaro is the saint protector of the city, and here is where his remains where originally found. Today his remains are in the Cathedral (Duomo). The area of the catacombs is quite spacious and it is divided in two levels: covered in tuff (tufo, typical Neapolitan stone that covers most of the underground tunnels) there is the lower catacombs, with a baptismal basin, and an upper level were the tomb of San Gennaro was. Probably originally these spaces were used as a sepulchre of an aristocratic family and then used by the christian community around the 2nd century A.D. Later additions were made in order to keep the remains of Sant Agrippino, the first patron of Napoli, in the 4th Century A.D. Another interesting place to visit is the Bishops Crypt and the underground cathedral. Miglio Sacro is in the area of Sanitá, which links all the churches to the catacombs.

All these different tours of underground Napoli are very interesting journeys through the history of the city. I really suggest to try and do at least one of these tours, if you can, first because it's a unique experience ( in no other city it is possible to see, even in Rome) and also because it is a different way to understand what's below the surface and to discover the centuries of history buried under Napoli.

Official website: Napoli Sotterranea
Piazza San Gaetano 68 Napoli
Tel.: 0039 081 296944 / 0039 081 0190933
Mobile: 0039 392 1733828 / 0039 334 3662841
Email: info@napolisotterranea.org

Timetable excursions: in English 10,00-12,00 / 14,00-16,00 / 18,00

Also tours in other languages (french, german, spanish).

Duration of the tour: about 2 hours.

You can book online on the official website or on the official app.

Official website: San Lorenzo Maggiore - La Neapolis Sotterrata

Piazza San Gaetano 316 Napoli

Tel.: 0039 081 211 0860 / Whatsapp 0039 389 1091 865

Email: visite.sanlorenzo@libero.it

Timetable tours: 9.30 - 17.30 (everyday) Timetable excursions: in English 11,00 / 13,15 / 15,15 / 17,00

Tickets: € 9 / € 7 with Artecard, for teachers, university students and Over 65 / € 6 Under 18 / € 4 School groups / Free under 6.

Official website: Bourbon Tunnel - il Tunnel Borbonico.

Tel.: 0039 366 248 4151 / 0039 081 764 5808

Email: mail@galleriaborbonica.com

The tour to the tunnel has three different entrances and for each entrance there is a different tour with different fees. Some tours are not suitable for children.

Official website: Catacombs of Napoli - Catacombe di Napoli.

Via Capodimonte, 13 (Entrance near the Basilica del Buon Consiglio).

Tel.: 0039 081 744 37 14
Email: info@catacombedinapoli.it

If you have been in Napoli these past months, you must have seen an explosion of blue & white banners, flags and pictures of Maradona around the city. Probably you must have thought ‘what’s going on here?’. It’s a very simple explanation. Napoli football club won the serie A, which is the the main football championship in Italy.

It is very hard for me to explain what this victory means for the city.

Because is NOT just a game, but it is much much more. A lot more.

Napoli is feeling like it’s a city on the up. The successful football season gave the city a new vibrant, self confident feeling. Yes, because you might think ‘It’s just a game’. Probably true, but not in Napoli. We live everything to the extreme! Including football.

We need to go back a few years to fully understand why football is so important to the citizens of Naples.

Precisely 33 years ago there was a man called Maradona. You can love him or hate him, surely as a human being he can be criticised, but as a football player (except for the English) he was a God, at least in Napoli.

I am old enough to remember what he did for the city. When he arrived in 1984 the city was in a sorry state of decline and the football team were a real disaster. But he gave Neapolitans hope. It was like David against Goliath, the hopeless Neapolitan team of the south against the big boy rich teams of the north, such as Juventus, Inter & AC Milan. No one believed in us, but Maradona took Naples to two league championships and to UEFA cup glory.

Maradona was the catalyst that initiated Naples steady ascent from the dark days of urban decay and crime to a reawakening of what Naples had to offer the world. Beauty, passion, life and vitality. Since the pandemic this renaissance has accelerated. Improvements in infrastructure and ambitious civic projects are finally unlocking the potential of the city. Today it is a safer more business friendly city. Tourism as well is growing rapidly. Once, not so long ago, tourists would only fly into Naples to use it only as a gateway to Sorrento and the Amalfi coast. But now all that is changing. People from all over the world are finally discovering what an incredible city Napoli is and it is becoming a destination city like Rome, Florence or Venice.

Going back to the football, that is why it is so important. Because it has given the city a new optimistic and joyful vibe. Even the elderly ladies at the market were talking about it like they were professional managers! Around March this year, despite the famous superstitious nature of the Neapolitan people, we started to decorate the streets with blue and white flags even before it was certain that Napoli would win the championship!. It didn't really matter, Neapolitans were happy to be doing so well anyway. We were determined to enjoy the moment we had been waiting 33 years for.

Believe me, in all my life I’ve never seen my city so beautiful and joyful, and studying art I feel proud that tourists are discovering and loving Napoli with its amazing architecture, its incredible treasures, its beautiful landmarks and traditions, and of course food.

It is safe to quote Goethe ‘See Napoli and then die’ (‘Vedi Napoli e poi muori’) because there’s no other place like it.

BLOGS.

Click on picture