Naples Underground

Napoli Sotterranea, Underground Naples, takes you down 40 metres below the historic centre. The Greeks and Romans dug the soft volcanic rock for building stone and turned the cavities into an aqueduct and cisterns that supplied the city with water. Centuries later the same spaces became bomb shelters during the Second World War, and objects left behind by the people who sheltered there are still on display.

On the tour you walk through tunnels and cisterns, in places wide enough for just one person to pass, and also see the remains of the Greek-Roman theatre of Neapolis, which lies hidden among the houses of the old town. Visits are guided, which matters here: the guide explains what you are seeing in spaces that would otherwise be hard to read.

On Tiqets you can buy a skip-the-line ticket with a guided tour. The entrance is on Piazza San Gaetano 69, on Via dei Tribunali next to the Basilica of San Paolo Maggiore, in the middle of the UNESCO-listed historic centre.

The narrowest passages are not for anyone who dislikes tight spaces, though they are short. Wear shoes with good grip, and bring a light layer: underground the temperature stays cool even when Naples is hot.