Tunnels, Greek cisterns and air raid shelters beneath the alleys
Forty metres beneath the historic centre of Naples lies another city. The Greeks began quarrying the soft yellow tuff to build their walls and temples, leaving cavities that the Romans turned into an immense network of cisterns and aqueduct tunnels, which supplied water to the city until the late nineteenth century.
During the Second World War the cisterns became air raid shelters for thousands of Neapolitans, who left behind graffiti, toys and objects still visible today. Guided tours lead through narrow passages lit by candles, some barely wide enough for one person, to large chambers and to an underground garden where plants are grown without sunlight. Some tours also include the remains of the Greek-Roman theatre, incorporated into the houses above, where Nero performed: one entrance is through an ordinary ground floor flat.
Tip: the main tour starts from Piazza San Gaetano and lasts about ninety minutes; it is cool underground, so bring a light jumper, and avoid it if you suffer from claustrophobia.
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