Galleria Borbonica

"The Bourbon Gallery is an historic underground beneath the city of Naples with a long history. Beginning as a quarry for extracting tuff (a rock made of volcanic ash), it then grew into an underground escape tunnel in 1853 for Ferdinand II of Bourbon. During WW2, it was a bomb shelter for the citizens of Naples, and in the 1970s it was used as an underground impound lot! There are 4 tour types: 1 - Standard tour shows you the Bourbon Tunnel and walk you through its evolution into a WW2 bomb shelter and later an impound lot with some original cars and artifacts still present. 2 - Via Delle Memorie Tour - Begin at Palazzo Serra di Cassano, the tour takes you down to the basement and the underground with entry to a WW2 museum and access to the old quarry which has since turned into a functioning cistern. A portion of the Bourbon Tunnel is seen upon exit. 3 - Adventure Tour - Wearing an helmet and using a torch, you will visit the water tanks and the narrow routes made by the “pozzari”, the workers of the ancient aqueduct system. In addition, you will reach some spots of the Bourbon Tunnel, like the main room where the vintage vehicles are parked. Walking on an ancient bridge you will be able to reach then a huge water-tank, connected to an abandoned subway's tunnel, flooded and navigable for few meters on a small raft. 4 - Speleo Tour - You will be provided with your caving helmet with headlamp and explore the tunnels of the ancient underground acqueduct system of Naples, up to reach astonishing water tanks of the 15th century still full of water and decorated with mysterious symbols. The tour is a long walk through the narrow tunnels of the acqueduct system of 'Bolla', which will take you to some water tanks of the 15th century full of religious symbols carved by the upkeepers of the ancient underground water network. Sometimes the tour guides will change the route, showing to the visitors the rooms found by the many volunteers cleaning up new caves: new perspectives, new artefacts are waiting for you... you will end up dusty, but happy! Tickets can be purchased online and english tours are available with advance notice (and possibly a minimum headcount requirement). There are multiple entrances to these sites based on the tour you book. Please note there is another section of the underground that is organized and operated by a different group (Napoli Sotteranea) and is not to be confused with this organizer (Galleria Borbonica). "

"Underneath Naples is another city entirely. Buried 40 meters underground, an eerie, yet marvelous, world awaits. Hidden beneath the city’s streets are air-raid shelters, aqueducts, caves, a garden, and a Roman theater, all of which can be discovered on an interesting underground tour. "