Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DON'T MISS
CATACOMBA DI SAN GENNARO
An evocative other-world of tombs, corridors and broad vestibules, the
Catacomba di San Gennaro
( 081
744 37 14;
www.catacombedinapoli.it
; Via Tondo di Capodimonte 13; adult/reduced €8/5; 1hr tours every
hour 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, to 1pm Sun) is Naples' oldest and most sacred catacomb. Not only home to 2nd-cen-
tury Christian frescoes and 5th-century mosaics, it harbours the oldest known image of San Gennaro as the pro-
tector of Naples. Indeed, it was the interment of the saint's body here in the 5th century that turned this city of the
dead into a Christian pilgrimage site.
Tours of the catacomb are run by the
Cooperativa Sociale Onlus 'La Paranza'
( 081 744 37 14;
www.catacombedinapoli.it
; Via Tondo di Capodimonte 13; info point 10am-5pm; R4 to Via Capodi-
monte), the ticket office of which is to the left of the
Chiesa di Madre di Buon Consiglio
( 081 741 00 06;
Via Tondo di Capodimonte 13; 8am-12.30pm & 5-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm & 5-7pm Sun), a snack-sized rep-
lica of St Peter's in Rome completed in 1960. The co-operative also runs a fascinating walking tour called Il
Miglio Sacro (The Holy Mile), which explores the neighbouring Sanità district. See its website for details.
Tours
Tunnel Borbonico
MAP
WALKING TOUR
GOOGLE MAP
( 366 2484151, 081 764 58 08;
www.tunnelborbonico.inf
o; Vico del Grottone 4; 75min standard tour adult/reduced
€10/5; standard tour 10am, noon, 3.30pm & 5.30pm Fri-Sun; R2 to Via San Carlo)
Traverse five cen-
turies of history along Naples' engrossing Bourbon Tunnel. Conceived by Ferdinand II in
1853 to link the Palazzo Reale to the barracks and the sea, the never-completed escape
route is part of the 17th-century Carmignano Aqueduct system, itself incorporating 16th-
century cisterns. An air-raid shelter and military hospital during WWII, this underground
labyrinth rekindles the past with wartime artefacts.
Beyond the standard tour are an Adventure Tour (80 minutes,; adult/ reduced €15/10)
and an adults-only Speleo Tour (2½ hours; €40), both of which require pre-booking.
There is a second Tunnel Borbonico entrance, through the
Parcheggio Morelli
(Via Domenico
Morelli 40)
parking complex in Chiaia.
Napoli Sotterranea
MAP
WALKING TOUR
GOOGLE MAP
(Underground Naples; ;
081 29 69 44;
www.napolisotterranea.org
; Piazza San Gaetano 68; tours €9;
English
C55 to Via Duomo)
This evocative 80-minute tour leads you
tours 10am, noon, 2pm, 4pm & 6pm;
