Down there, sixty years ago , came the muffled roar of bombs. But on the surface, it was hell. The Allied bombers had targetedNaples, sventrandone houses and palaces. And people found escape by hiding in the bowels of the city. We are thirty feet deep, in the basement of Piazza Cavour. In that place , taking advantage of an ancient cistern greek -Roman times, in the years of World War II saw the … “light” the best-known air-raid shelters throughout the city. A place frequented by thousands and thousands of Neapolitans. Well, in the same place , after more than half a century , thanks to the initiative and the desire of the president of the Centro Speleologico Meridionale, Clemente Esposito, you want to condense into a single environment, because the underground natural heritage has to offer to the public, was originally an Underground Museum of Naples: a site highly suggestive , which condense centuries of human history. To help and support him in this difficult task , the volunteers of the cave and archaeological cultural “La Macchina del Tempo”, chaired by Luca Cuttitta, current managers as well as engines of the museum made in Naples.
The entrance to the museum is a short walk from Metro Line 2, at number 140 where a nondescript door, facing the street, welcomes the visitor projecting, as if by magic, on a trip back in time. Once inside , you feel alive the terror that attacked the Neapolitan struggling with the bombing. But that’s not all to kidnap the visitor. In the underground museum, in fact, was created a true work of resetting, full of relics and monuments of which the public can admire in the large environments in which it was divided the complex of Piazza Cavour : from oil lamps to ancient pickaxes and tools used by the quarrymen Neapolitans from the shards of amphorae used to draw water , the fragments of tiles, dishes , sewing machine , and everything else at one time was part of daily life . But even some of vials and medical instrumentation belonged at one time found in an old pharmacy in the center. All excavated finds , maybe devoid of artistic value, but full of charm that only history can inspire the objects.[charme-gallery]
The inner room of the museum also houses a small photographic exhibition , with some glimpses of the natural caves of the world’s most beautiful and unpublished shots of theNaplesunderground and spectacular 3- D screenings dedicated to the treasures of the undergroundNaplesand the moments of the numerous speleological explorations conducted over the years.
Along the route you through a picturesque path crossed by the play of light projected by the glow of natural crystals , you can also see a large permanent collection of colorful “riggiole” . These ancient majolica tiles that Neapolitan masters have begun to work and produce from the fourteenth century.
Museo del Sottosuolo
Piazza Cavour, Napoli 140
Timetables and Opening Days:
Saturday and Sunday with tours to 10-12 and from 15:30 to 17:30
Classic tour. Path Length: about an hour. Price: 10 €
Adventure Tour. Path Length: about two hours. Price: 20 €
Caving Tour. path length: about three hours. Price: 35 €
Groups can also book tours during the other days and times of the week.
For info on theater events and booking (subject to availability):
+39.320.5741842
info@ilmuseodelsottosuolo.com
www.lamacchinadeltempo.info
www.ilmuseodelsottosuolo.com