GALLERIA BORBONICA

To retrace the history of this underground labyrinth, we have to go back to the city's past, more precisely to 1853 when Ferdinand II of Bourbon ordered the architect Errico Alvino to dig an underground viaduct to connect the Royal Palace to Piazza Vittoria by crossing Mount Echia: the gallery was to represent an easy and faster way for the army in case of invasion of the city. After three years of work, it was inaugurated with great pomp and circumstance, but Italian unification and economic difficulties interrupted the plans to put it into service. During the Second World War, the gallery served as a refuge and air-raid shelter for thousands of Neapolitans. At the end of the conflict and until the 1970s, its underground spaces were used as a rubbish dump. Many objects were found: old cars, fascist statues, as well as engravings on the walls and documents dating back to the 1970s. For a very long time, these places had remained unexplored, and it was only in 2005 that geologists became interested in the site again and discovered new parts of it. After the expansion works and the safety measures carried out by volunteers, without any public contribution, the tunnels are now open to visits thanks to the action of a cultural association, and guided tours are organized during the weekend (only in Italian and English). The descent into this subterranean world is fascinating and will fascinate young and old alike.