4th Day in Naples

23rd May

On Thursday morning we visited the wellknown National Archaelogical Museum to deepen Greek-Roman roots of the city and then the Roman Aqueduct in the city centre.

At San Gennaro Gate we started the tour in the old city centre to find out the ruins of the Augustan Aqueduct, collecting water from Serino springs.

The identification of two water channel bridges of the Serino aqueduct in the area limited by via Arena and vico Traetta has sparked an interesting research, which has led to a series of explorations along the line of the monumental water infrastructure. An immense cistern, located along the line of the channels, next to the Hellenistic necropolis, is under investigation. Excavated into the tufa bedrock and covered with cocciopesto, it is characterized by a ceiling, which exploits the original vaults of two funerary chambers, whose floor was destroyed in order to enhance the volume; on the opposite side a massive empty pillar has the double function of support for the ceiling and well for water extraction. North-eastward, uphill from via Foria in the “Miracoli” neighborhood, a new piece of the ancient aqueduct has been identified. The channel runs underground for 220 m and presents seven aeration wells.

In the afternoon we visited Bourbon Tunnel: old cisterns of Naples Aqueduct and II Word War shelter. Exporing the underground of Naples was amazing!