The Atlas Obscura Guide To Naples

28 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Naples, Italy

Updated March 2, 2022

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Unusual Attractions in Naples

A staircase excavated from the tuff leads to a depth of 120 feet (40 meters).

Naples, Italy

Naples Underground

A labyrinth of ancient tunnels hidden below the city holds the ruins of 2,500 years of history.

Toledo Art Station of the Naples Metro.

Naples, Italy

Toledo Art Station

This shining multicolored metro station deep under Naples is said to be the most beautiful in Europe.

An anatomical model.

Naples, Italy

The Anatomical Machines of Cappella Sansevero

These "anatomical machines" are only one of the many strange items in this Italian crypt.

Tunnel and vintage cars.

Naples, Italy

Bourbon Tunnel

Dug as a secret royal escape route, the tunnel became a wartime bomb shelter and dumping ground for vintage cars.

Naples, Italy

Gaiola Island

This magical-looking island is notorious for the misfortunes suffered by its owners.

Catacombs of San Gennaro.

Naples, Italy

Catacombs of San Gennaro

An underground paleo-Christian burial site composed of the remains of several cemeteries and Basilicas.

Via dei Presepi

Naples, Italy

Via dei Presepi

Every day is like Christmas on this street where the traditional Neapolitan nativity scene comes to life.

Skulls in the hypogeum.

Naples, Italy

Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco

The Neapolitan Cult of the Dead still cares for the skulls at this mini-Fontanelle.

See All 28 Things To Do in Naples

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Naples

Naples, Italy

Birthplace of the Pizza Margherita Plaque

A popular legend claims that the famous pizza was invented at a restaurant in this alley.

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Sacred Spaces 8

Subterranean Sites 6

Catacombs And Crypts 5

Subterranean 4

Churches 4

Underground 4

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Stories About Naples

Kircher's map of the Earth's core and volcanoes, from Mundus Subterraneus, is richly detailed.

Stare Into the Belly of the Earth With 17th-Century Polymath Athanasius Kircher

How a visit to Vesuvius shaped his prescient vision of a hot core.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

A Neapolitan pizza maker.

The Traditional Pizza Making of Naples Now Has Heritage Status

Good news for Neapolitans, however you slice it.

by Natasha Frost

December 7, 2017

Poor Neapolitans rush to pillage this Cuccagna, built for the birth of Prince Phillip.

The Forgotten Italian Tradition of Building Monumental Food Palaces

Then destroying them in a literal hunger games.

October 27, 2017

King Ferdinand I of Aragon had colorectal cancer.

Italian Renaissance Aristocrats Were Susceptible to Cancer, Too

Mummified evidence that cancer might not be a disease of the modern world.

by Vittoria Traverso

October 4, 2017

Eating Spaghetti by the Fistful Was Once a Neapolitan Street Spectacle

Tourists flocked to see the "macaroni eaters" cram noodles into their mouths.

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