Galleria Borbonica

The Galleria Borbonica is the Naples underground told as a twentieth-century story, and it makes a superb partner to the Greek and Roman cisterns of the historic centre. In 1853 King Ferdinand II of Bourbon, shaken by the revolutions of 1848, commissioned a tunnel to run from the Royal Palace towards the barracks and the sea at Chiaia, giving troops a protected route and the royal family a possible escape. The engineers cut through the yellow tuff of Monte Echia, the hill where Naples was first settled, and had to cross the ancient aqueduct cisterns already riddled through the rock. The project was never completed, and the tunnel was largely forgotten until the Second World War, when it became an air-raid shelter for thousands of Neapolitans during the bombing of the city. The traces are still there: makeshift beds, stoves, children's toys, messages scratched on the walls. After the war the galleries were used as a municipal impound, and the vehicles abandoned there were never reclaimed, so today the tour passes rusting vintage cars, motorbikes and Vespas lying in the dim light, along with fragments of statues dumped after the war. Volunteers and geologists rediscovered and cleared the tunnels in the early 2000s, and the site opened to visitors in 2010. The standard route is a walk of about an hour with a guide, covering the Bourbon tunnel, the cisterns, the shelter and the vehicle graveyard. Other routes, when operating, add a stretch on a small raft across a flooded section or a more athletic speleological path. Fit: families with older children, history buffs interested in the war years, and anyone who has done the Naples Underground and wants a second, very different descent.

What makes it different: the main Napoli Sotterranea tour in the historic centre is about ancient Greek quarrying and Roman cisterns; the Galleria Borbonica covers the Bourbon era and the twentieth century, when the underground saved lives. The air-raid shelter rooms are the emotional heart of the tour, and guides tell the stories of families who lived here for weeks at a time.

How to do it well: book a timed guided tour (English and Italian guides are available) and arrive a little early; the entrance on Vico del Grottone is close to Piazza del Plebiscito and easy to miss. Wear closed shoes, as floors can be uneven and damp, and bring a light layer, since the temperature underground stays cool all year. The route includes steps, so it is not suitable for wheelchairs, and visitors with claustrophobia may prefer the more open Naples Underground. Children generally love the cars and the sense of exploration.

Practicals: tours last about an hour to an hour and a quarter. Combine with the Royal Palace and Piazza del Plebiscito above, a coffee in one of the historic cafés around the piazza, and the Lungomare walk to Borgo Marinari. If you only have time for one underground experience, choose the historic-centre Naples Underground for antiquity or the Galleria Borbonica for the war years and the striking vehicle graveyard.