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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Naples

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

Updated March 2, 2022

Unusual Attractions in Naples

Naples, Italy

Naples Underground

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

Naples, Italy

Gabinetto Segreto

The once forbidden "secret cabinet" of erotic art from excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Naples, Italy

Fontanelle Cemetery Caves

Skulls from the plague of 1656 and World War II bombings are united by a cult dedicated to caring for the ancient dead.

Naples, Italy

The Anatomical Machines of Cappella Sansevero

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

Naples, Italy

Toledo Art Station

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

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 various owners.

Naples, Italy

Catacombs of San Gennaro

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

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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Guided Tours of Naples

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Culinary Naples: Producers, Purveyors, and Pizzaioli

From street food to lavish feasts, piping-hot coffee to smooth aperitivos, folk songs to opera, hilltop farms to urban wilds, immerse yourself in the greatest culinary and cultural experiences of Naples, meeting lively local Neapolitani for whom this is the only way to live.

Explore Naples, Italy

Sacred Spaces 8

Subterranean Sites 6

Catacombs And Crypts 5

Relics And Reliquaries 3

History & Culture 3

Unique Restaurants & Bars 1

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Stories About Naples

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

The Traditional Pizza Making of Naples Now Has Heritage Status

Good news for Neapolitans, however you slice it.

by Natasha Frost

December 7, 2017

The Forgotten Italian Tradition of Building Monumental Food Palaces

Then destroying them in a literal hunger games.

October 27, 2017

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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