Twelve metres below the Rione Sanità, four Hellenistic tombs bear witness to the Greek Naples of the 4th century BC: funerary chambers carved into the tuff, decorated with vivid frescoes, columns, sculptures and refined trompe l'œil effects.
It all began in 1889, when Baron Giovanni di Donato ordered excavations in the garden of his palace — perhaps in search of a well, perhaps of building tuff. Instead of rock, his workers found silence: that of a necropolis buried for centuries beneath layers of alluvial debris, left intact as if time had forgotten about it.
Today, descending those steps, one comes face to face with the Medusa painted by Greek artists, with cushions sculpted in hard stone for the deceased, with colours — red, blue, yellow — that after 2,400 years have not stopped speaking.
Available itineraries
Hypogeum of the Crystallines - Expert Route
The itinerary crosses the authentic street level of the fourth-century BC Neapolis, once open to the sky and traversed by funeral processions along the road of the final journey. In tombs A and B, visitors explore the threshold between the vestibule (the space of the living) and the hypogeum (the space of the dead), where ritual slits in the walls allowed food and drink offerings to be inserted; here one can observe the klinai (tufa beds) and funerary inscriptions in ancient Greek such as the greeting "χαῖρε", still in use during the Roman period, as well as rare fragments of Egyptian blue. The highlight is tomb C, the only one to have survived intact: a true subterranean domus with a sloping ceiling, a cocciopesto floor painted in red, black and blue, and sculpted beds designed to imitate the softness of fabric, all watched over by a solemn apotropaic Medusa. The experience concludes in tomb D, an unfinished space that was later converted into a Roman columbarium bearing traces of damnatio memoriae, before opening into a reflection on the extraordinary historical layering of Naples and the social renaissance that this living heritage is generating in the Sanità neighbourhood.
Hypogeum of the Crystals - Adult Tour
The itinerary of the Ipogeo dei Cristallini offers an immersive journey into the Neapolis of the 4th century BC, beginning from the ancient Greek ground level along the "via dell'ultimo viaggio" — the "road of the last journey." Through visits to Tombs A and B, one discovers the profound bond between the living and the dead, between funerary banquets and the transformations of the Roman era. The heart of the route is Tomb C, an intact masterpiece that simulates an aristocratic dwelling, complete with refined paintings, realistic tufa stone beds, and the precious Egyptian blue pigment. The experience continues with Tomb D, among columbaria and stories of damnatio memoriae — the deliberate erasure of a person's memory and legacy — before concluding with a reflection on the extraordinary layering of Naples' history. A journey that does not celebrate the end, but rather the permanence of life, contributing today to the cultural and social rebirth of the Sanità neighbourhood.
Hypogeum of the Crystals - Kids' Tour
The itinerary invites young explorers on a secret mission along an original Greek road dating back 2,400 years, in the heart of Neapolis. In this "city of the dead," the deceased did not disappear, but continued to live surrounded by their belongings and loved ones. In tombs A and B, visitors discover the slits used as "letter boxes" through which food and clothing were sent, as well as stone beds decorated with the extremely rare Egyptian blue. Tomb C is the masterpiece: an intact underground house with a sloping ceiling and coloured floors, where a beautiful Medusa watches over an eternal festive banquet. Finally, in tomb D, visitors can observe the mystery of damnatio memoriae, with names erased from gravestones so as to be forgotten. A journey through the layers of Naples to discover that the past is a hidden city, still very much alive.
From the Hypogeum of the Crystallini - Rione Sanità
This itinerary begins at the Ipogeo dei Cristallini to unveil the soul of the Rione Sanità, where Naples' millennia-old stratification merges with a vibrant cultural regeneration. The route traverses the underground city, from the Catacombs of San Gaudioso and San Gennaro to the Augustan Aqueduct and the evocative Cimitero delle Fontanelle. On the surface, visitors can admire the dramatic "hawk's wing" staircases of Ferdinando Sanfelice's Baroque palaces and the symbolic landmarks of local identity, such as the birthplace of Totò and the Vicolo della Cultura. Contemporary art takes centre stage with street art murals and the Jago Museum, which houses the celebrated Figlio Velato (Veiled Son). From the treasures of the Cathedral and the Museum of San Gennaro, the journey ultimately leads to the MANN, where the archaeological finds from the underground burial sites find their definitive historical placement.
