Lapis Museum
Discover the Lapis Museum’s underground journey through ancient Greco-Roman cisterns and WWII shelters, featuring immersive multimedia installations.
Planning your visit
The Lapis Museum is an underground route beneath the Basilica della Pietrasanta in central Naples, and it descends through several layers of the city's history in sequence.
Greek and Roman quarries came first: the tuff cut from beneath the city built the city above, leaving voids. Those voids were converted into cisterns for the Roman aqueduct system, and remained in use as Naples's water supply into the nineteenth century, maintained by well-keepers who moved through them. During the Second World War the same spaces became air-raid shelters, and Naples was among the most heavily bombed Italian cities — the shelters retain graffiti, latrines, beds and the objects left by families who lived underground for extended periods.
The museum adds multimedia installations at intervals, and the Decumano route continues into further sections.
Naples has several underground itineraries covering overlapping ground, so it is worth reading what each covers before choosing. Steps and confined passages are involved. Allow ninety minutes. Bookable options include guided visits. Current availability is shown below.
Before you book
Where is Lapis Museum?
Lapis Museum is in Naples, Italy. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for Lapis Museum?
Allow ninety minutes. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book Lapis Museum in advance?
Guided tours run to a fixed schedule and small group sizes, so they are usually booked ahead.
