Have you already booked?   Timetables & info

Ticket details

Standard Tour
Entrance at via D. Morelli, 61

€11.00

price Full Rate

Full Rate
€11.00
Law enforcement
€6.00
Junior 11-13 years old
€6.00
Disable
€6.00
Children until 10 years old
€0.00
All prices shown include pre-sale rights
Continue with "Select"
   Give this experience as a gift
  Select
Guided tour included
Best for children and people with disabilities
e6658d016cc6dcde

Best for children and people with disabilities. The Bourbon Tunnel represents the bourbon civil engineering's pride of the underground; thanks to the “Standard” Tour you can visit and admire it.

What to expect

 

The Bourbon Tunnel represents the bourbon civil engineering's pride of the underground; thanks to the “Standard” Tour you can visit and admire it.

The tour will show you the fabulous project of the architect Enrico Alvino and the technical problems he met, while he was working.

You will walk through the “Bolla” Renaissance aqueduct system, admiring the bridges built by the Bourbon to bypass the cisterns.You will have the chance to visit a World War II air bomb shelter, built in these underground spaces, where a lot of authentic objects of the time have been found.

 During the whole guided tour you will be surrounded by statues' fragments, vintage cars and motorbikes found buried under tons of debris, illegally dumped into the underground – from the end of the World War II until the '70s-, when the Bourbon Tunnel was used as a police car pound.

With this ticket you will enter to our site from the Morelli Car Parking. Even children and people with disabilities can access using this entrance. Disabled people can take part to the 60% of the guided tour.

Galleria Borbonica

The Bourbon Gallery: A Journey into the Heart of Naples

Discover the Bourbon Gallery, an extraordinary engineering feat and a silent witness to the history of Naples, hidden beneath the city. This fascinating underground passage will lead you through a journey back in time, revealing millennia-old secrets and stories.

The King's Idea: A Hidden Escape Route

The history of the Bourbon Gallery began in the mid-19th century at the behest of King Ferdinand II of Bourbon. In a period of strong political tensions, the King desired a secret passage connecting the Royal Palace to the sea. This tunnel was intended to serve as a rapid escape route for the royal family and troops in case of revolts or invasions, ensuring security and discretion.


L'ampio traforo borbonico, l'ambizioso progetto di un passaggio segreto reale

 

The Engineering Challenge: Building Beneath Naples

The project was entrusted to the architect Errico Alvino, who faced a monumental challenge.

The construction of the gallery involved overcoming natural and artificial obstacles in the subsoil of Naples. Workers and engineers had to cross the ancient Bolla aqueduct network, a complex system of cisterns and conduits, and deal with the stability of the terrain, composed of tuff and volcanic deposits.

To overcome these difficulties, advanced engineering solutions for the time were implemented: imposing bridges and vaults were built to span cavities and pre-existing cisterns, showcasing the construction expertise of the era.


Il maestoso ponte di Alvino, testimonianza dell'ingegno borbonico per superare gli antichi acquedotti

 

The Gallery's Destinies: From Unfinished Project to Refuge

Despite the immense work, the Bourbon Gallery was never completed for its original purpose. The fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies interrupted the works, leaving the project unfinished for decades.

Its fate drastically changed during World War II. The gallery was transformed into a gigantic air-raid shelter, offering protection to thousands of Neapolitans from devastating bombings. Its wide vaults became a symbol of salvation for the population.

After the war, for many years, the gallery was used as a judicial deposit, a place where seized vehicles and artifacts were stored, accumulating objects that today bear witness to a more recent past.


Uno degli ampi spazi del rifugio antiaereo, che offrì riparo durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale

 

The Structure: An Underground Museum

Today, the Bourbon Gallery reveals itself as an underground museum of inestimable historical and architectural value. It extends for over 530 meters, with majestic sections varying in width and height, testifying to the different phases of construction and use.

During the visit, you can closely admire:

  • Ancient masonry bridges: true engineering masterpieces spanning the vast cisterns of the Bolla aqueduct.

  • Mighty vaults and arches: structures highlighting the robustness and construction ingenuity of the 19th century.

  • Ventilation shafts: conduits connecting the depths of the subsoil with the city above.

  • Large and evocative spaces: environments that once served as shelters for the population or as storage, and which today display collections of vintage cars and motorcycles, unique artifacts from Neapolitan history.

The structure of the Bourbon Gallery is a journey through centuries of history and engineering, an experience that reveals the complexity and resilience of Naples' underground.

 

Cisterna di Palazzo Serra

 

Are you ready to explore this incredible hidden heritage? Discover the magic of underground Naples!

Features

Duration: 1 ora and 10 minuti
Tickets available for purchase: from 1 to 15 (based on availability)
 Includes guided tour in:
Italiano Italiano
English English
Timetables: From Friday to Sunday. Schedule staff 10:00 - 12:00 - 15:00 - 17:00
Chance to make photo: No
Accessibility: Also accessible to wheelchair users for 60% of the route
No Smoke: Smoking in the trip not allowed
You better book on-line!

you always have these benefits included 

  • Refund option
  • Free to change date and time
  • Instant ticket
  • Relax
  • The environment thanks you
  • Easy and stress free
  • Secure Payments
  • Personal area and help desk

More details  

Prices

Full Rate
€11.00
Law enforcement
€6.00
Junior 11-13 years old
€6.00
Disable
€6.00
Children until 10 years old
€0.00
   Give this experience as a gift
Continue with "Select"
All prices shown include pre-sale rights

How to reach the property

Galleria Borbonica - Morelli

Via Domenico Morelli, 61 c/o Parcheggio Morelli - 80121 Napoli

Click to enlarge

Pinch and drag for more details

Metro Line 1 - Toledo
Walk 1.5 km, 20 minutes
Metro Line 1 - Municipio
Walk 1.4 km, 19 minutes
Molo Beverello
Walk 1.8 km, 24 minutes
Metro Line 2 - Piazza Amedeo
Walk 1.1 km, 14 minutes

The opening hours of the structure

09:30 - 13:00  /  14:30 - 17:00  |  from Friday to Sunday

Online ticket office contacts

galleriaborbonica@okticket.it

Structure contacts

+39 081 764 5808
+39 366 248 4151
mail@galleriaborbonica.com