The underground water museum opens in Naples: in Pietrasanta the submerged Naples

In Naples the Water Museum will open under the Basilica of Pietrasanta with paths, plays of light, melodies and streams in the tuff cisterns!

Next autumn 2020 Naples will be enriched by a new museum which will be called the Water Museum and will come to life in the basement of the Basilica della Pietrasanta.

This beautiful church, which for years has occasionally hosted various exhibitions, among the most famous those organized by Vittorio Sgarbi, has already opened the Lapis Museum with an underground itinerary and, in a few months, will allow you to visit what will be the Submerged Naples.

The underground tanks: submerged Naples opens

This new project involves the reopening of ancient tuff cisterns , which Naples is rich in, which were in operation until 1885. Thanks to ABC, the municipal company for the management of public water and the Pietrasanta Association, the hydraulic works will begin and will be inaugurated in October 2020.

The route will also be easily accessible to disabled people and those with mobility difficulties thanks to a useful lift.

As many know, the large underground cisterns were used during the Second World War as shelters for the population during bombing raids and today they will take on new life thanks to the visit route.

The Cistern of the Prince between play of light and sound

One of the two cisterns is called the Prince 's Cisterns because it is located beneath the Palace of Prince Gaetano Filangieri d'Arianello. It is the largest in the historic center, measuring 10 meters long and 20 meters wide. It is 5 meters deep and has a capacity of 400 cubic meters.

It will be the most important attraction because there will also be exposed streams , melodies created by the water , and plays of light . There will also be the grappiate , the cavities used by the "pozzari" to clean the cisterns. To make everything more evocative, the electrical system has already been restored with copper wires identical to those used during the Second World War.

There will be no shortage of multimedia and interactive panels , installations explaining the history of the cisterns, and infographics. Naturally, the history of the cisterns and how the water was collected will also be explained, as well as the history of the tuff quarries used by the Greeks in the 4th century to build the city.