What was the Bourbon Tunnel built for in 1853?

A royal escape route to the barracks

What is the Fontanelle Cemetery famous for?

Thousands of skulls once cared for by locals

Naples Underground Quiz: Tunnels, Cisterns and Catacombs

Builders have been cutting soft yellow tuff from under the city for about 2,400 years, and this Naples underground quiz explores the spaces they left behind. Play 10 interactive questions on Napoli Sotterranea, ancient aqueducts, World War II air-raid shelters, the Bourbon Tunnel, the Catacombs of San Gennaro, the Fontanelle Cemetery and a Roman theater hidden under homes.

Start Naples Underground Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Rock
What soft volcanic rock lies under Naples?
Greeks
Who first quarried stone under Naples?
Water
What were many underground spaces later used for?
War
How were the tunnels used in World War II?
Bourbon
What was the Bourbon Tunnel built for in 1853?
Gennaro
Which catacombs are named after Naples' patron saint?
Skulls
What is the Fontanelle Cemetery famous for?
Theater
What ancient structure is hidden beneath Naples homes?
Tour
What is the main guided route under the old city called?
Market
Which church complex has a Roman market below it?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What soft volcanic rock lies under Naples?
Answer: Tuff
It is easy to cut but strong.
Q2: Who first quarried stone under Naples?
Answer: Ancient Greeks
They founded Neapolis.
Q3: What were many underground spaces later used for?
Answer: Cisterns fed by aqueducts
They supplied water to homes.
Q4: How were the tunnels used in World War II?
Answer: As air-raid shelters
Thousands sheltered from bombing.
Q5: What was the Bourbon Tunnel built for in 1853?
Answer: A royal escape route to the barracks
King Ferdinand II ordered it.
Q6: Which catacombs are named after Naples' patron saint?
Answer: The Catacombs of San Gennaro
They date from the 2nd century.
Q7: What is the Fontanelle Cemetery famous for?
Answer: Thousands of skulls once cared for by locals
Locals adopted the bones.
Q8: What ancient structure is hidden beneath Naples homes?
Answer: A Roman theater
Emperor Nero once performed there.
Q9: What is the main guided route under the old city called?
Answer: Napoli Sotterranea
It starts near Piazza San Gaetano.
Q10: Which church complex has a Roman market below it?
Answer: San Lorenzo Maggiore
Shops and streets survive underground.

Naples Underground Quiz – Tunnels, Cisterns and Catacombs

Naples sits on soft yellow tuff, a volcanic rock that ancient Greeks quarried to build Neapolis about 2,400 years ago. The hollows became a web of cisterns fed by aqueducts that supplied water for centuries.

During World War II many of these spaces became air-raid shelters. The Bourbon Tunnel, built in 1853 for King Ferdinand II, was meant as an escape route. Visitors explore Napoli Sotterranea, and remains of a Roman theater and a market below San Lorenzo Maggiore survive beneath the city.

The Catacombs of San Gennaro date from the 2nd century. The Fontanelle Cemetery holds thousands of skulls, once adopted and cared for by local residents in a popular cult.

What This Quiz Teaches

History and travel fans will enjoy these questions.

What lies beneath Naples
Who dug the tunnels
How they were used
Which burial sites exist
Which ancient ruins hide underground

Did You Know?

Graffiti from wartime shelters survives on tunnel walls.
Some cisterns were reached through home wells.
Old cars and statues lie in the Bourbon Tunnel.
Tuff is also used to build above ground.
Naples' historic center is a UNESCO site.