Posted by LMR for Fulvio 17 August, 2006
After a closure for cleaning, restoration and landscaping, Virgils Tomb is once again open to the public in Naples.
The great Roman poet, Publius Vergilius Maro (70-19 bc), known simply today as Virgil, spent much of his life in Naples. Ancient lore identified him as a sorcerer. His supposed final resting place is located in at the entrance to an ancient roman tunnel beneath the soaring cape Posillipo known as the Grotta Romana. Myth has it that he, as a sorcerer, created it . . . but the feat more realistically goes to Roman engineer, Lucius Cocceus Auctus, who built the long and high roofed tunnel so Romans could more easily get in and out of Naples.
Fulvio Salvi, our dear webmaster and urban speleologist, has posted some great photos of the entrance to the Grotta Romana, and Virgil's Tomb located above the Mergellina train station. It is easily reached through an entrance that winds up into a lush green park. You can click below for a look at the tunnel, tomb, and breathtaking panorama of the bay of Naples with Vesuvius in the background!
The tunnel was used well into the 19th century and a modern day multi lane tunnel today almost parallels the ancient "Grotto".
To see the other PHOTOS
Larry Ray
by Napoli Underground
