Parco delle Tombe di Virgilio e Leopardi

About the museum

The park occupies part of the eastern slopes of the Posillipo promontory and takes its name from the Roman villa Pausilypon. From 1662 until the early 19th century the area belonged to the d'Alessandro family of Pescolanciano, who had a villa there; after Italian unification it was bought by the State and rearranged in 1885, with the opening of the Galleria delle Quattro Giornate. Around 1930, on the occasion of the Virgilian bimillennium, it became a park: the Latinist and archaeologist Enrico Cocchia designed its current route. Restored, it reopened in 1976 and is a national monument.

The heart of the park is a Roman-era columbarium, traditionally held to be the tomb of the poet Virgil. Because the ground level was lowered in the 15th century, it appears to hang over the void; the authenticity of the attribution remains debated, and an ironic inscription of 1554, commissioned by the canons of the nearby Piedigrotta convent, commemorates the debate. The park also contains an aedicule of 1668 with two plaques listing the thermal springs between Fuorigrotta and Pozzuoli, two frescoes, and the tomb of Giacomo Leopardi, placed in an artificial grotto since 22 February 1939.

The entrance to the Crypta Neapolitana, a Roman gallery of the Augustan age about 705 metres long between Mergellina and Fuorigrotta, enlarged in the 15th century by Alfonso of Aragon, is also connected to the park. The gallery is currently closed to visitors for safety reasons, pending restoration.

Highlights

• Tomb traditionally attributed to Virgil, a Roman columbarium
• Tomb of Giacomo Leopardi, in an artificial grotto (since 1939)
• Entrance to the Crypta Neapolitana, an Augustan gallery of about 705 metres
• Aedicule of 1668 with plaques on the thermal springs of the Campi Flegrei
• Ironic inscription of 1554 on the authenticity of the tomb

Operated by

Ministero della Cultura – Direzione regionale Musei nazionali Campania

Visitors per year

approx. 35,271

Admission & discounts

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Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The park is behind the church of Santa Maria di Piedigrotta, near Mergellina railway station.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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