Ipogeo dei Cristallini — Attraction in Naples

Just completely awsome. One of the very few intact remains of ancient Greek civilisation painting. The german guide was very enthusiastic but also the owner happily joined to give more explanations at the end of the tour. Just fantastic. While the other Napoli catacombs feel more like a touristic experience for the mass this one is more like a 1 to 1 tour. The archeological excavations are still ongoing and that is exciting to see too. It was very interesting to get to know some aspects of the greek diaspora culture habits too-these hypogeums do not exist in Greece mainland. The level of detail in creating these structures is surprising-the rich room has extremely beautiful paintings from ancient Greek times-these (or similar) have been extinguished and cannot be found anymore in mainland Greece but these painting techniques must have been common. The preservation here was made possible by the fact that the whole area was flooded and abandoned during 500 ad-1500 ad approximately. Very different from the protochristian San Gennaro and the late christian San Gaudioso catacombs in the city so it is necessary to visit for anyone interested in Neapolitan, Greek or Roman history. Officially the guide is 45 minutes according to website but the guides and owners were very happy to extend the visit to double the time for enthusiastic visitors. Did not buy the ticket in the website but a simple visit to the designated times is enough to guarantee a ticket, at least at the time of visit (July 2024). Highly recommended and a very rare...

We had done some research after seeing the CNN article on this beautiful little hidden gem. Is a hidden Greek necropolis below ground below the current city. The condition is amazing. Discovered by a property owner, as always in Naples, doing a renovation. The individual tomb rooms were exceedingly well preserved, there was a great deal of color and original textured sculpture still to be seen. For an underground visit it was very open very accessible you never really had a feeling of claustrophobia. As in any renovated tomb, there are still the sad remains of some skeletons. But also the happy remains of where families gave their loved ones a send off. You must book this trip in advance but it is well worth the ticket fee. Marcia was an excellent guide, funny and pleasant, very knowledgeable helpful and accommodating to a couple of old travelers. This is a hidden gem that is a must-see for anyone with an archaeological interest in the past...

Visita in un luogo di rara bellezza, di storia antica, l’Ipogeo dei Cristallini che risale a più di 2300 anni fa. L’ "area dei Vergini", all’interno del quartiere Sanità, fin dal IV secolo A.C. fu destinata a necropoli, dapprima con l’escavazione di tombe a camera (Via dei Cristallini, Vico Traetta, Via Santa Maria Antesaecula), successivamente con la realizzazione di complessi cimiteriali catacombali (San Gennaro, San Gaudioso, San Severo) infine con la destinazione di una cava ad ossario (Le Fontanelle). Un percorso indietro nel tempo di 2300 anni : emozioni che permetteranno di conoscere il misterioso “mondo sotterraneo”, contemplando la straordinaria bellezza dell’arte e dei mestieri antichi, scoprendo il significato della vita e della morte, dell’amore e della cura, della famiglia e dell’amicizia.. Un enorme progetto di restauro in parte finanziato con fondi Europei/Regione Campania (Por Campania Fesr 2014-2020), e svolto sotto l’alta sorveglianza e coordinamento scientifico della Soprintendenza Archeologica, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per il Comune di Napoli, in collaborazione con l’Istituto Centrale per il Restauro di Roma. L’antico sepolcro greco dei Cristallini fu scoperto, intatto nelle pitture e nel ricco corredo funebre, dal barone di Donato nel 1889, artefice involontario di un ritrovamento incredibile. Si accede al sito scendendo tramite una scala a 11 metri sotto il livello stradale per immergersi in un mondo “sotterraneo” ancora vivo, ricco di decori e stucchi, colori vivaci e raffinatissimi effetti di "trompe l’oeil".. L’Ipogeo dei Cristallini, in uso ben prima dell’arrivo dei Romani e completo di un ricchissimo corredo funebre, una delle fonti archeologiche e storiche più preziose del Rione Sanità. Sono circa 700 i pezzi del corredo funebre rinvenuti nel sito che sono stati dapprima conservati dal Barone di Donato e successivamente dalla famiglia Martuscelli custoditi grazie alla Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per il Comune di Napoli per numerosi anni.. Il complesso è costituito da quattro sepolcri, scavati nella roccia fianco a fianco, ciascuno dei quali presenta caratteristiche molto diverse, che li...