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What is the Crypta Neapolitana and why was it built?
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Naples
Naples, Italy.
The Crypta Neapolitana is an ancient gallery or tunnel carved through the yellow tufa rock of the Posillipo headland in Naples, Italy.1
It was built during the Roman era as part of a network of galleries designed to link the gulfs of Naples and Pozzuoli, facilitating travel and connection between these important coastal areas. Today, the site is particularly notable for its location beside a Roman tumulus that has long been venerated as the tomb of the poet Virgil, who famously celebrated the Neapolitan landscape in his works.1