Macellum of Naples, Naples, Italy

The Macellum of Naples was the macellum or market building of the Roman city of Neapolis, now known as Naples. Due to the rise of the ground level the macellum is now located beneath the church of San Lorenzo Maggiore. The first construction dates to 5th or 4th century BC when the area was the location of the agora during the Greek period. When Neapolis became a Roman possession it was eventually transformed into a macellum. This structure was covered by a mudslide in the 5th century AD, probably as a result of flooding.

An early Christian basilica was constructed over the remains of the covered macellum. Consequently, this basilica was replaced by new construction over the centuries. As a result, the mud slide preserved the remains of the macellum,

The macellum had an entrance to the north, where the Via dei Tribunali runs now. The rectangular building consists of a porticoed area with workshops and an internal open courtyard with mosaic floors. In the middle of the courtyard was a tholos, a circular building used for food selling. Small tabernae, a laundry and the treasury can still be recognized.

Today the macellum can be visited as a part of the monumental complex of San Lorenzo Maggiore.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Irena Azarevičiūtė (13 months ago)
Nice experience! Our tour guide Karina was really nice and explained all history.

Martina Bergna (15 months ago)
Super interesting tour with a great guide (Orazio)!

1337fourpresident (15 months ago)
A bit lacklustre, the other underground experience is nicer for the same price.

kunsh puranik (15 months ago)
Not very big but good place with open environment. It's nice that you do not need a tour guide to go in. The staff were helpful.

Sydney Newman (21 months ago)
An excellent taste of what the Roman underground is like beneath the modern city of Naples. It is on the small side (however not claustrophobic), but I think if it were any larger it would not be as impactful. Every room has a meaning and the video guide is a good primer to understand what you are about to see. Because it is a small place, voices carry and you do have to pace yourself with official guided groups and the like. There was a particularly loud and obnoxious group that happened to be in the space with me at the time. My only advice to staff would be to include a note in the video guide or info pamphlet to be respectful and use appropriate language/volume. Altogether, for the price of 9€, I think it was worth it!

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Ana Paula Hirama

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