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The Cave of Seiano

Discesa Coroglio, 36, 80124 Napoli, Italia ★★★★☆ 156 views
Monica Bennet
Napoli
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About The Cave of Seiano

The Cave of Seiano - Napoli | Secret World Trip Planner

The tunnel, with a length of about 780 m (width: 4-7 m; height: 4-9 m), crosses the tufa hill of Posillipo, connecting the area of Bagnoli and Campi Flegrei with the Vallone della Gaiola.

The Cave of Seiano - Napoli | Secret World Trip Planner

Of the three tunnels, which gave light and ventilation to the route, only two remain open (in one of them Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, got stuck during a visit).

Past the cave, a path lined with typical Mediterranean vegetation leads to the area of Pollione's villa (which, before the tunnel, could only be reached by sea).

The Cave of Seiano - Napoli | Secret World Trip Planner

The area includes extraordinary archaeological remains of a theater with a splendid structure, built exploiting the natural slope of the hill (according to the typical Greek technique): 13 orders of seats in the ima cavea and with 6 in the middle one for a total capacity of two thousand seats.

A garden divides the stage of the major theater from a second theater: the Odeion (gr. oidêion, from oidé, "singing"), smaller in size, covered and with a smaller cavea. It was intended for rhetorical poetry and music auditions.

The Cave of Seiano - Napoli | Secret World Trip Planner

Inside there are some rooms with mosaic and marble floors and remains of painted wall coverings.The other ruins that have emerged so far are: to the east of the Great Theater, the Temple or Sacrarium; to the west, the Nymphaeum with traces of a bath facility. It is currently possible to visit a stretch of about 2 km, from the Coroglio Descent, through the Sejan Cave, to the area of the theaters.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Cave of Seiano is approximately 780 meters long, spanning 4-7 meters in width and 4-9 meters in height as it crosses through the tufa hill of Posillipo. Originally, three ventilation tunnels provided light and air, though only two remain open today—one famously trapped Sir Arthur Conan Doyle during his visit.
The site features two remarkable theaters: the Great Theater with 13 orders of seats in the lower section and 6 in the middle level, accommodating 2,000 people total, and the smaller Odeion, a covered theater designed for music and rhetorical poetry. Additional ruins include the Temple or Sacrarium, the Nymphaeum with bath facilities, and rooms decorated with mosaics, marble floors, and painted wall coverings.
You can currently visit a 2-kilometer stretch starting from the Coroglio Descent, passing through the Sejan Cave, and continuing to the area of the theaters at Pollione's villa. After exiting the cave, a scenic path lined with typical Mediterranean vegetation guides you to the archaeological site, which was previously only accessible by sea.
The Odeion (from the Greek word oidêion, meaning 'singing place') is a smaller, covered theater separated from the Great Theater by a garden, specifically designed for music auditions and rhetorical poetry performances. Unlike the open-air Great Theater built using Greek architectural techniques that exploit the natural hillside slope, the Odeion features a more intimate, indoor setting with a smaller seating capacity.
The tunnel was engineered to connect the Bagnoli and Campi Flegrei areas with the Vallone della Gaiola, serving as an important ancient passage through the tufa hill. It provides access to Pollione's impressive villa complex, featuring two theaters and various Roman structures that demonstrate sophisticated architectural and engineering knowledge from the classical period.