[NeandertalMan]

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Posted by Larry Jan 22, 2011


What is behind this curious little green door ???

Our English language version of napoliunderground.org has resulted in yet another international magazine contacting us for information on the amazing underground beneath Naples, Italy. The latest inquiry was from "Wired Magazine." National Geographic sent down a writer and photographer as a result of visiting our web site, and published an informative and beautifully photographed article in December 2006. Fulvio Salvi, founder of napoliunderground.org, is featured in a full page photo in the 16-page article as he scales the walls of a gigantic quarried cavity down in the Museum of the Sottosuolo.

Last month NUg translator, Larry Ray, was contacted by a writer who had found our site and who wanted more information for a short article to be included in the February Issue of "Wired Magazine." She also wanted to know if we could provide them with photos of the nondescript small green door that leads down into our friend, Clemente Esposito's, "Naples Museum of the Underground." The Museum's entryway is unmarked, but upon entering visitors descend 50 meters down a spiral stairwell excavated into solid tuff sandstone and are able to see representative aspects of the huge interconnected caverns, tunnels, passageways, Greek and Roman aqueducts and abandoned WWII air raid shelters, that run beneath our ancient city of Naples, Italy.

As always with large international publications, "Wired " writers and photo editors were on a deadline. Fulvio went down the following day of the request and with cold, windy and overcast conditions shot several angles of the Museum doorway. It is right off the a sidewalk bordering bustling Piazza Cavour. Thanks to the internet and digital photography, we got the photos delivered before deadline, and I went over notes for the short article with "Wired " writer, Allison Davis. Fulvio Salvi was given a credit as photographer and I signed off on all the legal release paperwork here in the USA. Then . . . . a month's wait for the February issue to come out.

I got my copy today as a long time "Wired " subscriber, and staring up at me from the black front cover were penetrating Film Noir eyes announcing "Wired Magazine's" special Underworld Issue dealing with all manner of secret places accessed only by knowing where that improbable, unmarked doorway is located.





Napoliunderground is one of five doorways featured on page 26 of this intriguing Special Issue in an article entitled "Members Only . . . Psst! These unassuming entrances conceal some of the coolest destinations on the planet!". The other doorways include purposefully obscure and almost impossible to locate entrances like the production studios of Robot Productions where visual magic is done for films like Alias, Fringe and the Star Trek revival. Also, disguised as a recessed doorway to a sewing shop in New York City is the entrance to a "very highbrow cocktail joint with hand cut double frozen ice cubes." It is so obscure that many New Yorkers think the place is "just an Urban Myth."

But like the incredible "Parallel City" beneath Naples, it is no myth. We are indeed proud to be featured as one of the " … coolest destinations on the planet" in this fascinating issue and hope you will try to get a copy of the Feb. issue of "Wired." (Fulvio's photo credit is in small type far right of the page, at the fold, running vertically!)

(actual article headline and front cover art above, "Wired Magazine", Photo by Fulvio Salvi)

Larry M. Ray

by napoliunderground.org