Naples – Posilippo Cave and "Virgil’s tomb"
Posilippo Cave (also known as "grotta vecchia"), is located in the Piedigrotta district not far from Naples. The tomb known as "Virgil’s tomb" is found at its entrance.
On one of his excursions to mount Posilippo Berlioz went to the Posilippo Cave; he wrote about it to his family back at La Côte Saint André (Correspondance générale no. 244):
I arrived yesterday evening in Naples, and today I am writing from mount Posilippo on Virgil’s tomb. It is the first sight I am visiting. An old woman led me to the owner of the vineyard in the middle of which the ancient tomb is placed, and here I am. While eating golden grapes I cast my eyes on the gentle movement of the sea; through the enveloping mists I can make out the island of Capreae where I will be going presently; and I recall dreamily the first poetic impressions that I owed in my childhood to the author of the Aeneid. I have made an extremely interesting trip, seeing the ruins of the famous Capua which spelt disaster to Hannibal’s troops. I climbed to the top of Monte Cassino and admired there the famous Benedictine convent. This building is greater than the Chartreuse mountain and more lavishly decorated than any other religious monument.
Unless otherwise specified, all the pictures reproduced on this page have been scanned from postcards and books in our own collection. © Monir Tayeb and Michel Austin. All rights of reproduction reserved.
Posilippo Cave
This painting entitled "The Grotto of Posilippo" and dated 1782 is by Thomas Jones (1742-1803). It is in the Gere Collection, on long-term loan to the National Gallery, London.
"Virgil’s tomb"
View of Naples from "Virgil’s tomb"
The above two photos have been scanned from John L. Stoddards Lectures, Volume V – Paris La Belle France and Spain, by John L. Stoddard (Balch Brothers, 1898).
View of Naples from the road to Posilippo
Posilippo
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