Probing beneath the picturesque surface
ITALY’S INVISIBLE CITIES BBC One, Wednesday, 9pm
ALEXANDER Armstrong and Dr Michael Scott travel through three of Italy’s most fascinating cities, Naples, Venice and Florence, to bring a fresh perspective to 2,000 years of history.
Utilising an arsenal of cutting-edge technology, Alexander and Michael discover Italy’s hidden past in new vivid detail.
In this first episode, Alexander and Michael seek to expose the buried treasures contained in one of the world’s oldest cities, Naples. Starting in the city centre, they delve into a series of underground tunnels constructed by the 19th-century Bourbon kings. These tunnels link historic quarries and Roman aqueducts, interacting with the modern city above in surprising ways.
To make sense of how these concealed spaces fit into the history of the city, Alexander visits the scanning team who are creating a virtual model of the the Bay of Naples.
After a quick stop for a traditional Neopoli- tan pizza, Michael and Alexander head to Mount Vesuvius and neighbouring Herculaneum, digging deeper into why volcanic stone is the bedrock of Naples.
The duo learn about an underground theatre buried after the eruption of Vesuvius, rediscovered when Roman statues began surfacing in one of the town’s wells.
Michael also completes a dive in Baiae’s sunken harbour, Portus Julius, to view a perfectly preserved mosaic floor among the ruins of submerged Roman holiday homes.