Parco Vergiliano a Piedigrotta
An often overlooked sight in western Naples, this park—not to be confused with the Parco Virgiliano, at the western end of the Naples suburb of Posillipo—is named for the poet Virgil and is reputedly his burial site. The sign at the entrance indicates that not only (by legend) is Virgil's tomb here, but also the tomb-memorial of Giacomo Leopardi, the author of the evocative poem "L'infinito," who died during the 1837 cholera epidemic. As a safety precaution, victims of the disease were usually buried in mass graves, but the writer (and later politician) Antonio Ranieri, a close friend, arranged for this monument, which until 1939 was located elsewhere. From the Mergellina metro station, walk south to Salita della Grotta and turn right just before the church of Santa Maria di Piedigrotta; the park's entrance is just before the road tunnel.
