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Neapolis Roman Forum | Cardine and Macellum | The Shops | The Tavern
The Tabernae: the shops of the Macellum in Underground Neapolis
Taberna, shop The Macellum of underground Neapolis comprises nine shops engaged in various activities.
These shops consisted of two barrel-vaulted rooms arranged in a row.
The first opened directly onto the street and the second was situated at the back.
The walls of these shops were decorated with Opus Reticulatum.
Opus Reticulatum was formed of small squares of Tuff arranged diagonally, reminiscent of the mesh of fishing nets, hence the name Reticulatum.
Taberna, shop This type of wall cladding can in fact be found in almost every room of the underground Neapolis in Naples.
One must imagine these shops filled with goods of all kinds that tempted the customers’ sense of smell, as they wandered through them just as you are doing now.
People would buy fish and shellfish freshly caught that morning, poultry, eggs, and cheese made from goat’s or sheep’s milk.
Not to mention seasonal fruit (figs, plums, cherries, pears, apples, grapes) and vegetables (asparagus, onions, turnips, radishes, leeks, celery, cucumbers, broad beans, lentils, peas, cabbages).
It also included wheat, spelt, rye and oats.
Fullonica, the Neapolis laundry And, of course, olive oil, not to mention aromatic herbs and spices, such as pepper and garlic, which arrived by ship from the port of Alexandria.
Among these shops, we can see a Fullonica, a laundry which washed and cleaned clothes left by customers.
We can see that it was equipped with an oven which was used to heat the washing water.
Forno Bakery A dry cleaner’s was also among the shops on this street.
There is a bakery, Forno, with its serving hatch and its oven still intact, in the Macellum.
It must have served a great many people, as it is the largest shop on the Cardine.
It sold wheat or durum wheat bread, and cakes made with cheese, or with honey, poppy seeds or sesame seeds.
One can imagine groups of female customers chatting amongst themselves and discussing the latest neighbourhood news whilst waiting their turn, with just as much verve and enjoyment as today’s Neapolitan women who arrive on scooters.
Neapolis Roman Forum | Cardine and Macellum | The Shops | The Tavern
Neapolis Underground Neapolis Schedule Tickets Location | Authorizations
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