Infraflegrea project - Line 7 of Naples Metro

The project refers to a set of urban works in the municipalities of Naples and Pozzuoli (Flegrea Area), including the construction of a section of Line 7 of the Naples Regional Metro (Rail Link of Monte Sant'Angelo, Soccavo-Mostra d'Oltremare section, with related intermediate stations and interchange nodes), as well as the expansion and upgrading of the Port of Pozzuoli and works for the Bagnoli ring road.

Monte Sant'Angelo Station 

Built by Webuild on behalf of EAV (Ente Autonomo Volturno S.r.l.), the public entity acting on behalf of the Campania Region, Monte Sant'Angelo station is part of Line 7 of the Naples metro, also known as the Monte Sant’Angelo Link (Bretella di Monte Sant'Angelo).

The station covers a total area of 6,500 square metres and reaches a depth of 48 metres. It is located in the Fuorigrotta district of Naples with two exits: one on Via Cintia, within the academic campus of the Federico II Naples University, from which it takes its name; and the other facing the Rione Traiano neighbourhood, serving the surrounding residential area.

The station’s public opening in November 2025, along with the activation of the first section of Line 7 between the Monte Sant'Angelo and Soccavo stops (where an interchange with the Circumflegrea Rail Line is planned), will bring the western part of Naples closer to the city centre. It is a key addition to the metro network, offering students, teachers, and local residents more sustainable mobility through connections with the existing network. In particular, passengers departing from Monte Sant'Angelo will be able to interchange at the Montesanto hub for both the Circumflegrea and Cumana lines, which link the city centre with the Phlegraean area, as well as with the cable car to Vomero. Additional interconnections are also available in the central Montesanto district with Line 2 and nearby stations on Line 1 at Piazza Dante and Toledo. 

At Monte Sant'Angelo station, the Università and Traiano exits are embellished with two sculptures by the artist Anish Kapoor, respectively in corten steel and aluminum.

The opening of the Monte Sant'Angelo station and the first section of the line strengthens both the regional and urban transport systems, offering a sustainable alternative to private transport in a densely populated area, helping to reduce road traffic and CO2 emissions. 

A New 'Art Station': The Myth of the Cumaean Sibyl 

Monte Sant'Angelo station is officially one of Naples' 'Art Stations', part of a project designed to make transit spaces more attractive and offer everyone the chance to engage with contemporary art. 

The station hosts two monumental metal sculptures by Anglo-Indian artist Anish Kapoor, placed at the two station exits: one at the University and the other at Rione Traiano. These works merge art and engineering, featuring sinuous, mouth-like shapes resembling fissures in the earth. They transform the commuter’s entry into the station into a powerful visual metaphor of a descent into the Hell, evoking the myth of the Cumaean Sibyl as told in Virgil’s Aeneid. In her cave, the virgin priestess blessed by Apollo delivered her prophecies. This mythological site was located in the acropolis of Cuma, in the Phlegraean Area (from the Greek 'burning fields'), a volcanic area in the metropolitan city of Naples that includes several western districts of the city, such as Fuorigrotta, where the Monte Sant'Angelo station is located.

The symbolic sculpture at the entrance to the station on the university campus is made of weathering steel – a self-protecting material with a distinctive 'rust effect' colour. Its scale is impressive: it weighs 220 tons, nearly 21 metres wide, over 42 metres long, and reaching a maximum height of 19 metres. Shaped like a mouth, it encompasses both the escalators and the commuters, accompanying them into the station. Unlike other Naples metro stations, Monte Sant’Angelo is built on a single, gently sloping level, simulating the entrance to a cave. The other sculpture at Rione Traiano also resembles a mouth, inviting people into the station. Made of aluminium, it has a sinuous form reminiscent of a figure-eight, weighing over 42 tons, 39 metres long, 12 metres wide, and 11 metres high. The station’s tunnels are coated with spritz-beton, preserving the cave-like aesthetic and evoking a journey into the underworld according to Sibyl’s myth. 

In the city of Vesuvius and the mythical gateway to Hell, I wanted to explore what it truly means to go underground, according to Anish Kapoor. With the Monte Sant'Angelo station, the artist aimed to create a “total and democratic” artwork – an object of everyday use, crossable and inhabitable. He did not want just to be a mere decoration or an object of contemplation, but something to be experienced. So, the monumental “mouth” frames and absorbs the urban space, turning the entrance into an experience. 

The link between the entrances and the train platforms is ensured by escalators and distinctively inclined elevators, reminiscent of the cable cars of Naples that connect hilltop neighbourhoods with the centre.

Naples Metro Line 7

Line 7 will be almost entirely underground, stretching for more than 4.5 kilometres from Soccavo station. Monte Sant'Angelo is the first of four stations planned for the line. The other three are: Parco di San Paolo, Giochi del Mediterraneo, and Terracina. 

A final connection is planned to the existing Mostra station on the Cumana line, where commuters will be able to connect with Line 6 and the nearby Campi Flegrei station on Line 2. 

Once completed, Line 7 will provide a short interconnection between the Cumana and the Circumflegrea lines (currently only possible at the terminal stations Montesanto and Torregaveta), efficiently serving the Fuorigrotta district with four new stops, and linking it more quickly to both the city centre and the Phlegraean area. 

Webuild is also working on the Parco San Paolo station, which is at an advanced stage of construction. Over 50% of the project is completed: the first two of five underground levels are finished, while the third level’s slab is nearing completion. Excavation has also begun on the new tunnel connecting to the future Terracina station.