
Eternal sleep: The Ipogeo dei Cristallini will open its ancient Greek tombs to the public in June 2022.

Deeper underground: the site includes the original necropolis road, which was outside at the time.

Ancient and modern: The tombs lie 40 feet below ground, connected via a 19th-century staircase.

Bedded down: The bodies were laid to rest in sarcophagi shaped like beds.

Don't look now: A mythical gorgon, who could turn people to stone, oversees one of the tombs.

Last breath: The mouth of the gorgon watching over the dead looks mid-breath.

Stairway to the underworld: A 19th-century staircase was built to access the tombs.

Ancient upcycling: Romans carved niches in the chambers to fit funerary urns after the Greek period.

Fake views: The tombs are equipped with stone "beds" with trompe l'oeil painting.

Roll call: Names scrawled on the walls are thought to list the dead buried in the tombs.

Pillow talk: Stone pillows were carved from the soft tuff rock and painted turquoise, yellow and red.

Deep sleep: Bodies were placed inside the "beds."

Sole outsider: The gorgon is the only element not dug out from the hillside; instead it was carved and mounted on the wall.

Soft rock: Everything from the chambers to the fake ceiling beams is sculpted from the friable rock.