The suburb owes its name, meaning "outside the grotto", to its position: since Roman times, one or more tunnels have connected it with the district of Mergellina.

In Roman times, it connected Naples to the road that led to Pozzuoli and to area of the Phlegrean Fields.

[2] Fuorigrotta had been a rural district until the Fascist era, when the urban asset of the area was radically changed beginning in 1936, first by building Viale Augusto and by locating in the area the Mostra d'Oltremare (one of the most important Italian fair grounds), and then by the construction of the Santa Maria Immacolata church.

During this period, many streets changed their names into Roman-inspired ones: Viale Augusto, Via Giulio Cesare, Via Caio Duilio etc.

[citation needed] After World War II, Fuorigrotta underwent intense urban expansion and became the most densely populated area of the city.