West of Naples’ ugly suburbs, steaming volcanic landscapes and the remains of some of the earliest Greek and Roman settlements exist side-by-side and often of top of each other. Pozzuoli is a pleasant enough place, without ever being exactly picturesque. Where once was Italy's most important port now there are some distinctive yellow ferries which do the short trip to Ischia via Procida and a few fishing boats. It does, however, have some impressive Roman remains including Anfiteatro Flavio, Italy's third-biggest amphitheatre, and in Solfatara, one of the area's strangest, smelliest and most striking places. There are several churches too, one of which, the Santuario di San Gennaro, just to the south of Solfatara, marks the spot where Naples' patron saint was beheaded. Once full of holiday villas of the Roman nobility, modern Baia has little sense of its one-time opulence. Indeed much of ancient Baia is now under water. However, a wander around its Parco Archeologico quickly shows why this was once such a desirable spot. These terraces look down over the bay below and the whole complex still has an atmosphere of peaceful grandeur despite its dilapidation. Whereas the other ancient remains in the area are most definitely Roman, Cuma's Acropoli predate the Roman Empire. Though there is little to be seen of the original Greek temples, the Romans having updated the structures, the Cave of the Sibyl is remarkably intact and the feel of the place is quite un-Roman. It is magical: high above the sea, surrounded by oak trees, a paved path winds up to the Tempio di Giove at the top of the hill. The ruins here are very much ruins, but are no less atmospheric for that. Sights‘Tempio di Serapide’ via Serapide, Pozzuoli. The complex is sunk down in the middle of a piazza just behind the port, to the right as you come out of the Cumana station. The so-called Temple of Serapis in the centre of Pozzuoli in fact turns out not to be a temple at all, but rather a humble market from the first or second centuries AD. It’s still more often than not referred to as the Tempio though. As markets go it’s a pretty grand affair, complete with marble columns, rooms and open spaces. (The two larger rooms behind the four big columns were apparently public toilets.) Anfiteatro Flavio via Terracciano 75, T 081-5266007. 0900-1hr before sunset. €4, valid for two days including entrance to the remains at Baia and Cuma. Walk uphill for about five minutes from behind tourist information in Pozzuoli to reach the amphitheatre or take bus 152 or P9. Italy’s third biggest amphitheatre, which, once upon a time, would have seated around 20,000 spectators, is, on the surface, rather dilapidated, not unlike the modern urban jungle that now surrounds it. Underneath, however, everything is extraordinarily well-preserved. An enormous and slightly creepy maze of tunnels, caverns and arches is littered with sizable chunks of old columns. This is where the wild animals were kept while waiting to feast on Christian martyrs. Perhaps most amazing of all, however, are the fragments of Roman statues and carved stone piled up around the outside edge of the amphitheatre. Look carefully here and you will find a Roman foot, the grass growing up around it. Vulcano Solfatara via Solfatara 161, Pozzuoli, T 081-5262341, http://www.solfatara.it 0830-1 hr before sunset. €4.60. Another mile further up the hill above the centre of Pozzuoli the enormous crater of Solfatara, 770 m across at its widest point, is still bubbling and hissing away, though its last eruption is thought to have been in 1198. This weird alien landscape of white sulphurous sand is punctuated by various fumaroles, where steam comes out of the ground at around 160°C. In the centre a pool of mud boils vigorously. The smells vary from that of spent matches to very rotten eggs and there is a constant sound of hissing, bubbling and boiling. The most active parts are fenced off, though you can get pretty close, and the ground all around steams. It’s not entirely surprising that the Romans saw it as one of the entrances to hell. Cuma via Montecuma T 081-8543060. Tue-Sun 0900-1 hr before sunset. €4 valid for two days including entrance to the remains at Baia and Pozzuoli. The remains are actually a couple of km from the Circumflegrea station of Cuma. Easiest access is by bus from Baia (every hour at about half past the hour from in front of the station on the opposite side of the road) or from outside Fusaro station (every half hour). Cuma was probably the earliest Greek settlement in Western Europe, and in Greek legend the Temple of Apollo was where Daedalus landed, having lost his son Icarus en route from Knossos. The highlight is definitely the Cave of the Sibyl, however. This extraordinary 130-m trapezoidal gallery carved out of the rock may have originally had a military or funerary use, but its sacred feel makes it seem much better suited to its mystical role as home of the reader of oracles. This is (at least according to Virgil) where Aeneas received instructions to descend to the underworld, and where Tarquin received the Sibylline books which dictated the destiny of Rome. At the end of a winding path at the top of the hill the Temple of Jupiter is another awe-inspiring spot with enormous chunks of stone, remnants of pillars and views down over the coast below. Museo Archeologico dei Campi Flegrei Castello di Baia, Bacoli, T/F 081-5233797, sanc@interbusiness.it Tue-Sat 0900-1700, Sun 0900-1900. €4 valid for two days including entrance to remains at Baia, Cuma and Pozzuoli. At the western end of Baia, high above the town, the imposing Aragonese castle (built 1495) contains the Campi Flegrei Archaeological Museum. The highlight among many finds from the area is probably a recreation of the submerged Nympheum, complete with statues which have been recovered from the sea. Various statues, decorated pillars, coins, jewellery and ceramics make up most of the rest of the collection. There is also a very impressive stone bull’s head, a salvaged mosaic floor and a three-dimensional model of the entire area in Roman times, clearly showing its volcanic origins. Parco Archeologico via Fusaro 75, Baia, T 081-5233797. Tue-Sun 0900-1 hr before sunset. €4 valid for two days including entrance to the museum and to remains at Cuma and Pozzuoli. Steps climb up from in front of Baia station to a park often referred to as the Terme di Baia, though actually the ruins are those of an imperial palace, residence of Roman Emperors from Augustus to Septimus Severus (1st century BC to 3rd century AD). Aside from some fragments of mosaic, little decoration survives. The weirdly echoing and water-filled Tempio di Mercurio (actually a part of the baths system) is very well-preserved though, and has the world’s oldest large-scale dome, predating that of the Pantheon in Rome.
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