Pozzuoli (Campania): what to see


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What to see in Pozzuoli, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including Serapeo, Tempio di Nettuno, Anfiteatro Flavio, Duomo and Solfatara.


Tourist information

Located in the province of Naples, which is 14 km away, Pozzuoli boasts an illustrious past.

In 529 BC it was an emporium of Cuma, later, in 421 BC. it fell, together with the whole Flegrean region, under the domination of the Samnites and, in 338 BC, under the Roman one.


On that occasion it was called Puteoli, which means "small wells", a name deriving from the presence of numerous thermal springs, and was one of the major ports in the Mediterranean, until competition from the port of Ostia prevailed, while still remaining the main commercial port of Campania.

The Serapeum constituted a vast public market, today partially submerged by the waters, the level of which varies according to the bradyseismic movement that affects the area.

This place, which dates back to the time of Emperor Flavius, presented itself as a vast area with a square shape, with a portico flanked by many shops and a central base with Corinthian columns supporting the dome, while in the middle there was a fountain.


The bottom side, closed by an apse, was decorated with niches with statues, while on the side located opposite the sea there was an apse cell preceded by columns.

Near Terracciano there are the remains related to the Temple of Neptune, which was a thermal building dating back to the era of Emperor Nero.

What see

The Flavian Amphitheater, dating back to 70 AD, is one of the major Roman amphitheatres.


The external side, with a triple row of arches, had an access porch which was mostly destroyed.

Of the three tiers of seats in the auditorium, which had a capacity of forty thousand spectators, only two remain.

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The arena, having an elliptical shape with measures of 75 × 42 meters, is open in the central part by a corridor.

Two staircases, placed on the long sides, constitute the access to the great underground spaces.

The Minor Amphitheater, built in the time of Augustus, dates back to before that of Flavius.

The Cathedral was erected on the site where there was a Roman temple, which constituted the Capitolium of the first Roman colony.

In the surroundings, about 1 km away, there is the Solfatara, a cavity corresponding to the crater of a dormant volcano.

From the cracks, which have opened in the soil, volcanic gases, jets of steam, called "fumaroles", have a temperature of 162 degrees centigrade, mud and mineral waters.

"POZZUOLI" Top 18 Tourist Places | Pozzuoli Tourism | ITALY (March 2024)


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