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PHLEGREAN FIELDS,
THE BURNING LAND
In the places of myth from Nisida to Pozzuoli,
from
Capo Miseno to Cumae. a Cuma .
It is here
in the burning Phlegrean Fields (from the Greek flegraios) that, according
to mythology, Hercules and the gods defeated the Titans who were eager
to seize Olympus. It is also here that emperors and Roman patricians raised
their splendid villas, dedicating them to pure leisure. This is a suggestive
volcanic area made mysterious by brimstone haze and noxious fumes. This
land in never-ending movement is rich in thermal springs, vapor jets,
small lakes given to eruption, archeological ruins, breath-taking sights
of sparkling sea-side resorts and luxuriant hills fertilized by ancient
flows of monstrous craters and tamed today by erosion of wind and water.
Furthermore, it is here that the fascinating cult of the Ancient world
was born, even before Pompeii or Herculaneum were uncovered, thanks to
woodcuts that as early as the 1500's immortalized landscape that was later
part of descriptions of the Grand Tour, becoming then the subject of paintings
in the 1700's. In the area of the Phlegrean Fields, the visitor has but
to choose from a wide variety, from nature excursions to both land and
sea archeology to architectural-religious-gastronomic itineraries. For
a bird's eye view, however, the ideal point is the Camaldoli Hermitage,
which offers a breath-taking view of the gulfs of Pozzuoli and Baia, with
the nearby islands of Procida and Ischia.
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 Nisida.
Curled up like a cat, the tiny island blends deceptively into the foot
of Posillipo, dividingTrentaremi Bay from Coroglio Beach, recalling days
of old, when Nisida was praised by Pliny for its asparagus, by Cicero
for its opulence, by Statius for its luscious vegetation, and by others
as a rich wild-rabbit reserve. Nisida was donated by Emperor Constantine
to the Neapolitan Episcopate. In 1500 it became the property of the Duke
of Amalfi, Giovanni Piccolomini, who built a grand castle on it with a
watch tower that still survives despite attacks by pirates and the long
clash between Pozzuoli and Naples. The latter's supremacy turned Nisida
from a natural paradise into a seaside lazaret to quarantine crews and
goods suspected of bearing contagion. Now connected by causeway to the
ancient fishing village of Coroglio on the mainland, the island is forbidden
to the public since it is the site of a juvenile correction facility.
Nevertheless, all around the mythical small volcanic island, there swarm
both sail boats and motor craft, venturing to little inlets such as Porto
Paone (the ancient crater on the side opposite the mainland) and the floating
dock that, in summer, hosts boats of all tonnages always ready to set
sail for nearby islands and bays. The dock also attracts people to small
open-air restaurants and nightclubs that have mushroomed in the old fishing
village of Coroglio, presenting, as they do, their beautiful view of Nisida.
Bagnoli.
The ex-Italsider complex is right where Naples borders
on Bagnoli, a site that, at the end of the 1800's, Lamont
Young saw as a likely tourist attraction. But at the beginning of
the 1900's, instead of forests and fruit trees, instead of fields of grain,
legumes and tubers, there sprang up steel mills and cement factories.
Since the mid-1990's, this area of Bagnoli has been undergoing a full
rebirth thanks to its conversion back into something that leaves more
and more space to sea and beaches. Bagnoli presents, nevertheless, interesting
examples of industrial archeology such as the Città
della Scienza [Science City] and the Arenile, a multi-functional space
that blends art and culture with music, entertainment and leisure time
Pozzuoli.
Via Napoli, gong and sun-drenched, is the road separates
the Gulf of Pozzuoli from the slopes of Mount Olibano (an ancient stone
quarry) as it winds along the coastline, dotted here and there with Art
Nouveau villas, among which are the Pozzuoli Thermal Baths and some bathing
establishments. The coast road leads to the doorway of ancient Roman Puteoli
(194 A.C.), the seaside colony that the Greeks had already named Dicearchia
(530 B.C.). Dominated by the Rione
Terra, the fortified medieval citadel is sheltered atop the tuff promontory,
and is just a few steps away from the Temple
of Serapis and the Flavian
Amphitheater. Pozzuoli is famous for a thousand reasons, ranging from
archeological monuments to the enchanting fish market, from the bradyseism
phenomenon to the site of the martyrdom of San
Gennaro-not to forget the thousand fish eateries and the charms of
Pozzuoli's most illustrious daughter: Sophia Loren! There is so much to
see in Pozzuoli, that to do everything in a single day is simply not possible.
This is especially the case if, after visiting the town and touring the
Solfatara,
you want more than just a basic idea of local volcanic activity and would
like, instead, the benefits of a quick trip to the thermal baths where
you can abandon yourself to steam baths and vapor rooms. (There is a seprate
itinerary for churches since there are such a number to cover due to the
ancient religious vocation of the town, the seat of historically renowned
dioceses.)
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 Baia.
It is here that visitors truly enter the land of myth and immerse themselves
in most spectacular natural landscapes. It begins with Punta Epitaffio,
so called from the inscription that don Pedro de Toledo, the Spanish Viceroy,
placed there to enhance the pleasantness of the site, in particular the
nearby Baths of Nero. Under the inscription, just a few meters below the
surface of the water, the visitor may admire the submerged
city the ruins of which (statues, amphorae and pitchers, anchors, tools,
columns and capitals) are currently kept at the Archeological Museum of
the Phlegrean Fields in Baia's Aragonese
Castle. In Roman times, the coasts and lands of Baia were so renowned
that, in the last century of the Republic, Baia was most sought after as
a vacation resort. Thus, having a villa in this area became a genuine status
symbol, a sign of prestige and social achievement. It is nevertheless true
that the property became public, especially in the Imperial Era, either
through confiscation or through hereditary legacy. Consequently, the same
Baia that lacked a forum and public buildings, became for its illustrious
guests a city well equipped with all the comforts: temples, shops, the thermal
baths, the ruins of which can still be admired inside the Archeological
Park; or, another example, the Temple
of Venus by the small tourist port. It is from this port that coastal
excursions and visits to the submerged city now depart on glass-bottom boats;
it is the only way for visitors unable to dive to see the ancient Portus
Julius, a labyrinth of narrow streets and structures built using the opus
reticulatum method, complete with mosaics on walls, and the coming and going
of fish and algae.
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 Bacoli.
Past Baia the visitor finds Bacoli, the ancient Bauli (oxen) in memory of
Hercules' passing through with the Herd of Geryon's. A happy little resort
town, Bacoli was born as a military port to host the glorious Roman Fleet
and turned, over time, into a small fishing town. The town is now known
for its skill in raising mussels. The visitor, however, is not only enchanted
by the specialties offered by restaurants and inns in the area, but also
by the astounding Roman cisterns such as the Piscina
Mirabilis, in the heart of the historic center, as well as by the Cento
Camerelle [hundred small rooms], the water tank in the patrician home
where tradition says Agrippina dwelled before being killed by her son, Nero.
On this topic, there is the Tomb
of Agrippina, just as interesting and suggestive. Yet, for those who
have had enough of monuments, ruins and archeology and who think it time
to go for a dive or take a short lunch break, the choice is either to hop
over to Capo
Miseno, where the beach is dotted by bars and restaurants, or to take
a peek at the little island of San Martino at Monte di Procida.
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 Phlegrean
Lakes
Lakes are a reoccurring and characteristic element of the Phlegrean landscape.
A short distance away from the coast, almost all of them are of volcanic
origin and, even though they are a bit inland, they are nevertheless closely
connected to the sea. Likewise, tightly knitted to one another are the lakes
of Averno
and Lucrino
: the former is more placid, the latter livelier; both are very suggestive
indeed, and they were the stage of ancient strategies of Republican and
Imperial Rome. Beyond Monte di Procida, in the area inland between Torregàveta
and Cumae, one finds Fusaro,
easily recognized by the slim wharf that joins the elegant Bourbon shooting
lodge to the mainland. |
 Cumae
The acropolis is all that is left of the first city of the colonies of Greater
Greece, founded in 8th century B.C. by colonists in exile from the Eubean
Island, their motherland. It sits in a magnificent strategic position facing
the sea and is today in a suggestive archeological
park, part of a nature oasis with a 360° view that spreads from Licola
and Mount Grillo to Lake Fusaro, from Monte di Procida to the islands of
Ischia and Capri. Yet Cumae is not just the first city in this area, by
any means; it was also one of the richest and most educated, so much so
that its inhabitants, the Cumeans, very soon took on the role of founders
of new colonies such as Parthenope and Neapolis. The Cumeans clashed and
won against the Etruscans; they were then defeated first by the Samnites
and later by the Romans, thanks to whom, nevertheless, Cumae rose again
during the Age of Augustus. It is precisely on these Eubean shores that
Virgil places the main character of his Aeneid. Indeed, fate reserved for
Aeneas the privilege of descending into Hades after having questioned the
priestess oracle of Apollo, the Sybil,
who would in turn toss forth mysterious responses about the future by writing
them on pages that she would then scatter to the wind. It was the task of
those beseeching her to interpret them correctly ! |
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