Pozzuoli & Cumae Known for Volcanic Activity and Underworld Mysteries

What is it - Throughout history, people have been drawn to the beautiful Bay of Naples to enjoy its pleasant climate and unique geology. Today, most people visit the relatively intact ruins of the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. These Roman cities were covered by volcanic ash and mud by the catastrophic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79, then lost in time for centuries, and not systematically excavated until the 20th century. Other people enjoy climbing up the slopes of the volcano, touring the museums and medieval buildings of Naples, or taking in the ambience of fashionable Sorrento and the Isle of Capri. Ironically, for most of antiquity, the political and cultural control of the Bay of Naples was concentrated elsewhere in places such as Cumae, Baia and Pozzuoli located to the west of modern Naples on the north side of the Bay. Wealthy Greek settlers and later Roman nobles maintained villas, conducted commerce, built amphitheaters and visited temples to the Gods in these areas.

Cumae and Pozzuoli Were Ancient Attractions

“Wealthy Greek settlers and later Roman nobles maintained villas, conducted commerce, built amphitheaters and visited temples to the Gods in Cumae, Baia and Pozzuoli.”

People in these communities were well aware of unusual underground activity in this region. However, until Vesuvius erupted, few people worried about the huge mountain twenty miles away which towered over the entire Bay. Instead, they focused on the occasional earthquakes, noxious gases and bubbling lakes in their own backyard. The entire area was known as the Campi Flegrei or Phlegraean Fields, and was considered to be linked to the mythical Greek underworld. In Cumae, there was an extensive system of caves with strange gases and odors known as the Cave of the Cumaen Sybil, where a mystical priestess known as the Sybil issued prophesies and devotees gave temple offerings.

We had the opportunity to explore some of these mysterious locations on a summer visit to Naples. First, at the volcanic park known as the Solfatara of Pozzuoli, my son and I walked around the large lifeless shallow crater as tourists have for centuries. We observed numerous fumaroles venting gas and bubbling hot mud pools, and joined other visitors to the volcanic park in setting papers on fire. Second, we visited remnants of Rome’s empire in Pozzuoli such as the Flavian Amphitheatre which was used for gladiatorial contests and the Agora.

Finally, we walked through the recently discovered ruins of the Sybillian Cave. The chamber lies on top of a large hill with an excellent view of the beaches of the Campania Coast. The legend is that strange voices could be heard in chambers of the cave and the temples. Although we heard no prophesies that day, there was an eerie, mystical quality about the place.

Camp Flegrei Supervolcano

The lava chambers of Mt. Vesuvius near heavily populated Naples create the risk of another devastating eruption of that volcano in the future. Nevertheless, many volcanologists believe that the Pozzuoli area presents a more imminent danger. That is because the entire Camp Flegrei area is a supervolcano with a 7-mile-wide caldera depression filled with numerous craters. This supervolcano erupted tens of thousands of years ago causing devastation throughout southern Europe. So, while we may look back at Pompeii and wonder why the Romans didn’t anticipate the danger posed by Vesuvius, millions of residents and visitors in the Bay of Naples ignore the twin dangers surrounding them in the modern age.