POSILLIPO, POZZUOLI AND THE NORTH
If central seaside Naples is known as “Royal Naples”, the coastal area to the west could be called “Imperial Naples” for its enormous popularity with imperial families and their courtiers in ancient Roman times. Significant ruins left by them are everywhere hiding behind the postwar abusivo (illegal) building developments that now blot the landscape. However, the area is subject to one of nature’s stranger phenomena, called Bradyseism – underground volcanic activity gives rise to “slow earthquakes”, resulting in the continual rising and lowering of the land, making it an unstable base for settlement. The region is relatively unexplored by modern-day tourists but was top of the list for those who took the 19th-century Grand Tour, not least because it includes one of Italy’s finest palaces, the Reggia di Caserta.
1.Parco Virgiliano
Salita della Grotta 20 • 081 410 72 11 • Open 9am–4pm Mon–Sat (to noon in summer) 
Occupying the summit of a large hill, this park has amazing views whichever way you turn. Below lies the island of Nisida, formed from an ancient volcanic crater. The tomb of the epic poet Virgil is said to be here in the ruins of a columbarium (sepulchre) used by ancient Romans to house the ashes of the dead.
View from Parco Virgiliano
2.Marechiaro
One of the most romantic spots on this evocative coastline, this little fishing village is dotted with ancient ruins and restaurants with great views (for further details see Marechiaro). The panoramic vista of Vesuvius from here is repeatedly celebrated, most nostalgically in the quintessential song ‘O Sole Mio.
3.Parco Archeologico e Monumentale di Baia
Via Fusaro 37, Bacoli • 081 868 75 92 or 06 399 67 050 to book • Open 9am–1 hour before sunset Tue–Sun • Adm • www.coopculture.itArranged in terraces, this excavated area has an ancient spa and a Temple of Diana. The spa complex comprises baths named after Venus and Mercury, the latter a large swimming pool once covered with a dome.
4.Pozzuoli
Called Puteoli by the Romans, this seaside town was a major player 2,000 years ago. Ruins here include the archaeological site of Rione Terra, and the Serapeum, thought for centuries to be a temple of the Egyptian god Serapis but now known to have been one of the empire’s largest markets. Puteoli was the main imperial port and retained its importance even after the Port of Ostia was upgraded by Emperor Trajan in the 2nd century.
Archaeological site at Pozzuoli
5.Baia
800 60 06 01 • 081 193 057 80 • AdmThis little town was the most sumptuous resort of the ancient world – everyone who was anyone had a seaside retreat of daunting size and opulent luxury. Due to the seismic activity in this area, however, much of the land and the structures are now underwater, forming a unique flooded city that can be explored by dives or by boat (for further details see Parco Sommerso, Baia). There’s also a 15th-century castle here, the Castello di Baia, housing an archaeological museum, while to the north is Lago d’Averno, a crater lake that the ancients believed marked the entrance to the Underworld.
Underwater city, Baia
6.Anfiteatro Flavio
Corso Terracciano 75 • 081 526 60 07 • Open 9am–2pm Wed–Mon (to 7pm summer) • AdmThis is the third-largest Roman amphitheatre in the world, after those at Rome and Capua – again making it clear how important this area was to the empire. It seated 40,000 and was equipped with an array of below-floor apparatus for making the venationes (wild animal “hunts”) that took place as theatrical as possible. Nowhere are such systems so well preserved, due to the lower portion of the structure having been buried until modern times.
Anfiteatro Flavio
7.Capo Posillipo
The ancient Greeks called the area Pausilypon (“respite from pain”) due to the great beauty of the place. Through the ages, it retained its appeal due to a succession of inhabitants and visitors, from religious communities in medieval times to holiday resorts for the Spanish aristocracy in the 17th century. The Spartan years of the 1950s, however, put an end to that famous beauty in large swaths with the unregulated spread of ugly apartment buildings. Fortunately, parts of the area down by the water still retain great charm, mainly the 17th-century Villa Volpicelli, appearing like a floating castle at the water’s edge.
8.Museo Archeologico dei Campi Flegrei
Via Castello 15, Bacoli • 081 523 37 97 • Open 9am–3pm Tue–Sun • AdmThe archaeological museum (inside Castello Aragonese di Baia) contains a reassembled sacellum (shrine) featuring statues of several emperors. There’s also a reconstruction of a nymphaeum (fountain), the original of which lies under 6 m (20 ft) of water. Its statues have been raised and tell the story of how Ulysses escaped from the Cyclops Polyphemus.
9.Cumae
Via Montecuma • Open 9am–7pm daily • AdmFounded in the 8th century BC, Cumae played a big part in history, due to its seeress. The Cumaean Sibyl, priestess of Apollo, was an oracle who exerted great influence, and the leaders of Rome depended on her prophecies in times of crisis. Sibyl’s Grotto, with its weird trapezoidal entrance tunnel, is an enigmatic experience (for further details see Sibyl’s Grotto, Cumae).
10.Reggia di Caserta
Via Douhet 22 • 0823 44 80 84 • Palace apartments: open 8:30am–7:30pm Wed–Mon; park: open 8:30am–2 hours before sunset Wed–Mon • Adm • www.reggiadicaserta.beniculturali.itNeapolitan Baroque at its most refined, this 18th-century palace is set around four courtyards with lavish rooms, highlighted by the Great Staircase and the Throne Room. The park has huge decorated fountains, culminating in the Grande Cascata.
Italian gardens, Reggia di Caserta
Royal throne, Reggia di Caserta
THE BURNING FIELDS
Flegrei and Phlegrean derive from a Greek word phlegraios (burning), applied in ancient times to this zone of perpetual, low-level volcanic activity. Below the earth’s surface here, magma (molten rock) is flowing, applying pressure upward, making it one of the most unstable regions of the earth’s crust, literally littered with volcanic cones and craters.
A MORNING IN ANCIENT POZZUOLI
Start the tour in the cool of the morning with a visit to Solfatara, the vast volcanic lava cap about 1 km (0.5 mile) north of the town. This stark, bizarre site will set the tone for the day’s musings on the ephemeral nature of all things. Next, head back towards town on the Via Vecchia di San Gennaro and take a quick left on Via Domiziana, which follows the ancient Roman road of basalt stones built to link Rome to Puteoli (Pozzuoli). Visit the Santuario di San Gennaro and see the spot where Naples’ patron saint met his martyrdom under Emperor Diocletian.
From here, turn back and go down Via Vecchia di San Gennaro to the Piscina Cardito, a 2nd-century cistern with a vaulted ceiling supported by pillars. Continue on to the great Anfiteatro Flavio and try to imagine what it might have been like, with full scenery and exotic beasts springing out of trapdoors. Next, follow Via Terracciano along to the Terme di Nettuno, huge terraced baths, and on the opposite slope the Ninfeo di Diana, a fountain that may have been part of the baths.
Work your way down towards the ancient port, most of it now underwater, to the Serapeum (market). Then walk up onto the promontory, the Rione Terra, to explore the 2,000-year-old Duomo (cathedral).
Finally, enjoy a well-deserved lunch at the Antica Trattoria da Ciuffiello.
The Best of the Rest
1.Science City, Bagnoli
Via Coroglio 104 • 081 735 22 20/22 • Open 9:30am–2pm Tue–Sat; 10am–7pm Sun • Adm This hands-on science centre is designed to educate and amuse kids of all ages (for further details see Science City).
2.Santa Maria del Faro, Posillipo
Via Marechiaro 96a • 081 769 14 39 • Open during servicesDating back to the 1300s, this church was probably built over the remains of a Roman faro (lighthouse). It was restored in the 18th century.
3.War Memorial Mausoleo, Posillipo
Via Belsito • Open 7am–noon Tue–SunThis altar is dedicated to the lost lives of World War I. The astonishing structure shows caryatids gazing as if possessed by grief.
4.Astroni
Riserva degli Astroni, Agnano • 081 588 37 20 • Open 9:30am–2pm daily • AdmThe Romans tapped the geothermal properties of this volcanic crater to build their spas.
5.Solfatara, Pozzuoli
Via Solfatara 161 • 081 526 23 41/74 13 • Open 8:30am–6pm daily • Adm • www.solfatara.it Above the town, a crater of a dormant volcano presents an unearthly landscape. The Romans called it Forum Vulcani (Vulcan’s Forum).
Volcanic landscape at Solfatara
6.Palazzo Donn’Anna, Posillipo
Piazza Donn’Anna 9 • Closed to the publicThe air of mystery that envelops this 17th-century palace has given rise to rumours. One claims Queen Joan II used it for illicit trysts, after which she had her lovers tossed into the sea.
7.Benevento
This town’s pride and joy is the well-preserved Arch of Trajan, chronicling the Roman emperor’s civic works.
Arch of Trajan, Benevento
8.Santuario di San Gennaro, Pozzuoli
Via S Gennaro Agnano 10 • 081 526 11 14 • Open 8am–noon, 4:30–8pm Mon–Sat, 8am–1pm, 4:30–8pm SunThis 16th-century church is said to mark the spot where Naples’ patron saint was decapitated, and the brown stain on a stone is said to be his blood.
9.Bacoli
Via A Greco 10 • Open 9am–1 hour before sunset dailyNoteworthy here is the Piscina Mirabile, a cistern used to collect water for the old port of Misenum.
10.Santa Maria Capuavetere
The Appian Way, the first Roman highway, led south to Capua, the “biggest and richest city in Italy”, according to Livy in the 1st century BC.
Places to Eat
1.Gelateria Bilancione, Posillipo
Via Posillipo 238BChoose your favourite gelato at this ice cream shop and then enjoy it sitting on a bench taking in the vista.
2.Giuseppone a Mare, Posillipo
Via Russo 13 • 081 19 13 77 03 • Closed Mon, Sun L • €€Renowned since 1889, the seafood is excellent. Popular for receptions and celebrations, so book ahead.
3., Pozzuoli
Via Dicearchia 11 bis • 081 526 93 97 • Closed Mon (winter) • €€Overlooking the central piazza, this restaurant is well known for its grilled specialities. Their consummate zuppa di pesce (fish soup) is a meal all in itself.
4.Il Casolare da Tobia, Bacoli
Via Fabris 12 • 081 523 51 93 • €Wonderful organically grown food, from the rich volcanic soil of the crater on which the place is perched. It is best to book ahead.
5.La Ninfea, Pozzuoli
Via C Colombo 21 • 081 853 13 37 • No credit cards • €€A speciality here is schiaffoni alla ninfea, a delicious seafood pasta dish.
6.Vinaria, Pozzuoli
Via Monte di Cuma 3 • 081 804 62 35 • Closed Mon–Thu • €€€This restaurant boasts its own piece of history with Roman ruins discovered on site. The wine list highlights bottles from Camania and those produced in the Campi Flegrei.
7.Leucio, Casertavecchia-San Leucio
Strada Panoramica • 082 330 12 41 • Closed Mon, Sun D, 2 wks Aug • €Take a 10-minute drive north of Caserta to try risotto vergine, with squid, prawns and cuttlefish.
8.Féfé, Bacoli
Via della Shoah 15, Case Vecchie • 081 523 30 11 • Closed Mon D (winter) • €Filled with regulars, this place faces the port. You are welcomed with the house aperitif and advised of the seafood specials of the day.
9.Al Faro, Posillipo
Porticciolo de Marechiaro • 081 575 51 42 • Closed Mon, 1 wk Aug • €€This seafood restaurant is known for its romantic atmosphere and wonderful views. The catches of the day are served up in sumptuous style.
Spaghetti alle vongole veraci, Al Faro
10.Da Gino e Pina, Benevento
Viale dell’ Università 1 • 082 42 49 47 • Closed Sun, Aug • €A popular family-run restaurant serving traditional cuisine using local produce. Try the homemade pasta in local saffron liqueur. Good desserts.