Campi Flegrei

Pozzuoli - Bacoli - Monte di Procida

The Phlegraean Fields ('Terre Ardenti', from the Greek flègo: 'I burn', 'ardo') are a vast area west of Naples, known since antiquity for its intense volcanic activity. A large and fascinating caldera in a state of quiescence, with 24 volcanic vents, more than 100 hot springs and several towns that played a role of great importance in the history of Ancient Rome. Visiting them is like taking a plunge into the past, but it also means getting lost among breathtaking views.
The main city in the Campi Flegrei area is Pozzuoli, which was an important economic hub for the Roman Empire for centuries. Known as Puteoli, it was Rome's main port for travelling to the East, until the Emperor Trajan ordered the construction of the port of Ostia. Today, if you take a tour of the city, you can see many traces of its ancient splendour, such as the ancient market (Macellum) called the 'Temple of Serapis', the Temple of Augustus, which today houses the cathedral of Pozzuoli, thermal buildings, large monumental necropolis and no less than two amphitheatres, including the Flavian Amphitheatre: the third largest in Italy and older than the Colosseum.

Continuing your journey through time in the Campi Flegrei, we recommend you visit Baia, in the municipality of Bacoli, the favourite resort of the ancient Roman aristocracy. Here, in addition to the Baths of Baia much loved by emperors, the ruins of numerous patrician villas have been found, which you can visit at the town's archaeological complex… or by diving into the water. Yes. Due to the volcanic phenomenon of bradyseism - the periodic lowering and raising of the ground level, which affects the entire Campi Flegrei area - an important part of the ancient city is now submerged by the sea, like a small Atlantis: for this reason, the Gulf of Baia has recently been declared a protected marine area and the Underwater Park of Baia has been established. Take your mask and flippers and enjoy a snorkelling tour of this small underwater world: you will be fascinated by how much beauty of the Ancient World is still preserved below the surface.

Back on dry land, in Baia you can also find one of the largest Roman cisterns ever built, the gigantic Piscina Mirabilis. With its capacity of no less than 12800 m3, the cistern was used to supply drinking water to the ships of the Roman navy landing in the port of Miseno - the ancient seat of the imperial praetorian fleet, within the municipality of Bacoli. In addition to Pozzuoli and Bacoli, you can also reach another municipality in the Campi Flegrei area on board our ships: Monte di Procida, with its Belvedere Stupor Mundi.

Here you will be enchanted by a marvellous view, sweeping from the Phlegrean coast to the islands of Procida and Ischia. Stretching out a finger, you will almost feel as if you are touching them. And if you move on to the Phlegraean area of the volcanic lakes, you will be able to observe one of the oldest WWF oases in Italy, cloaked in centuries-old woods and ancient myths and legends. It is here that you will find Avernus, the lake through which the hero Aeneas is said to have descended into the underworld, as recounted by Virgil in the sixth book of the Aeneid.

The Phlegraean Fields are an enchanting interweaving of nature and culture, halfway between the present and the past. A journey through time worth taking at least once in a lifetime.
Get on board and experience it with us.