THE MANY IMAGES OF THE PHLEGRAEAN FIELDS
the story of the land where western civilisation was born, represented in a series of images
Between
1500 and 1800 many
European and Italian scholars , after they had read the classic Latin and Greek
texts, wanted to see the Phlegraean Fields for themselves. The beauty of
the land and the richness of it’s past prompted them to write diaries or
impressions of their trips and to produce drawings
that showed how enchanting those places were. It was in this manner that
an intense artistic production developed and during three centuries managed to
put together but
also construct “the numerous images of the Phlegraean Fields”; so that today,
they come to life again through the memories of Petrarch and Goethe, in the
pages of Dumas or Capaccio, in the canvases of Van Wittel and Morgan, in the
papers of Fabris
or Gigante.
The
information supplied herein is a synthesis of a larger collection of
reproductions of the prints and designs of that time, put together for the first
time by the cultural association Oltre L’Averno. It’s aim is to transmit the
story of the Phlegraean Fields using it’s own images. To the authentic
traveller or to the navigator in internet they tell the story and the legend of
the “land where western civilisation was born” : from the Greek settlement
in Cuma and the calcidio-cumano alphabet invented there, still in use today, to
the surprise of the travellers, in front of the enchantment of the localities
and the overwhelming atmosphere left by the memories of time.
The
Phlegraean Fields are suggestive also because of their capacity to transmit
their story, both in the normal and imaginary poetical sense, from the Greek
myth to the Latin literature, from the traveller’s diaries to the acid of the
etchings, from the colours of the great painters to the invisible weavings of
computer science; it is the repeated call of the land of origin
to the western civilisation, that in various forms has absorbed “the
beginning”.
PAPERS ON THE PHLEGRAEAN FIELDS
PAPER
1
Phlegraean
Fields: a true description based on an observation on the spot… Maestro of
“trabocchetto” (pitfalls) – XV1 century
Just
a little west of Naples there is a land of numerous craters, many containing
“fumorole” (smoke-holes) and many being thermal springs. A land,
geologically speaking, very young, where, in 1538 the youngest mountain in
Europe was formed, Monte Nuovo, and where bradyseism still effects the territory:
sometimes lowering the coastline to under sea-level, sometimes pushing it
upwards.
PAPER
2
Golf of Pozzuoli and it’s
territory – A. Bulifon- XV111 century
Here
the countryside continually changes aspect: the smooth coastline doesn’t give
a hint of the “moonlike scenery” to be found at the Solfatara, not a long
way further on this is then “contradicted” by a thick green spot of greenery
almost like a wood that, seen from the top of some craters, darkens the
water of the Averno lake, which together with the other lakes; Fusaro,
Lucrino and Miseno tinges the green fields with a hint of blue; in the
background you can see the sea and the outlines of the isles of Procida and
Ischia.
PAPER
3
Paper on the golf of Pozzuoli and Baia – A. Cardon – XV111 century
The
beauty of the countryside and the suggestiveness of a territory full of the
fumes and vapour of a still lively
seismic activity, struck the imagination of the Greeks that
placed here many, important myths like that of Tifeo, the giant, from
whose buried body emanated vapour and flames, or like that of Daedalus who fled
from Crete, from the labyrinth built for the Minotaur, and arrived in Cuma,
flying all the way.
PAPER
4
Map of the crater – F. Morgan – XV111 century
Cuma,
the oldest Greek city in Italy; here the cave of the Sibilla brings to mind the
poetry of Virgil and presents the Phlegraean monuments which represent an important part of history for Italy and the rest of the
world: Baia, the finest and most pleasant locality
of the whole Empire, Puteoli, the Roman port in contact with all the other
Mediterranean countries, Miseno, the military port, and the enormous reservoir
that Petrarch called “piscina mirabile”.
PAPER
5
Map of the Royal Topographic Office - 1839
A
fascinating story that continues: the Aragonese Castle of Baia that is a symbol
of the effort to repopulate the Phlegraean Fields after the eruption
of 1538; the drying up of the Agnano lake, emblematic in that mankind
violated nature here in this area; the Olivetti factory, one of the best
examples of industrial architecture, presenting the idea of a modern style
respecting history and the beauty of the locality.
FIRST
STAGE
VIRGIL
AND THE PHLEGREAN FIELDS
Virgil,
when speaking of the Phlegraean Fields, manages to catch the extraordinary
mixture of history and legend that cloaks the birth of a civilisation and
he uses this as the nucleus of his V1 book of the Aeneid, placing the
announcement of “the age of Rome”
between Cuma and the Averno lake. The Phlegraean Fields become “ a symbolic
environment” in classical literature and so become known to the rest of the
world.
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Virgil’s Face – a particular of the “School of Parnaso” – by
Raffaello Sanzio
In
Virgil’s writings also, Cuma and the Averno lake are the mythological places
of “the beginning”; on the Phlegraean coast, Virgil quotes Miseno as the
place as where Aeneas’ trumpeter
named Miseno died, just as in the Greek legend, Ulysses’ coxswain,
Baios dies here. Here, where the ground, for the effect of the seismic
activity, changes it’s form and therefore it is a place of beginning and end,
Averno and Elysian, the pilots scheduled to direct the routes, have no
reason to exist.
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Virgil’s Tomb- anonymous XVIII century- R. De Simone Collection
According
to his wishes, the tomb of the poet is in Naples and now is positioned behind
the Church of St. Maria di Piedigrotta, next to the “Crypta Neapolitana” (Neapolitan
Crypt). The exact position is historically uncertain because according to
ancient historians it should be two miles away from the “Porta Cumana” (Cumana
Entrance), i.e. at the spot where the “Villa Comunale” (public park) stands
today.
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Virgil’s Tomb – The Outside- M. Pfenninger / M.V. Brandoin – XV111
century
In
the centuries following his death, the author of the Aeneid was transformed by
the public’s imagination, learned and working-class, into the “maestro and
magician” who protected Naples and the Phlegraean area, his chosen country.
Therefore, the tomb becomes a “place of worship” not only for the “veneration of the literature”
that surrounds Virgil’s works but also for the beliefs of the naive
working-classes.
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Virgil’s
Tomb- The Inside- Durau X1X century
According
to the legend, the poet’s tomb was profaned by an unknown English doctor; a
reaction by the working-class followed which then urged
the preservation of the remains of the “maestro” in the Castel
dell’Ovo. It is therefore uncertain as to the precise locality where the
remains are conserved. What does it matter though ? That row of niches in the
cemetery was the object, for centuries, of a veneration by scholars and the
devotion of an entire population.
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The Sibilla of Cuma – in “ Sibillarum de Christo…”- XV / XV1 century- F.Parisio Perrotti Collection
The
legend has it that the Sibilla was a thousand year old fortune-teller who
arrived in Cuma where she prophesied in the vicinity of the temple of Apollo.
Virgil, following an antique tradition, held her responsible for the prediction
regarding the future of Rome. According to local belief, the Sibilla even
announced the actual birth of Christ.
SECOND STAGE
THE
NEAPOLITAN CRYPT
The “Crypt”, commonly also known as the “Pozzuoli Tunnel” because it pointed in the direction of that city, crossing the line of hills that extend from Vomero to Posillipo and that, before the excavation, separated the Golf of Naples from the city of Pozzuoli. During the civil war that had Pompeius fighting against Octavian, the crypt was dug for military reasons, under the direction of the architect, Lucio Cocceio Aucto.
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Pozzuoli Tunnel – F.A. Letizia – XV111 century
The
Crypt’s entrance is next to Virgil’s tomb. The working-class people’s
imagination attributed the construction as a prodigy of the poet, “Maestro and
Magician”, who would have created it in only one night. This belief was so
widely spread that even the King asked Petrarch about it while on a visit to
Naples, Petrarch replied that as far as he knew Virgil hadn’t even been one of
the quarry workers.
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View of the east from the
Posillipo Tunnel – F.Morghen-XV111 century
The
tunnel was dug during a military reorganization in order to connect Naples and
Pozzuoli, Lucrino, Cuma, where the Roman fleet was harboured; in fact Cocceio planned
and directed the excavation of this tunnel, of the tunnel that connects Averno
and Cuma and the tunnel which connected the port to the interior of Cuma.
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Entrance to the Posillipo
Tunnel– design C.L.Chatelet-XV111 century
Seneca
describes the tunnel as about seven hundred metres long, irregular in form,
similar to a prison in which the light of the torches make the darkness even
more evident, while the dust is so thick that it takes the breath away of the
traveller who disturbs it with every step he takes.
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Entrance of the Neapolitan Crypt-design H. Robert – XV111 century
Centuries
later, Dumas walked through the tunnel and described it as follows: “……..we
were impressed……by the awful stink of the olio coming from the 64 lamps
alight in that great cave. In spite of those 64 lamps there is such darkness
in the tunnel……”
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The Pozzuoli Tunnel - design and lithograph F.P.
Aversano- X1X century
The
tunnel excavated by Cocceio Aucto, with further adjustments and renovations, remained functional
until the beginning of our century, when some structural failures forced the
reconstruction of the same at a lower level, where the actual “Quattro
Giornate” tunnel is today.
THIRD
STAGE
THE
AGNANO LAKE
At the exit of the “crypt” was the Agnano Lake and the “Grotta del Cane” (Dog’s Cave), which, for their particular characteristics were destinations visited by travellers doing the “grand tour”; today there is no trace left of these sites; remaining is only a thermal establishment which uses the natural springs in the area, the same resources exploited in ancient times.
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The Agnano Lake and the Dog’s Cave
design Hoefnagel-XV1 century, etching J. Blaeu and P.Mortier-XV111 century
In the basin where the Agnano race-course and the nearby thermal establishment are to be found today, there was once the Agnano lake, The Dog’s Cave and the “sudatario” (sauna) of St. Germano, as they are shown in the designs done at the end of the 15th century by Hoefnagel, and afterwards in the reproductions done by Blaeu and Mortier among many others.
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The Agnano Lake- F.A.Letizia-XV111 century
The Agnano Lake was formed by the rain flowing down the inside slopes of the crater into the basin at the bottom. It was in this way that an environmental situation was created which favoured an increase in the growth of vegetation in and around the wood, the lake, the thermal springs and the “special cave”.
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The Agnano Lake – F. Villamena- XV11 century
The water of the lake was used for soaking hemp, which polluted it, making it a dangerous source of infection. Therefore, when this became a non-profitable activity, a drainage project was put into act, a project that had been planned for many years and which was completed only after Italy was united as one country.
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Dog’s Cave- F.A. Letizia- XV111 century
This
was on the banks of the lake. Inside, poisonous fumes exhaled from ground level
to a height of 30 centimetres. A popular experiment during the period of the
“Grand Tour” consisted in introducing a dog into the cave, which after only
a few moments fell into a fainting fit due to breathing the poisonous air, this
resulted lethal if the poor beast wasn’t immediately pulled out into the open
air.
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The Agnano Lake and the Dog’s Cave- X1X century
A.
Dumas told of his experience in the following terms: “the owner pushed the
dog…. only just inside,……..it jumped up in the air on his two hind legs in
order to get it’s head above the poisonous level of air. It was all useless
though: it soon started to wobble……it
lay down, it’s legs rigid, moving in an agitated crisis of agony……then it
remained motionless……the mouth full of foam…..I believe it died……”
FOURTH STAGE
VIEWS
OF POZZUOLI
Starting
from the Agnano Lake, following the direction that the actual Domitiana Road
takes, towards Pozzuoli, you arrive at a Capuchin monastery that looks after the
Church of St.Gennaro. From this point, looking out from a natural terrace, you
have one of the most beautiful views of Pozzuoli and a large part of the
Phlegraean Fields.
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View of Pozzuoli-
H.Van Cléve- XV1 century
This
image is a very different one from the real aspect of the area, but just the
same it indicates all the most important sites of Pozzuoli and the Phlegraean
Fields, clearly showing how this area had been depicted, without actually ever
been seen by the artist, but was only based on information gathered from tales
told by travellers or by reading texts of the Classics.
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View of Pozzuoli and the Phlegraean Golf- S.Furck-XV11 century
Once
again the in “new interpretation” of the author, he changes the settlements
and scenery, but respects the “monuments”. Here, the remains of the “pier”,
built for Caligola, are clearly evident. It was constructed in order to unite
the two ends of the golf and consequently it was possible to ride over it on
horseback, fulfilling in this way a prophesy which stated that only an Emperor
would have been able to do such a thing.
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View of Pozzuoli and the Phlegraean area- F.A. Letizia- XV111 century
In
the middle of the design is the area called “Rione Terra”, the antique city
centre of Pozzuoli. Acropolis of Dicearchia, the primitive settlement of Greek
exiles, then Roman Puteoli, it has been the centre of the city up until the
present day, and which has returned to life again after being abandoned in 1970
due to the bradyseism activity.
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Rione Terra and Capo Miseno- A. Senape- X1X century
In
the centre of the design, the three columns of the “Tempio di Serapide” (Temple
of Serapide) are only just visible to the eye. They could be considered the
symbol of the city not only because they are a reminder of it’s past as a
great commercial port, but also because they are marked by the signs left by the
bradyseism activity, which, submerging the columns under sea-level or raising
them up, left on each one the trace of the continual movement of this land.
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General view of Pozzuoli- F.Benoist-X1X century
The
promontories at both ends of the golf are extremely evident: to the left, on the
land on which the “Rione Terra” stands, is the Roman stronghold that
resisted Hannibal and, to the right, Capo Miseno, whose shape resembles a mound,
and which gave origin to the legend that places here the burial place of
Aeneas’ mythical trumpeter (Miseno) and, still to this day,
the area is named after him.
FIFTH STAGE
LA
SOLFATARA
A
few metres further on from the Capuchin monastery, in the direction of
Pozzuoli, is the entrance to the Solfatara. There are many craters in
this area and, looking down from above you can still see, among the other
various formations produced by man and nature, the crater of the Solfatara, the
only one still active today.
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Inside the Solfatara- G.Hoefnagel – XV1 century
The
volcano of the Solfatara was formed about four thousand years ago and therefore
slightly later than the formation of the crater at Agnano, while the crater in
the area of the Astroni was still being formed. The Roman historian and
geographer, Strabone,
in
his “Geographia”, mentioned the subject calling them “Forum Vulcani”.
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Inside the Solfatara - J.Von Sandrart- XV11 century
Petronius,
in his “Satyricon”, describes it as follows: “There is a place between
Naples and the vast fields of the Dicearchia, at the bottom of a deep quarry,
dampened by the water of the Cocito; where in fact strong vapours emanate all
around in an atmosphere of suffocating heat……”.
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Inside the
Solfatara- C.De Bois-XV11 century
Apart
from being the “frightening place” described by Petronius, the Solfatara had
been exploited since very early on in it’s history, as a mineral resource; it
supplied alum potassium for medical purposes and ceruse was extracted, that was
used in the Roman cuisine, for thickening sauces.
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Forum Vulcani now called Solfatara-F.Villamena-XV11 century
To
tell the truth, the Solfatara has also been the “quarry of all colours”, in
that it supplied colours for the Neapolitan paintings of the sixteenth century.
In fact, ceruse,
lead,
sulphor, ferruginous vitrol, cinabro and realgar, were “extracted”, washed,
cooked, grinded and transformed into the greys, yellows, greens and
reds to be used as paint for the sixteenth century Neapolitan paintings.
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When
an interest was increasing for Volcanology and geology, the Solfatara, much
easier to reach than Vesuvius or Etna, became the destination of numerous
travellers and scholars, inventing in this way a complex Phlegraean itinery,
which, when followed made it
possible to admire and learn about the subsoil, countryside and
archaeology.
SIXTH
STAGE
THE
MONUMENTS IN POZZUOLI
A thousand year old city that, under various aspects, has played a part in the events of great importance and preserves, in almost every part, a fascinating story represented by buildings, monuments or even a simple stone. In this patrimony of memories, still today extremely vast, in spite of the destruction caused by the passing of time, by man and by the bradyseism, some monuments are still world famous for their enormous importance.
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The Flavio amphitheatre- G. Magri and G. Volpato- XV111 century
The
Flavio amphitheatre, after the Colosseum and the amphitheatre in Capua, is the
biggest in Italy. It was probably constructed at the time of Nero and was the
seat of fantastic games organised in honour of Tiridate, king of Armenia; it saw
the martyrdom of St.Gennaro and St.Procolo, becoming respectively the Patron
Saints of Naples and Pozzuoli. The excavation, starting in 1839, was completed
in 1947 under the direction of the archaeologist Amedeo Maiuri.
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Templum Iovis – F.Morghen – XV111 century
At
the top of the acropolis, where the “Rione Terra” stands today, the temple
was constructed with the development of the Roman colony; at the time of
Augustus it was completely rebuilt; almost certainly by the architect, Lucio
Aucto; the original structure was used again
as a Christian basilica and in 1643 it was absorbed in the construction of the
new cathedral, from which it reappeared, after a devastating fire in 1964.
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Templum Neptuni – F.Villamena-XV11 century
Proceeding
from Pozzuoli towards Lucrino, a little after the Flavio amphitheatre, you come
to the ruins of the Temple of Neptune. Really, it is not a temple but a thermal
complex. To be precise it was the biggest thermal complex of the antique Puteoli,
constructed, designed, with various floors, along the side of the hill that
faced the sea, almost as if it wanted to surprise the foreigner arriving in port.
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Temple of Serapide- A. Senape - X1X century
During
the excavations that, from 1750 to 1818, brought the monument to light from the
vineyard that had covered it, a statue of the Egyptian god Serapide was found;
successively, the area was named after it. It was though, one of the biggest
markets of the time and this gives an idea of the importance of the port and the
size of the city. During the 18th century the area was partially used
as a thermal centre due to the presence of thermal springs in the zone.
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Cicero’s
Villa commonly known as the Accademia – anonymous-in the
“FORESTIERE” printed in 1818
Following
is how Pliny described the home of the most famous lawyer of ancient times:
“on the way from the Averno lake towards Pozzuoli you come opon a very
sumptuous
country house, situated on the banks of the river, it’s famous for it’s
arcade and for it’s surrounding woods, Cicero gave it the name of
Accademia”.
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The road of the tombs – C.J. Billmark – X1X century
On
the sides of the via Campana (Campana road), as it is still called to this day,
there was a series of funeral monuments that were mixed up with shops, country
houses and inns. The first descriptions of the locality go back to the 17th
century, when the tombs were used by farmers as shelters, stables or houses,
this suggested to Goethe the idea that, in this part of the land, life started
with death just as the seismic activity determined the creation and the
destruction of the area.
SEVENTH STAGE
The
sites in Pozzuoli
The
sites, their natural characteristics, their urbanization, tell the story of a
material culture that exploited all that nature offered and that, doing so,
further developed and was enriched until it reached the most advanced modern
state, but, it’s attachment to the land did not waver even considering the
dire consequences suffered by the long and intense crisis of bradyseism.
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Pozzuoli and the antique Puteoli seen from north-west W.L. Leitch- X1X
century
Coastal
city, from once being the antique port of Rome, to a fisherman’s landing-place,
a harbour station that connects Ischia to Procida, a fish market, that in the
past has been one of the most important in Italy and even today is highly
considered. Old fishermen can be still seen today, mending and working on their
fishing nets, laid out along the wharf.
Views of the quarries of
“pozzolana” – C.L. Chatelet – XV111 century
Pulvis
puteolanus, the so called “pozzolana”, is a yellow coloured earth of
volcanic origin, still very much used in building and, together with tufa, also
erupted from the earth and widely used in the building trade, has given origin
to the activity of the extraction from the quarries of
“pozzolana” and tufa. It is for this reason that the material, used
in the construction of houses and buildings in the cities of the Neapolitan and
Phlegraean area, are dug directly from the bowels of the earth
on which they stand.
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The port of Pozzuoli- T. Duclére – X1X century
The
city, since it’s origin has been it’s port. Rome reinforced Puteoli so that
it could stop Hannibal establishing a landing-place in the Mediterranean. Since
then even the port, apart from following the ups and downs of the city, has
changed with the change of the coastline, sometimes submerged, sometimes above
sea-level. Now it’s jetty covers the ancient one of Caligola while the wharves
themselves go much further out to sea than the outline of the antique structures.
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Street of Pozzuoli-
L.Th.Turpin de Crissé – X1X century
Often
the ancient traveller described the enchantment of an exceptional greenery; an
extremely mild climate and a fertile land when speaking of the Phlegraean
territory. Stazio and Giovenale celebrated Mount Gauro for it’s exquisite
wines and the Phlegraean vegetable gardens have, for a long time supplied the
market in Naples; then man and time have changed drastically, but now, once
again, wine cellars
with local wine and green houses cultivating tender vegetables are
flourishing.
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Rione Terra – from P.R. Klein – X1X century
From
the V century A.C. onwards, Puteoli started sinking and becomes a marsh like
land; malaria and raids on the city reduce it to the antique rock it was
initially. In the Middle-Ages it becomes a village with no name, in the work of
the geographer Idrisi; in the X111 century the land surfaced again, the
aristocracy renovated the village and the inhabitants left; from the 18th
century the situation changed and the people came back; in 1970, the bradyseism
emptied the city; now it lives again thanks to having it’s antique splendour
being re-established.
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The square and the statue of Mavorzio – G.Gigante –X1X century
The
square, the proof that the city has started to expand again, here, right under
the auspices of Mavorzio, the patrician that did so much for the antique Puteoli.
The square had been the centre of the life in the city until the bradyseism, in
1970 and, even more so in 1983, made the creation of new districts necessary.
Into these districts of Toiano and Monteruscello it’s inhabitants,
administrative executives and antique traditions were scattered.
EIGHTH
STAGE
THE
ARCO FELICE
Even
today, travelling towards Cuma from Pozzuoli, you pass through Arco Felice and a
part of a road that, right under the arch, is the original one of the Via
Domitiana (Domitiana Road). It is surrounded by the same greenery described by
the first visitors that saw it and, not a long way further on, you come to a
natural terrace from which you can see the green and circular shape of the Mount
Cuma, the antique acropolis, that is outlined against the surrounding land and
sky.
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The Arco Felice
and Cuma – F.Villamena – XV11 century
The
Arco Felice was built in 95 A.C. in order to create a passage through Mount
Grillo for the Via Domitiana that, otherwise , would have had to go the long way
around or make a stiff climb, if you wanted to get to the antique city from that
side. The Arco Felice (arch) became the monumental entrance to the city from the
east.
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View
of a great construction on the road called Arco Felice at Cuma – A. Zaballi
– XV111 century
In
order to build the arch it was probably necessary to widen the opening that had
already been cut into the mount, perhaps during the time of the Greek presence
in Cuma. Therefore the construction was not only useful as a viaduct but it
helped maintain the slopes of Mount Grillo, avoiding any landslides.
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Arco Felice – photo Benoist
– X1X century
The
opening of the arch was twenty metres high and was sustained by two rows of
arches. There were niches in the external walls, on both sides, and each one
contained a statue. The whole construction was covered by slabs of
white marble.
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Arco Felice – R.Muller- X1X century
A
long series of changes and restorations have radically changed the original
aspect of the arch that, apart from the marble covering, it has also lost the
superior arches while the original eastern front was rebuilt at the end of the
17th century. All the same, the “great construction” and the
surrounding site are enormously suggestive and induce thoughts of the Cave of the Sibilla and it’s magic
atmosphere.
NINTH STAGE
CUMA
After
going through Arco Felice you finally get to Cuma, the most antique “polis”
(Greek city) in the whole of Italy, the mythical home of the Sibilla, the city
which fostered the Greek colonies of Dicearchia and Partenope
(Pozzuoli and Naples). Of the great city, that spread from the acropolis
to Mount Grillo opposite, going in one direction towards Licola and in the other
towards the Fusaro lake, today it is only possible to see imposing ruins and
enormous caves.
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Cuma – from G.C. Capaccio: Anonymous – XV11 century
Calcidese
settlers are at sea, searching for a new country; the white dove that suddenly
appears indicates a route. Following the dove brings them to Cuma. A
sound of cymbals, coming from afar, is heard by those on board the ships.
It can only come from a nearby land
and so the Greek settlers sail towards the sound until they reach Cuma; this is
the story told by Velleio Patercolo and Stazio of how Apollo guided the
Calcidese settlers to Cuma.
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Cuma – M. Horthemels – XV111 century
Daedalus
descends from the sky and erects a temple, dedicated to the god of the sun, to
give thanks for not melting his wings. Daedalus himself engraves on the door of
the temple, in gold, the whole story: the construction of the Labyrinth in
Cnosso, the time he was a prisoner of the Minotaur, then how he fled, with
Icarus, flying away on wings of
feathers and wax, how Icarus fell and of his arrival in Cuma. Virgil narrates in
this way how the Greek Cuma was
founded, protected by Apollo.
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Cuma – from Th. Salomon: Anonymous – XV111 century
Wonderful
legends on the founding of a civilisation. The Greeks, that navigated along the
Italian coast establishing landing-places and who then started to trade, arrived
on these unknown shores when, for political reasons or because of overpopulation,
had to find new spaces; it was also probably the same for Cuma, near to the
former Greek settlement of Pithecussai, the small island of Vivara, next to
Procida.
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The walls of Cuma – F. Morghen – XV111 century
There
was already a village of Osco people on the land at Cuma; the Calcidese met up
with and merged with these people. The city was founded in this way and extended
it’s influence over the entire area, all along the coast, and today they still
have names that are a reminder of that ancient adventure, Miseno, Pozzuoli,
Partenope. It’s cultural influence went even further though: the
Calcidese-Cumano alphabet has been transmitted to the present day, in fact those
letters have been used for the text you are now reading.
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External view of the walls of Cuma – F. Morghen – XV111 century
Cuma
moved towards the outside world during the reign of Augustus; the ideology of
the Empire was close to the prophetic divinities such as Apollo, whose
veneration went back to ancient times in Cuma. It was for this reason that in
his VI Book of the Aeneid, Virgil, an Augustus poet, places in Cuma, the Cuma of
Apollo and the Sibilla, the presentation of Rome and it’s glory. Therefore,
the Cuma of the Aeneid is known the world over both for it’s history and it’s
legends.
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Entrance to the cave of the Sibilla – G. Hoefnagel – XV1 century
Aeneas
is taken to the Averno by the Sibilla, where he receives the prophesy of Rome.
The Sibilla’s cave, described by Virgil, was therefore thought to be in the
area of the lake of Averno. Here a long cavern was found that went from the
Averno to Lucrino. For centuries this was believed to be the authentic cave of
the oracle and was visited by all the travellers doing the “great tour”.
Eventually this cavern revealed it’s military connection and so the search for
the real Sibilla’s cave continued.
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The Sibilla’s cave – from “The Phlegraean Fields” publisher:
Marsilio
It was Amadeo Maiuri who, in 1932, excavated and described what he found as follows: “a long, trapezoidal corridor with a high and majestic ceiling like the nave of a temple and a cave with vaults and niches…..It was the Sibilla’s cave…..” This location was also thoroughly discussed, the magic of the light, the sound that was to be heard coming out of the cave towards the sea, was very similar to “the cave of the prophesy which transpired from the poetic vision of Virgil”.
TENTH STAGE
THE
FUSARO LAKE
From Cuma, it’s worth travelling further on towards Baia, which, according to Horace, has the most beautiful bay in the world. The trip takes you through Torregavata, where the splendid villa of Vatia was once situated, through Cappella, to the antique Mercato di Sabato road that takes you to Miliscola and Miseno, the localities where the Roman fleet anchored. Following this itinery, not long after leaving Cuma, you come to the Fusaro lake and the mythic Palude Acherusia (Acherusia Marshes).
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The Fusaro lake – from A. G. Coste – X1X century
The
Fusaro lake was, in the myth, the Acherusia marshes in the culture of the
hereafter, just the same as the “Mare Morto” (Dead Sea) lake and the
surrounding countryside were the Campi Elisi (Elysian Fields). In Roman times,
on the banks of the lake, numerous patrician villas were built together with
thermal installations that used the natural hot water springs of the area;
almost nothing remains today of them except the enchanting beauty of the spot.
The Fusaro lake – Santarelli – X1X century
In
order to discover the beauty of the locality it is necessary to visit it at
different times during the day. In this way you can see how the shadows and
colours seem to change the outline of the sites; about sunset, the figure of
Mount Epomeo, in the distance, is projected
into the water of the lake, while the horizon is contended by the line of
woodland that becomes even darker against the sky, coloured with every possible
shade of pink and red.
The
Casina Vanvitelliana (Vanvitelli’s Country House) in the Fusaro lake –
A.
Vianelli – X1X century
Ferdinando
1V of Bourbon was probably so taken with the suggestive atmosphere of the
locality and the abundance of game, that he decided he wanted a country house
there, for when he went hunting. The architect who designed it was Carlo
Vanvitelli, who, planning it, tried hard not to alter the magical air
surrounding the place and so, on a small volcanic island not far from the banks
of the lake, he constructed the grey-blue polygonal building that gives the
impression of having surfaced from the below,
colouring itself with the same identical colour of the lake.
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The Casina Vanvitelliana in the Fusaro lake – B. Pinelli – X1X
century
Enriched
by the silk from San Leucio and the paintings by Hackert, it was a splendid
house, later on enhanced by constructions on the nearby dry land and, at the
beginning of the century, by an elegant wooden bridge that connected it to the
river-bank. It was an alcove for the Bourbons and a holiday house for Mozart,
Rossini, the Tsar. Even though it has been stripped of all it’s furnishings,
it still preserves it’s own particular fascination.
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The estuaries of the Fusaro lake – G. Gigante – X1X century
The
lake had two mouths in the direction of the sea in order to help the exchange of
water; the intense beauty of the locality is expressed in the sensitive comments
in the works written by Giacinto Gigante.
ELEVENTH
STAGE
MISENO
After
leaving Fusaro and taking the road towards Bacoli, passing through Cappella –
the antique necropolis of Miseno – you arrive at Mons Miseni: the promontory
that is situated at the southern end of the golf of Pozzuoli. For it’s
strategic position, the Greeks of Cuma made it one of their strongholds for the
defence of the golf of Naples. From the 11 century
B.C. it was a Roman settlement and, at the end if the 1 century B.C., it
was the military port of the “Classis Misenensis”.
View of Capo Miseno – G. Gigante – X1X century
The
mount has the shape of a mound and takes it’s name from the hero who is buried
there: Miseno, according to Greek mythology was a companion of Ulysses while,
according to the legend told by Virgil, was the trumpeter of Aeneas. Here was
the villa of the Gracchi, educated by the philosopher of Cuma, Blossio, here the
“militi schola” – after becoming Miliscola - for the sailors of the fleet
of Augustus, that Agrippa moved to Portus Iulius – Lucrino – to Miseno and
the Mar Morto lake.
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Grotta della Dragonara (The Dragonara Cave) – M. Sadeler – XV11 century
In
the Miseno area many villas were built before it became a military port; one in
particular is described by Fedro, a writer of fables: “constructed on top of
the hill by Lucullus, on one side it looks out over the sea of Sicily and on the
other over the Tyrrhenian sea”. The grotta della Dragonara (Dragonara cave) is
perhaps the reservoir of this villa, belonging to Caio Mario, head of the
democratic party, and according to Tacitus, it was the place where the emperor
Tiberias died.
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Cave of the Dragonara – F. Morghen – XV111 century
The
reservoir of the Dragonara can be seen from the Miseno beach. It is from three
to seven metres in height, dug out of the tufa hill and divided into five aisles
of four rows of columns that are lined, as are the outer walls, with a net-like
covering, over which a waterproof plaster was applied.
The villa of Lucullus – F. Villamena – XV11 century
Francesco
Villamena reconstructs the environment where he imagines the cave of the
Dragonara was. In the background is the “mons prochyti adversum”, the mount
opposite Procida – now Monte di Procida – then the “mons Miseni” with
it’s lighthouse functioning since
Roman times and, in the foreground, the villa of Lucullus with it’s attached
pool: “the antrum dragonarum”.
The Theatre of Miseno – F. Morghen – XV111 century
The
residential-military Miseno had about 6,000 men of the fleet living there. They
had been recruited among the imperial freedmen and slaves and were faithful to
the emperor who, after his death, was the object of veneration in the “Sacello
degli Augustali” (Sacellum of the Augustus). The ruins of this chapel can be
seen in the Castello di Baia (Castle of Baia). Not far away from the Sacellum,
the theatre was situated, built leaning against the hill and small in size; a
part of the lower corridor is still visible.
TWELFTH
STAGE
BACOLI
Many luxurious seaside villas were to be found here, starting from Lucrino and arriving in Miseno; this elegant residential area was called the “regio baiana”. Here, the name Bauli reminds us of Hercules and the oxen of Gerione. Here were the villas of emperors and nobles who, falling in love with the locality, continued to visit until late in the antiquity era; even in the 1V century A.C. Simmaco sang the praises of the tranquil atmosphere to be found in his favourite villa in Bauli.
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View of the Cento Camerelle – P. Petrini – XV111 century
Four
aisles divided into three rows of columns; six metres lower down, some tunnels,
more ancient and cut from the tufa; it’s a group of reservoirs belonging, it
seems, to the sumptuous villa of the orator Quinto Ortensio Ortalo. It was
passed on first to Antonia Minore, the daughter of Marco Aurelio and mother of
the emperor Claudio, then to his nephew, the emperor Nero who, in Bacoli
prepared the mortal trap for his mother Agrippina.
Inside the Piscina Mirabile – F. Morghen – XV111 century
It
gets it’s name from Petrarch who visited this monumental structure and
defined it a “piscina mirabile” (admirable pool). It is the reservoir that
collected rainwater for the fleet at Miseno; an imposing construction, 15 metres
high, 70 metres long and 25 metres wide. It has preserved it’s waterproof
plaster covering that, during the period it was not used, was scraped in order
to obtain the useful deposits, left on it’s walls, for making gun powder.
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Sepulchre of Agrippina – F. Morghen – XV111 century
Tacitus
tells that Nero, after he’d had his mother killed, had her remains burned so
that she would never have a tomb; successively, her servants in sign of
affection, dedicated a tomb to her memory that was on the road to Miseno. Based
on this, the tradition has identified the “tomb of Agrippina” in the ruins
that are on the beach at Bacoli; those ruins though, are instead a
theatre-nymphaeum, part of a seaside villa that is now almost completely lost.
Via Mercato del Sabato –P. Petrini – XV111 century
There
are numerous representations in iconography of this road, one of the same name
can be found today in the zone of Cappella, going towards Miseno on one side and
going in the direction of Fusaro and Cuma on the other. In about the same area,
in Roman times, there was the necropolis of the residential – military Miseno;
the map of the actual Cappella is a reminder of the antique destination of the
area.
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The
Elysian Fields viewed from the Mare Morto – C. L.Chatelet – XV111 century
The
area that is today covered by the inhabitants of Bacoli and Miseno was, in
ancient times, a place full of sumptuous patrician villas and imperial
residences. It was certainly the mild climate and the beauty of the area that
attracted the Roman nobility; a beauty that had, much earlier on, in mythology,
placed the Elysian Fields here.
