Pozzuoli has been an important port for mid-south Italy. The region reveals various ruins from ancient settlements. Today, the town is famous for the experience of laid-back town, local south Italian culture and for fresh seafood.

Pozzuoli is a city and comune of the Metropolitan City of Naples, in the Italian region of Campania. It is the main city of the Phlegrean Peninsula.

HIGLIGHTS

Until the 1960s the Rione Terra was still the pulsating center, albeit popular, of the city and the passing of the centuries had now hidden the buildings of Roman times. On 2 March 1970 the fortress was evacuated following one of the frequent bradyseismic swarms in the history of Pozzuoli. From which moment on the fortress will be abandoned. This abandonment will end in the early 90s when it is finally decided to refurbish what has always been the pulsating center of a city with a thousand-year history. It was during the first restoration works that the story resurfaced.

Temple of Serapide in Pozzuoli

The Temple of Serapide is not a temple but it’s a macellum (market) of the I-II century AD. The macellum is well preserved, thanks to bradyseism (volcanic activity that increases and then decreases the level of the city compared to the sea) of the city of Pozzuoli.

The macellum was initially confused with a temple, because during the first excavations a statue of the Egyptian god Serapide was found in the area.

Flavio Amphitheater of the city of Pozzuoli

Flavio amphitheater of Pozzuoli was built by the same architects of the Colosseum. The amphitheater was built under Vespasian and perhaps it was inaugurated under Tito.

Here, the people of Pozzuoli was present to theatrical performances, the fights between gladiators and cultural events. In the basement the gears of cages and some scenographic elements of the shows are still visible.

Seafront of Pozzuoli: an area for go to the beach and nightlife

The seafront of Pozzuoli has been dedicated to Sandro Pertini (an important Italian President) in recent years. The seafront is the perfect place for a walk with a breathtaking view. It is also the hub of nightlife, infact here there are many pubs and coffee bar with a good view of the sea.

Also, here you can get a nice tan and a swim at the sea, because there are rocks. 

Main sights

The town’s attractions include:

• The Macellum of Pozzuoli, also known as the Temple of Serapis or serapeum, is considered the city’s symbol. The „temple“ was actually a marketplace. Its name derives from the misinterpretation of its function after a statue of the god Serapis was found in 1750 at this location. The Macellum includes three majestic columns in Cipollino marble, which show erosion from marine Lithophaga molluscs when, at an earlier time, the ground level was much lower due to Bradyseism, and sea-water could flow in.
• Flavian Amphitheater (Amphitheatrum Flavium), the third largest Italian amphitheater after the Colosseum and the Capuan Amphitheater. 
• Solfatara (volcanic crater with active fumaroles)
• Forum
• Minor Amphitheater, very near to the Flavian one, its remains were absorbed by other buildings, but some arches can be seen by Via Solfatara and Via Vigna. It is crossed by metropolitan railway and the arena is still buried
• Puteoli’s Baths, so called Temple of Neptune, the remains of a big thermal complex now in Corso Terracciano which included also „Dianae Nymphaeum“, this last one partly hidden by buildings.
• Villa Avellino, one of the few urban parks of Pozzuoli. It also shows several Roman ruins and water tanks. There is also a still working Roman „face“ water fountain.
• Rione Terra, the first settlement of Puteoli, originally Dicearkia in Greek. It is a multi-layered city with several Roman buildings; the most important one is the Temple of Augustus (today the Pozzuoli’s Duomo)
• Necropolis of the Via Puteolis Capuam, just under the bridge that leads outside the city near Via Solfatara
• Necropolis of Via San Vito, near to Quarto
• Necropolis of Via Celle, a rich complex of tombs and mausoleums, very near to an old Roman street track still used today (Via Cupa Cigliano)
• Stadium of Antoninus Pius, a very similar stadium to the Domitian one in Rome, only partially unburied and partly collapsed (Via Campi Flegrei).
• Sanctuary of San Gennaro (St. Januarius). With the Cathedral of Naples, it is one of the two places in which the alleged miracle of the liquefaction of the saint’s blood occurs.
• Acropolis of ancient city of Cumae
• Lake Avernus, in which Virgil, in the 6th book of his Aeneid, placed the entrance to Hell. The name derives from Greek, and means „Without Birds“, referring to the absence of birds due to the sulfur gas that sprung from it. Nearby are the Temple of Apollo, the Grotto of the Cumaean Sibyl and Cocceius‘ Grotto, a gallery carved by the Romans to connect Lucrino to Cumae. The latter was damaged during World War II and is no longer visitable.
• Lake Lucrino, in the frazione of the same name. The lake was considered an infernal place, due to volcanic phenomena. It was a renowned resort in Roman times and included the villa of Cicero, which later held the remains of emperor Hadrian. Pliny the Elder cites it in Naturalis historia (ix, 25) as the home of a dolphin who had made friends with a child. According to Pliny, when the child fell ill and died, the dolphin died of broken heart also. The tale is considered the first known Urban legend.