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POZZUOLI
Puteoli
was founded earlier than Naples
by some greek refugees (coming from Samo's island) escaping
a dictatorship and that's why they called the new city Dicearchia
(the city of justice).
Dicerachia became later on Puteoli
(194 b.C.) which was fully integrated in the Roman
Empire system as the most important see port for
connecting Rome with all mediterranean. The name Puteoli means
"little wells" for the fact that the city was located
inside an area strongly characterized by the presence of several
craters.
In 37 a.D. the city was the set of an unique
show organized by Caligula, who on becoming
emperor wanted to be built a temporary bridge of ships connecting
Puteoli to Baia, along which
he went riding his horse. This only to contradict a an astrologer's
prediction that he had "no more chance of becoming Emperor
than of riding a horse across the Gulf of Baiae."
One more curiosity: here landed apostle Paul
on his way to Rome
in 61 a.D.
It still keeps impressive monuments of those days and not
only. The visit highlights are the wonderful and well preserved
Flavium Amphitheatre, the Macellum
but also the Rione Terra, a small borgo built
on steep rock on the sea, where the greek and roman city and
the Middle age settlement mix. Pozzuoli's
life during the centuries cannot be understood without knowing
the peculiar volcanic activity of Bradisism that has lifted
up and down the soil and that has contributed to save the
old roman port, a wide area with warehouses
and roads, situated today integrally 4 mtrs under the sea
level.
A visit to the Solfatara, the active crater
of the Campi Flegrei, is also reccomended.
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