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Photo: Donar Reiskoffer, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Solfatara is a dormant volcanic crater in the Phlegraean Fields, famous since antiquity for its steaming fumaroles, boiling mud pools, and strong sulphurous gases. Known to the Romans as a gateway to the underworld, it offers a vivid glimpse of the active volcanic forces shaping the region.
Solfatara is a shallow volcanic crater at Pozzuoli, near Naples, part of the Phlegraean Fields volcanic area. It is a volcano, which emits jets of steam with sulfurous fumes. The name comes from the Latin, Sulpha terra, "land of sulfur", or "sulfur earth". It was formed around 4000 years ago and last erupted in 1198 with what was probably a phreatic eruption – an explosive steam-driven eruption caused when groundwater interacts with magma. The crater floor was a popular tourist attraction until 2017, as it has many fumaroles and mud pools. The area is well known for its bradyseism. The vapours had been used for medical purposes since Roman times.
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The Flavian Amphitheatre in Pozzuoli is one of Italy’s largest Roman arenas, built in the 1st century CE to serve the busy port city of Puteoli. Its underground chambers, cages, and passageways are among the best preserved of any Roman amphitheatre.
The Macellum of Pozzuoli is a major Roman market building (often misidentified as a temple due to its standing columns), reflecting the wealth of the ancient port city of Puteoli. Its remains show the commercial heart of Roman trade and even preserve evidence of ancient marine uplift.
Duomo di San Procolo
One of the most unusual churches in Italy, built directly over the remains of a Roman temple dedicated to Augustus. It blends ancient marble columns and classical structure with later Baroque and modern elements following restoration. Inside, you can still clearly see the original Roman temple integrated into the cathedral, creating a striking fusion of pagan and Christian architecture.
Rione Terra is the historic heart of Pozzuoli, perched on a rocky promontory above the Bay of Naples. Continuously inhabited since Greek and Roman times, the district was evacuated in the 20th century due to volcanic movement, leaving it frozen in time for decades. Restoration has revealed an extraordinary underground archaeological route, where ancient streets, shops, and buildings lie preserved beneath the modern quarter.
The oldest Greek colony on mainland Italy, founded in the 8th century BCE, Cumae later became an important Roman town with strong religious and strategic significance. Its hilltop acropolis and the legendary Sibyl’s cave highlight its role as both a military stronghold and a centre of prophecy.
Visitors can explore a wide range of remains, including the Acropolis, Forum, and the impressive Arco Felice gateway. Key highlights include the Temple of Apollo (later converted into a church), the Capitoline Temple of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, and sanctuaries dedicated to Diana, Isis, and Demeter. The site also features extensive Roman engineering works such as the Crypta Romana and the Grotta di Cocceio, as well as the Thermae of the Forum and surrounding structures.