The other half of Baia, the one that emerged, is guarded, instead, by the Archaeological Park of the Baths of Baia. Here the volcanoes provided hot water at will, which fed sumptuous thermal pools for the amusement of the VIPs.
From the Cumaean Sibyl to the Bourbons
Pedaling on the sea, the view sweeps between Capri, Procida and Ischia, dominated by another volcano, the Epomeo. In a short time you will reach the cave of the Cumana Sibyl, one of the 25 sites of the Campi Flegrei archaeological park. Another stop not to be missed. Here, according to tradition, the ancients lined up to collect a prediction about the future from the mouth of the Sibyl.
Not far away, on Lake Fusaro, a wetland and wildlife oasis, another attraction: the Casina vanvitelliana, a small masterpiece of Baroque architecture, designed at the end of the eighteenth century by Luigi Vanvitelli, the architect to whom the Royal Palace of Caserta is owed. “Versailles of the Bourbons”.
The island of Arturo
For those who are not satisfied with the mainland, there is Procida in front of Pozzuoli. It is the smallest of the islands in the Gulf of Naples and also the least touristy. Here seafaring and fishing are still the main activities. On the port, the quay has dropped almost to sea level. A stroll around the island is a pleasure.
A triumph of lights, colors and scents that refreshes the spirit. But in the lively and picturesque village, many buildings are in disrepair; in particular the sixteenth-century palace of Avalos, a former prison, now abandoned and dilapidated.
It is worth going as far as Vivara, an islet connected to Procida by a small bridge over the sea. It is nothing more than the crater of a collapsed volcano, of which only a horseshoe-shaped half remains – emerged -; the other half sank.
Because in these parts it is the volcanoes that make and undo. Have a good ride!