THE PHLEGREAN FIELDS (CUMA, BAIA, BACOLI, POZZUOLI & MISENO)
The Phlegrean fields, from the greek “burning” is a place of ancient fascination where history, legend e myth melt into a landscape of sizzling atmosphere. The Phlegrean fields are also fascinating for the volcanic activity clearly evident. The greek colonization started in the first millennium B.C. and according to the ancients historians, Cuma was the first greek colony of the west.
The Solfatara Volcano in Pozzuoli is one of the 40 volcanoes we can admire in the famous Phlegraean Fields and it is located approx. at 3 kilometres from the centre of the city (Pozzuoli). This is an ancient volcanic crater, still active but very quiet, and since 2000 years have a huge activity of “fumaroles” of sulphur dioxide, jets of hot mud and very hight temperature of the ground.
The ancient Cumae – one of the first Greek colonies of the West, founded covering to the damages of the local “osco-sabelliche” populations in the 7th century B.C. , by “Euboici-Calcidesi” inhabitants previously allocated in the “emporium” of Pithekoussai (the ancient-original name of Ischia, one of the volcanic islands of Naples gulf). Actually you can visit the acropolis with the Temples of Apollo and of Jove, dated back to the Greek age, and the “Antro della the Sibilla” (the Sibilla Cave), reported from the tradition of Apollo oracle, but probably risen for defensives scopes.