Once again the F.A.I. (Italian Environment Fund) organized, on 15 and 16 May 2021, its Spring Day, despite the difficulties of the moment and once again we participated with enthusiasm, choosing among the many a route that connects three Roman sites close to each other in Miseno within the municipality of Bacoli (NA). These sites are almost always closed or can be visited only on request, and the FAI's merit was to open them and make them visitable in the same excursion of about 90 minutes. The route was indicated as wheelchair accessible and it proved to be so; in one point there were four steps to overcome, and here we received the generous help of the young people present, coming from the high schools of Bacoli and who also carried out the functions of guides in a truly professional way. But what are these three sites? We begin to visit them in sequence, describing them through the texts contained in the website of the Archaeological Park of the Phlegraean Fields (http://www.pafleg.it/). The Park manages the treasures of the Puteolan and Bacolese area which we have talked about in several posts in recent years, first of all the Archaeological Museum of the Phlegraean Fields, located in the Aragonese Castle of Baia, which houses, among other things, some artifacts found in Miseno . The first archaeological site visited yesterday is the Roman Theater of Miseno: Located in the confined space, between the slopes of the promontory of Miseno and the outer harbor of the ancient port, in the area that must have been the Forum is the Roman Theater of Miseno. The Theater was only partially investigated, both because, due to the bradyseism, part of the monument is located below sea level and because the upper part is incorporated into modern buildings. The monument, which must have consisted of three orders of arched ambulatories built against the ridge behind, dates back to the 2nd century. A.D. The portion that can be visited is accessed via an underground tunnel open in the state-owned area; you enter a section of the median corridor covered by cross vaults which supports the middle level of the tiers.
At the thirteenth arch there is a straight gallery, originally opened on via Herculanea and from which it was accessed via ramps, which today, due to the effect of bradyseism, gives the visitor an unexpected view of a very small inlet of the waters of the Gulf of Miseno.
Leaving the Roman Theater, we headed to the second destination, the Sacello degli Augustali: A short distance from the theater is the other public building identified in Miseno, the Sacello degli Augustali, whose semi-submerged structures as a result of bradyseism are located against the tufa ridge, now partially collapsed. The building, which stands in the Julio-Claudian era and is dedicated to the cult of the Emperor Augustus, is built in masonry with stucco cladding; the structure retained this decoration even on the occasion of the enrichment of the Sacello with the statues of the emperors Vespasian and Titus from the Flavian era. It was rearranged in the middle of the 2nd century AD, commissioned by Cassia Victoria to honor her husband L. Laecanius Primitivus, Augustale priest, when it received a greater wealth of coatings, all marble, as evidence of the economic position of the clients. The complex was found by chance during the construction works in 1968, following which the recovery works were started, which immediately became difficult due to the original plan located about 6 meters deep compared to the modern one, completely flooded by groundwater rather superficial.
In this last photo you can see in the background the difference in height that we have overcome thanks to the help of the boys present; we were thus able to overlook the inlet of Punta Pennata and this is the view we admired:
The visit ended at the Dragonara Cave: Located at the eastern end of the Miseno beach and carved into the tuff wall of the promontory, is the so-called "Dragonara Cave" whose etymology derives from the Latin word "rocky". The visit takes place on an iron walkway, as due to the bradyseism the monument is currently semi-submerged. It is a Roman cistern with a quadrangular plan divided into five naves by four rows of pillars carved into the tuff, lined with reticulated work and covered with the typical hydraulic plaster that waterproofed this type of structure. The cistern, about 60 m long and 6 m wide, is covered by a barrel vault with three large openings equipped with stairs, now partially visible, and used for the introduction of water and for ordinary maintenance. It contains side galleries that branch off and intertwine with each other, forming a labyrinth which, together with the effect of the water invading the monument, becomes very impressive for the visitor. Traditionally connected to the water supply of the Misenate fleet, which is already abundantly satisfied in the water supply from the cistern known as Piscina Mirabile, it could however also have served the residential structures located a little further south and visible on the ridge, attributed by the literary tradition to Lucullus. The villa arranged in terraces with rooms that slope down to the sea, currently covered in sand, had belonged to Caio Mario, for a short time by Cornelia, mother of the Gracchi and then purchased by Licinio Lucullo, a very rich political figure of the 1st century. BC, and finally passed to the imperial state property. It is the residence where according to Tacitus the Emperor Tiberius died there. In the Middle Ages the monument was known as "Bagno del Finocchio" (Bath of the Fennel) for the abundant crops that surrounded it.
What do you think? Now the FAI Spring Days are behind us, to visit these monuments you will have to search the Internet for the dates and opening times, as well as the contact details to book. In our opinion it is worth it, among other things because the pavement of the paths is quite comfortable and the passage from one site to another takes place on asphalt. Last information is that on the logistics of accessible restaurants. Today we point out one that is also a beach, with the possibility of sunbathing on sun loungers and deck chairs and swimming in the sea, as you can see from the photos below: Lido Belvedere (*): Via Plinio il Vecchio 20, Bacoli +39 081 523 5248 www.lidobelvederebacoli.it (*) symbol indicating the presence of toilets equipped for the disabled
