Some of our most faithful readers will remember that a few years ago, precisely on November 1, 2018, we published a post dedicated to the Roman necropolises of Quarto and Pozzuoli, complaining of their state of abandonment and impossible use by the public. In particular, the necropolis of Via Celle, in Pozzuoli, was the one that was in the worst conditions, impractical as it was due to brush and weeds, as you can see from this photo:
But something positive has occurred in recent times: first a radical cleaning of the site was carried out, until it was usable again, then the necropolis was opened to the public on the occasion of the Spring Day of 2022 by the F.A.I . (Italian Environment Fund):
But before proceeding with the other images, let's give some news about the necropolis, drawing it from the website of the Ministry of Culture: (https://cultura.gov.it/luogo/parco-archeologico-dei-campi-flegrei-necropoli-di-via-celle-settore-della-necropoli-di-puteoli) The Roman necropolis, datable between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, stands along the stretch of the Via Consularis Puteolis-Capuam, at the point where the Via Puteolis-Neapolim joins. A group of fourteen funerary mausoleums, so-called columbaria, already investigated in the 1700s, has been identified from the sepulchral area, while the first regular excavations date back to the 1930s; but it was not until the 1960s that the entire group of buildings along the eastern side of the road was cleared. To these monuments is added a building interpreted as collegium funeraticium, (an association whose members of modest condition, by joining together, could secure a decent burial with little expense) characterized by a rectangular plan developed around a courtyard in the center of which a mausoleum was erected .
But here we are at the sore point of this morning: on the website of the F.A.I. the necropolis was indicated as wheelchair accessible. Too bad that halfway through there were these steps, which we were able to overcome only thanks to the very kind and effective volunteers of ANPANA, who supervised the structure. We must be careful, when affirming the accessibility of a site, also because if a disabled person provided with a motorized chair, of those weighing up to 150 kg, had come to visit the site, the thing could not have been solved so easily!
Somehow overcome the obstacle, we continued the visit:
What about at the end of this visit? Credit must certainly be given to the F.A.I. to have included this archaeological site within the Spring Days, especially since it is not currently expected to open to the public in the near future. It will mean that when this opening takes place, we will take care to report it, hoping that someone will solve the problem of the steps; in the meantime, to get a rough idea of it, one can observe it from the outside, which is already something. We close with the usual logistical information by pointing out two restaurants: the first one is located close to the necropolis:
Taverna Brudi (*):
Via Alfonso Artiaco 65, Pozzuoli
081 5268254 https://tavernabrudi.eatbu.com/?lang=it
of which we show you a wonderful risotto with sea fruit:
the second one is located within a winery located in the territory of Quarto:
II IV Miglio (*): Via Cesare Pavese 19, Quarto +39 081 876 0364 https://www.ilquartomiglio.it/ (*) symbol indicating the presence of toilets equipped for the disabled of which we show you a risotto with porcini mushrooms and black pig from Caserta:
