Yesterday we went to check out a local area about 30 minutes from our house along the coast. Baia and Bacoli are rich in history, many 40-ish volcanos and ancient Roman ruins both on land and preserved under water along the coastline.
Baia – We were on a tour to see Baia including a glass bottom boat ride to view the city under water but it was not clear due to stormy weather so we were able to see some structures but did not get to see the mosaics and such.
Bacoli – Is quite connected to Baia, in fact most resources online I found referred to Baia points of interest so I won’t bother linking them here. The biggest thing to do in Bacoli is eat, the restaurants are impressive, mostly seafood.
Here are some photos from our morning enjoying the weather and local history.
The first photo above is called the Temple of Venus apparently but it was not a temple at all. It was in fact one of the rooms of a spa which was quite impressive at the time and a destination for affluent Romans and Greeks. This area has thermal mineral waters from the volcano activity.
The second photo is the remains of a dome of a church which was studied by the architect of the St. Peter’s Basilica dome for reference. (all info I’m giving is per our tour guide, I haven’t researched further for accuracy)
After walking the coastal ruins we went out on the boat to see the coastline and a bit of the underwater city:
The second photo down is the Baia castle which we may return to check out on our own. The last photo is showing a structure built on top of the ancient two story ruins half submerged. Many properties are built on top of ancient Roman structures which I thought was interesting.
Because of the weather and not being able to see the mosaics under water our guide felt bad so he added something to our day. He took us up to see the inside of the end/beginning (depending on how you look at it) of the ancient Roman aquaduct. I searched but didn’t find a good link to include for information on this, if you are really interested in more, please search
Piscina Mirabilis – Bacoli
It was really amazing down there. To think it was full of fresh water for the people of the entire area was crazy.
Well it was a good morning trip and the rain held off until our drive home so it worked out nicely. We may do a weekend in Baia/Bacoli before leaving Italy. Will see.
Life Notes 