What is Pozzuoli known for?

Third-largest Roman amphitheater in Italy at 147 by 117 meters, begun under Vespasian and finished under Titus, with intact underground machinery. Slow ground-level shifts of the Campi Flegrei caldera, first proven by mollusc borings on the Macellum columns; alert level raised in 2023. Largest commercial port of imperial Rome despite being 150 miles distant; the Apostle Paul landed here on his way north.

Pozzuoli is a comune in the province of Napoli, Campania region of Italy, about 19 kilometers from Napoli.

Campania · Napoli

Pozzuoli

A Roman port on the Campi Flegrei caldera, the Greek Dicearchia and Roman Puteoli, where the Macellum columns first proved bradyseism.

19 km / 12 mi

Nearest hub (Napoli)

76,331

Population

May–Sep

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Città del Vino

Why come

Pozzuoli sits at twenty-eight meters on the rim of the Campi Flegrei caldera, fifteen kilometers west of Napoli. Greek refugees from Samos founded the city in 531 BC as Dicearchia; Rome took it in 195 BC and renamed it Puteoli. At its peak in the late Republic and early Empire it was the largest commercial port for Rome itself, even at one hundred and fifty miles distance, and the Apostle Paul landed here on his journey to Rome. The Flavian Amphitheater, the third largest in Italy at 147 by 117 meters, was begun under Vespasian and finished under Titus; its underground gear chambers are largely intact. The Macellum, the imperial market wrongly called the Temple of Serapis, holds three marble columns marked by mollusc borings that proved the ground had sunk below sea level and re-emerged. The discovery led to the identification of bradyseism, the slow rise and fall of the crust still active here. The Solfatara crater above town vents sulfur. The Campi Flegrei alert level was raised in 2023 and remains elevated.

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Gallery

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Known for

Anfiteatro Flavio
Third-largest Roman amphitheater in Italy at 147 by 117 meters, begun under Vespasian and finished under Titus, with intact underground gear and cage chambers.
Macellum (Tempio di Serapide)
Imperial Roman market wrongly identified as a temple of Serapis, with three marble columns marked by mollusc borings that became the proof of bradyseism.
Rione Terra
Acropolis of Greek Dicearchia and Roman Puteoli on the headland, the original old town, evacuated in 1970 after a bradyseismic crisis and progressively reopened.
Solfatara
Semi-active volcanic crater above town venting sulfurous steam, mud pools and fumaroles; closed to visitors since a 2017 accident.
Castello Aragonese di Baia
Late-fifteenth-century Aragonese fortress on the next promontory toward Bacoli, since 1993 the seat of the Museo Archeologico dei Campi Flegrei.

When to visit

Best months · May–Sep

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May through September is the working season for Pozzuoli, with June and September the easiest months. Sea temperatures rise into the mid-twenties, and the open-air sites stay accessible without afternoon heat closures. July and August are hot and crowded; the Anfiteatro and Macellum work best in the first morning slots. The Campi Flegrei alert level was raised in 2023 and bradyseismic uplift continues, occasionally producing tremor swarms that locals notice but do not close the city for. Winter is mild and rainy. The patronal feast of San Procolo falls on 16 November. Ferry traffic to Procida and Ischia leaves from the port year round.