Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 081 868 80 06;
www.termestufedinerone.it
; Via Stufe di Nerone 37; admission incl
massage from €50; 8am-11pm Tue, Thu & Fri, to 8pm Mon, Wed & Sat, to 3pm Sun
Sep-Jun, 8am-8pm Mon-Sat, to 3pm Sun Jul & Aug; Cumana to Lucrino)
Your body
will thank you after a trip to this much-loved thermal spa complex. Built on the site of an
ancient Roman prototype (spot the remnants in the bar), its muscle-melting combo of
steamy grottos, therapeutic mineral baths and pools, and massage (40-minute essential-
oils massage, €35) and beauty treatments make for a blissful interlude.
Book treatments online at least two days in advance. If you don't have your own swim-
suit, towel and flip-flops (thongs), you can purchase them at the bar. From Lucrino train
station, walk 500m southwest along Via Miliscola before turning right into Via Stufe di
Nerone. The entrance is 200m ahead. If you have your own wheels, on-site parking costs
€2.50 for cars and €2 for scooters.
RUIN
Piscina Mirabilis
Offline map
(Marvellous Pool;
081 523 59 68; Via Piscina Mirabilis;
varies;
Cumana to
Fusaro, then, EAV BUS to Bacoli)
You'll need to call ahead to visit the world's largest Roman cistern, but it's well worth
the effort to experience this underrated ancient wonder. Bathed in an eerie light and fea-
turing 48 soaring pillars and a barrel-vaulted ceiling, the so-called 'Marvellous Pool' is
more 'subterranean cathedral' that 'giant water tank'. The cistern was an Augustan-era
creation, its 12,600 cubic metre water supply serving the military fleet at nearby Miseno.
Fresh water flowed into the cistern from the Serino river aqueduct, which was then raised
up to the terrace with hydraulic engines, exiting through doors in the central nave. Engin-
eers still marvel at its sophistication.
Lago d'Averno
Offline map
(Lake Averno; Via Lucrino Averno; Cumana to Lucrino)
In Virgil's
Aeneid,
it is from
Lago d'Averno that Aeneas descends into the underworld. It's hard to imagine hell in such
a soothing setting, with old vineyards and citrus groves lining this ancient crater. A popu-
lar walking track now circles the perimeter of the lake, located an easy 1km walk north of
Lucrino train station.
The lake's name stems from the Greek work , meaning 'without birds', and according
to legend, birds who flew over it would fall out of the sky. A likely explanation for this
phenomenon was the release of poisonous volcanic gases from the lake's fumaroles. Yet,
LAKE, RUIN
