Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
while it may have been unlucky for feathered critters, Lago d'Averno proved useful to Ro-
man general Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, who in 37 BC linked it to nearby Lago Lucrino
and the sea, turning hell's portal into a strategic naval dockyard. The battleships may have
gone, but the lakeside ruins of the Tempio di Apollo (Temple of Apollo) remain. Built
during the reign of Hadrian in the 2nd century AD, this thermal complex once boasted a
domed roof almost the size of the Pantheon's in Rome. Alas, only four great arched win-
dows survive.
A CHOICE DIP
Right below the Castello di Baia sits the wonderful Spiaggia del Castello (Castle Beach). A sandy
double-sided affair, it's only accessible by boat ( 338 169 34 48; one-way ticket €2.50, Sat, Sun &
Aug €4; 8.30am-7pm Jun-Aug, to 6pm late Apr-May & early-mid Sep) from a nearby jetty. To
reach the jetty, catch the EAV bus to Baia and get off outside the FIART factory just south of town.
Walk a further 250m south and turn left into the driveway beside the green gate at the curve. At the
end sit the car park and white-coloured jetty, where you can hire a sundeck (€5/6 weekdays/weekends)
or umbrella (€5) for stylish waterside sunning. Avoid the weekend summer crowds by coming earlier
in the week.
CUMA
Founded in the 8th century BC by Greek colonists from the island of Euboea, Cumae ex-
erted a powerful sway on the ancient imagination. Today its ruins are among the region's
most evocative, overlooking lush Mediterranean flora and the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Scavi Archeologici di Cuma
Offline map
( 081 854 30 60; Via Montecuma; admission €4; 9am to 1hr before sunset, last
entry 1hr before close; Cumana to Fusaro, then, EAV BUS to Cuma) Dating back
to the 8th-century BC, Cuma was the first Greek settlement on the Italian mainland. Its ru-
ins are shrouded in ancient mythology: the Antro della Sibilla Cumana (Cave of the Cu-
maean Sibyl) is where the oracle reputedly passed on messages from Apollo.
The poet Virgil, probably inspired by a visit to the cave himself, writes of Aeneas com-
ing here to seek the sibyl, who directs him to Hades (the underworld), entered from
nearby Lago d'Averno. More prosaic are recent studies that maintain that the 130m-long
trapezoidal tunnel was actually built as part of Cuma's defence system.
RUIN
 
 
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