Naples Roman Resort of Baia

The Bay of Naples ~Baia, Naples and Vesuvius

Just north of the city of Naples lies ancient Baia. It is a quiet little town on the Mediterranean with a small bay of sailboats and motor yachts. Life is laid back and simple here. Families gather at the waterfront park to cheer on a game of water polo while friends and couples share a meal of pizza and espresso at a small cafe. The single lane roads wind up and down over the hilly terrain accompanied with walkers more often than cars. A mecca of peace. But this wasn’t always so.

Did you know that Baia was the playground of the extremely rich and wealthy from the first to the third century AD? Baia far surpassed Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Capri as a desirable resort full of hedonistic temptations. Rumours of scandal and corruption filled the palace halls and baths. Julius Caesar, Nero, Hadrian and Caligula had spacious pleasure palaces built along the shoreline. Much of the town was considered imperial property under Augustus.

What was the big attraction to Baia? To begin with, Baia sits on an active volcanic area known as the Phlegrian Fields. During the Roman empire, engineers constructed a complex system of chambers that brought heat beneath the surface into bathing facilities that became saunas. These baths were used for medicinal purposes as well as relaxation. Remains of a thermal bathing complex can be seen today close to the water where the land rises on a hillside.

Remember the Trojan Horse? It was Baius, also known as Oddysseus, who came up with the whole strategy of building and hiding his Greek warriors inside the wooden horse. After they entered Troy, they came out from hiding and fought. Baia was named after this heroic figure, who is believed to be buried there.

Have you heard the legend of Baia? It was in 39 AD that the new emperor Caligula ordered a temporary floating bridge to be built from Baia to the neighboring port of Puteoli. Roman historian Suetonius states that the bridge was over three miles long. Sand was poured from various ships in the area to make the bridge passable. It is said that Caligula, clad in a flowing gold cloak, crossed the bridge on his horse in defiance against the Roman astrologer Thrasyllus who predicted that he had “no more chance of becoming emperor than of riding a horse across the Gulf of Baia.”

Whether the legend is true or not, what became of Baia? Where are all those luxury palace ruins? Because of the volcanic activity of the area, most of Baia is now underwater in the Bay of Naples. Very little is left of these palaces, but a glass bottom boat operates regular excursions out to view these ruins in shallow water.

Today Baia is an archaeological playground. It was here the renowned Roman writers Virgil, Cicero and Horace hobnobbed with the wealthiest. Baia, the metropolis of hedonism, washed away by the waves of time.

Roman Baia, Forgotten Paradise of the Rich and Famous

Bay of Baia near Napoli

Once the exotic playground of Roman emperors Julius Caesar, Nero, and Caligula, the one-time seaside resort of Baia just north of Naples enticed and tickled the fancies of the first-century elite. Horace described it as “Nowhere in the world is more agreeable than Baia.” Pliny praised the medicinal qualities of the water.

Rich Romans built magnificent villas along the coastline that have since become submerged under water. Because the land of Baia and its surroundings are a volcanic area, the land has dropped six meters

Italy’s Atlantis–What Lies Beneath

Sunken Nymphaeum of Baiae (courtesy of Parco Archeologico Sommer Sodibaia) off the Bay of Naples

Welcome to the ancient sunken city of Baiae (Parco Archeologico Sommerso di Baiae), just 30 minutes northwest of Naples.

Seneca called Baiae a “resort of vice,” while Ovid referred to it as a “favorable place for love-making.” Famous for its prestigious baths and thermal springs, the ancient city of Baiae was a fashionable bathing and recreation area of the rich and famous. But today, much of Baiae is underwater. Remains of Roman streets, Imperial Villas and tottering statues lie submerged in just a few feet of water. Sea life weave in among the ruins, the only live occupants of what used to be the summer playground of the emperors.

Bay of Naples

Parts of the ancient cities of Baia and Puteoli (Pozzuoli) became submerged during the 16th century when the ground sank and the sea level rose, known as bradyseism. Volcanic lava from underneath the ground found a way of escape, causing a drop in the elevation.

Today, hoary life-size statues tilt precariously on the sea floor, remains of ancient Roman roads lead nowhere, floors of black and white mosaic attest to a long forgotten villa, bits of ancient amphorae that once held an emperors wine are scattered across the ocean floor. The first century sunken Roman seaside resort of Baiae, built during the time of Emperor Claudius, remains today as a shrine for the fish that dart about its contours and crumpled columns.

Emperors Nero, Caligula, Hadrian and Gaius Julius Caesar once owned elegant summer villas in Baiae alongside the areas famous epicurean thermal baths. Cicero entertained them during Saturnalia feasts. Known as the ‘Italian Riviera’ of its time, the pleasurable coastal resort gives evidence of high living. Below the surface is an ancient Roman road hemmed in by taverns, leading up to Villa Protiro and its colonnaded entrance and rooms with mosaics. Claudius Nymphaeum still remains embellished by once-elegant statues now covered with algae.

Baiae Mosaic Floor (courtesy of Parco Archeologico Sommer Sodibaia)

Submerged Baiae is flanked by Portus Julius, Rome’s most important fleet of the time. Commissioned into existence in 37 B.C. by the famous military leader and engineer Agrippa, remains of docks, cisterns and repair workshops are evident today.

This underwater city can be observed by glass-bottom boat or scuba as well as snorkeling from the town of Baia. Some of the water over the ruins are shallow, making snorkeling a great way to get up close and personal. As a Marine Protected Area, you are sure to notice various sea life that have taken up permanent residence in the sunken city. Notice the purple sea urchins and sleek little fish darting in and around the arches and statues.

Statue in Underwater Park of Baiae- (Still from Fabio)

*Click on Related Links:

*Baia Protected Marine Area Info on Excursions

*The Underwater Park of Baia Info, Maps and Diving Sites/Excursions

The Bronze Beauties of St. Marks

The Original Bronze Horses of St. Marks Basilica

Surrounded by legend. Steeped in mystery. Baffling, bewildering and perplexing. These magnificent bronze horses that pranced high above the arched loggia of St. Marks Basilica in Venice for 500 years have been talked about for centuries, even to this day.

They excite me and fuel my imagination. As I did some research on their beginnings and followed their trail throughout the centuries, I was amazed. It was a trail full of twists and turns that brought them safely ‘home’ to Venice in the end.

St. Marks Basilica and square~ the bronze horses stood above the central arch over the mosaic

Horses (copies) on St. Marks Basilica today

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Believed to have originally been part of a quadriga, four horses pulling a chariot and driver, their composition is unusual. Made of 98% copper, 1% lead and 1% tin to give a more satisfactory guild, they are the only creations of this mix to survive from antiquity. They were created with long legs and short backs as if to be viewed from below.

Quadriga on top of Victor Emanuel in Rome

Who cast the gilded bronze into these dreamlike mythical horses? Were they loot from Rome, or Greece? Why is their history so vague? So mystifying?

The dawn of their forging has been attributed to classical antiquity, created by the famed Greek sculptor Lysippos in the 4th century BC. Lysippos contrived portraits for Alexander the Great, some of which were equestrian statues.

Alexander the Great on horseback believed to be sculpted by Lysippos

Curiously, the ears of the four horses of St. Marks and Alexanders horse are almost identical. For this reason, many art historians have drawn conclusions that they were made by the same person. Hmmm….could be.

Hippodrome of Constantinople-Believed Horses stood atop Central Arch.

What is certain about the horses is that they did stand atop the Hippodrome in Constantinople, placed there by emperor Constantine in the mid 320’s, to commemorate the chariot races. And there they stayed for 900 years. But what happened prior to this time?

No one knows for sure. Speculations abound. It is thought that the four “Lysippos” horses were brought to Rome by Nero. Evidently he had it in his mind to use them as decor at his Golden Palace (Domus Aurea).

Domus-Aurea-what’s left of it.

The Fourth crusade, which became the conquest of Constantinople in the early 13th century, set out to travel by sea. Realizing their need for assistance in getting across the water, they worked out a deal with the Doge of Venice. He was up for it provided they delivered a big chunk of the booty to him as repayment. Prominent in the looted goods from Constantinople were the four horses, which the Doge claimed for himself, along with several other treasures displayed in St. Marks today.

Doge Enrico Dandolo

The four horses were not put up on St. Marks Basilica immediately, but stored in the arsenal which left them a constant temptation for metal-hungry cannon makers. A later Doge put them above the loggia of the basilica as a symbol of Venetian power. There they rested for 500 years. Yet there was more to come.

Napoleon looted Venice in 1797, escaping with crates of masterpieces, the famed winged Lion of St. Mark, and the four gilded horses. All were shipped off to Paris, where the horses, along with a chariot, set atop the Arc du Carrousel, the triumphal arch on the Tuileries end of the Champs-Elysees.

Arc du Carrousel, Paris

In 1815, Vienna sent them back to Venice. Then during world war I, they were moved to Rome for safe keeping. Later during the war (1942), they were removed yet again and hidden in a Benedictine abbey at Praglia, to be returned to St. Marks after the war.

Today, copies of the four horses stand above the central loggia on St. Marks Basilica. The original horses have suffered from pollution and are housed in the museum inside the basilica.

Original Horses housed in the museum in St. Marks Basilica

It has been a long and winding road for these remarkable bronze beauties. They prance proudly through time immortal, bearing themselves exquisitely. Their allure and magnificence, adored by the ancient Greeks and Romans, valued enough to be looted and transported from country to country, has brought these mighty beasts worldwide reverence. Who really knows when and how they came into being. They reserve the right to remain mysterious. It is enough that they stay as they are, beautiful and free, ancient yet everlasting.

“Dance above ground, never descending. Grace Incarnate, Passion on Hooves….”

Related Article:

*The Churches and Cathedrals of Venice- Journey through 1,000 years of Art and History (tour)!

What Lies Beneath

St. Peter, Eternal Guardian, Keeper of the Keys to the Kingdom, Apostle and Founder of the Christian church in Rome. Martyred under Nero in 64 AD.

St. Peters Basilica, Rome, Italy

Bones….a pile of bones. Discovered below St. Peters Victory Monument at his grave site deep underneath the main altar of the basilica by his own name. Could they be his actual bones? In a rush of excitement, world-famous anatomist from Sicily, Professor Venerando Correnti, was called in on the scene to analyze them. In three years time he had an answer.

The bones found in the Vatican hill underneath the victory monument were of a woman, two men, and some small animals. What a blow!

However, stories often bring about unexpected twists and turns, and this was no exception. In 1941, a buttressing wall supporting the tomb and built around 250 AD was discovered by excavators. This wall, covered by plaster, was inscribed with Christian graffiti, including references to Mary, Peter and Christ. But the most amazing find was a marble-lined repository the size of a safe deposit box, hidden within the wall. Figuring these possibly contained the bones of a pope, the workmen removed them for later analysis. They had assumed the pile of bones found underneath the victory monument were St. Peters.

Epigraphist, Dr. Margherita Guarducci, was brought in to analyse the graffiti on the wall. In the process, she saw the empty repository and asked to see the contents.

Petros Eni

Inside, she found a large piece of red plaster, which came from the repository that buttressed the red wall behind the tropian. On this fragment was a fourth-century inscription. Petr(os) eni. The word in Greek meant “Peter is here.” 

Necropolis underneath St. Peters Basilica

The bones were analyzed by the same Professor Correnti. After eight years of careful analysis, he concluded that the bones found in the graffiti walls depository were of a man who died between the age of 65-70. This corresponds with the approximate age of Peter at his death.

St. Peter-Oldest known depiction found in a catacomb in Rome

The only bones missing were that of his feet. According to ancient writings, Peter was crucified upside down. The feet likely separated from the body in the process.

St. Peter crucified upside down

What I found very interesting is that the bones had been covered with royal purple and gold cloth. The purple had stained some of the bones, leading to the belief that they were wrapped after he had decomposed. Also, the bones themselves had dirt embedded in the pores, indicating that they had been in the earth a long time.

Pope XII announced to the public that the bones of St. Peter had indeed been found and rested in his tomb under his basilica. There seems little room for doubt….yet it does exist.

What kind of man could capture the hearts and devotion of millions throughout the centuries? Why would his tomb, since his death, be visited by throngs of pilgrims, embellished by the emperor Constantine, refined by three successive popes, and display Michelangelo‘s gloriously ornate dome? 

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”  Matthew 16:18  New International Bible