See Naples and Live... More – 6: The Antro, The Intro And The Outro

Acropolis at Cumae        Photo©Nigel Summerley

Cumae (formerly known as Kimi) is reckoned to be the first Greek settlement on the west coast of what was later to become Italy.

Today it's a short suburban train ride west from Naples just a few minutes beyond Pozzuoli (see previous blog).

The ruins at Cumae are more extensive than at Pozzuoli, with the star attractions including its acropolis, a temple of Apollo and the Antro della Sibilla.

As with so many stories of ancient Greece/Rome/Naples, nothing is known for certain about the Cumaean Sybil, apart from the fact that she was a legendary prophesying priestess of Apollo, similar to the one at Delphi but said to be more powerful.

She presided over the the gateway between life and death, which has long been associated with the area to the west of Naples – the volcanic lands of the Phlegrean Fields and Lake Avernus (see this blog 5 December 2020, An Odyssey in the Year of the Plague – 11: 15-21 September 2020) were closely connected with the Underworld and entrances to Hell.

The Antro, although referred to as the Sybil's Cave, is a bit grander than that suggests. In fact, to quite a degree, it fits the description given by Virgil of the place where Aeneas visited the Sybil before going down into the kingdom of the dead.

Entrance to the Antro della Sibilla        Photo©Nigel Summerley

The entrance to the Antro is decidedly – and most likely deliberately – vaginal. It seems mysterious yet inviting, but as I stepped over the threshold, I heard a woman's voice in the gloomy distance asking me to go back out.

"I'm filming," she shouted.

I thought she was being a bit unreasonable but did as she asked. It was only after she finally emerged and I then walked down into the long and vacant gallery that I appreciated what she had been trying to do.

The Antro is pretty impressive on the way in, but even more so when one reaches the far end, turns and then begins to return towards the light. That is what this latterday Sybil had been proclaiming she had to capture on video.

Into the Antro       Photo©Nigel Summerley

The Antro is more than 130 metres long with countless side galleries and "windows" to the outside. 

And it's certainly a lot grander than the alternative location – the Sybil's Cave (see this blog 28 November 2020, An Odyssey in the Year of the Plague – 10: 8-14 September 2020) by the shores of Lake Avernus.

View from the interior of the Antro       Photo©Nigel Summerley

See Naples and Live... More – 5: Theatre of Blood

Beneath the amphitheatre at Pozzuoli   Photo©Nigel Summerley

The area around Naples was Greek long before it was Italian. It was only later that the Romans arrived on the scene and carried out a hostile takeover.

And whatever the Romans did, they tended to do it in a big way. Pozzuoli, out along the coast to the west of Naples, was a major centre for them.

Pulling in on the train from Montesanto station, you might be forgiven for thinking there's not that much to Pozzuoli. But when you get off and take a look towards the sea, your eye will be caught by the impressive remains below you of what is reckoned to be a Roman market hall from the first century BC.

Market hall ruins at Pozzuoli   Photo©Nigel Summerley

And this is just for starters. Head northwards and upwards and you will find the entrance to the site of the Roman amphitheatre, which is only a tad smaller than the rather better known Colosseum in Rome.

There are a few differences between this and the Colosseum. There is not so much left of the heights of the outer wall at Pozzuoli. But the vast ranks of seating here are well-preserved. And the below ground area, where animals, gladiators and scenery waited to be uploaded via numerous trap doors is in such good shape that it looks like it could be brought back into use at a moment's notice. And the very biggest difference for me was that I was the only visitor.

Entering the amphitheatre at Pozzuoli   Photo©Nigel Summerley

Entering the site from the eastern end, I was able to walk into the arena that had been the scene of unimaginable violence and cruelty dressed up as entertainment. It's a strange combination of emotions to be marvelling at the scale of the place and to be sickened by all the bloody deaths that happened here.

San Gennaro himself (see previous blogs), patron saint of Naples, was, according to legend, due to be fed to wild animals here as part of the Romans' Christian cleansing operations. But, for some reason, the hungry beasts weren't interested and Gennaro was let off with a beheading the following day.

After taking in the beauty and horror of the vast theatre, I walked out and then round to the western entrance and down the long slope to the subterranean complex of storage areas and cages, in the wake of countless people and animals, many of whom must never have come back out again.

Pozzuoli is no household name... hence the fact that one can have its amphitheatre to oneself – and as a result of that to be able to meditate on a past that is still tangibly present.

Excavating the amphitheatre    

Reconstruction model of the amphitheatre