Rione Terra

Rione Terra is a haunting underground archaeological site built on a volcanic promontory jutting into the sea at Pozzuoli, where you can walk through the streets of the ancient Roman colony of Puteoli, founded in 194 BC. The town above was evacuated in 1970 over fears of a volcanic eruption that never arrived, leaving it frozen in time before restoration work slowly began. The underground tour reveals remarkably preserved Roman-era warehouses, streets, and artifacts from one of the ancient Mediterranean's busiest commercial ports.