Piscina Mirabilis, an evocative Roman cistern

About this activity

Roman archaeological monument, Mirabilis Pool is located at Bacoli, in the area northwest of the Bay of Naples. It is a grand Roman cistern ('mirabilis' means, precisely, awe-inspiring) used in the past for collecting drinking water. This architecture is one of the most fascinating and striking places in the Phlegraean Fields: in fact, it was chosen as a set by director and actor John Turturro for the washerwomen's song scene in his film Passion.

Why visit Piscina Mirabilis

The scene given to us by Turturro would be enough to prompt us to visit this place. Suggestive are, in fact, the lights that penetrate from the windows arranged along the walls of the pool, the same can also be said for the sound of the drops of water that can be heard interspersing the voices of the washerwomen, almost as if to give rhythm to their singing. The sonority given by the singing of the Vomero washerwomen, who guide us through the spaces of the Piscina Mirabilis, is surprising:

Tu m'aje prummise quatte muccatora / you have promised me four handkerchiefs I'm benuto se, I'm benuto / I came to get them [...] if you want to give it to me, / if you want to give them to me [...] E si no quatte embe', rammenne ddoje / and if they are not four thenà give me two [...] chillo ch'è 'ncuollo a tte nn'e' rroba toja, / what you wear is not your property [...] The love song dating back to the 14th century later became a protest song against Aragonese domination, and the handkerchief (called 'moccatora') acquired the meaning of land. Watch the striking light show from the windows that open along the top of the side walls, the only source of air and illumination.

Behold one of many examples of the engineering skills of the ancient Romans: the structure of the cistern is carved entirely out of Bacoli's tuffaceous bank, evidence of ancient ingenuity building in harmony with the environment.

The most important things to know about Piscina Mirabilis

Piscina Mirabilis is a work of the highest level of engineering for the period in which it was built (late 1st century B.C., early 1st century A.D.), has a rectangular plan, measures 72 m in length, 25 m in width and is 15 m high. The cistern was the terminal reservoir of the Augustan Aqueduct, which represented, for Naples and the Phlegraean Fields, the only resource for 'water supply. Piscina Mirabilis with, the capacity to store over 12,000 cubic meters of water, had a fundamental purpose: to supply water Miseno and especially the imperial military fleet that found berth and shelter in its harbor.

The route covered by the Piscina Mirabilis is 100 km long and originates from the headwaters of the Serino River in the province of Avellino.