Guided tour of the Flavian Amphitheater of Pozzuoli

About this activity

The name Flavian Amphitheater is familiar to all of us, needless to deny it. Just mention it and immediately the image of the Colosseum, one of the world's best-known monuments and one of Italy's most majestic archaeological treasures, pops into our minds... but what if we told you that it is not the only Flavian Amphitheater in Italy?

Well, yes, this name also designates another splendid monument from the Roman era all to be explored. All you need is a visit to Pozzuoli to be able to admire this wonderful place, just as fascinating and rich in history as its more famous Roman counterpart. Whether it is to relive the ancient gladiator fights or to discover many interesting facts about the history of San Gennaro, Pozzuoli's Flavian Amphitheater will undoubtedly give you a unique experience.

Why visit the Flavian Amphitheater of Pozzuoli

As for size, theFlavian Amphitheater of Pozzuoli is the third arena built in Roman times, inferior only to the Colosseum and the Campanian Amphitheater in the ancient city of Capua (now Santa Maria Capua Vetere).

Built to replace an older amphitheater that had by then become insufficient to accommodate an ever-increasing number of spectators, the Flavian Amphitheater was placed in a particularly favorable location: it was located at a point of convergence between the roads connecting Naples, Capua, and Cumae. The building was thus designed to accommodate large numbers of people (the quarry could hold about 40,000 spectators) and to reflect the magnificence of imperial Rome.

Many scholars argue that the Flavian Amphitheater of the ancient Puteoli (the Latin name for today's Pozzuoli) was designed by the same architects as the Colosseum.

The dungeons are excellently preserved, testifying to the complex system needed to stage fights between gladiators and ferocious beasts: in fact, it is still possible today, during the visit, to catch a glimpse of part of the gears and trapdoors needed to lift the cages that contained the exotic animals to be fought in the arena.

Things you absolutely must know about the Pozzuoli Amphitheater

According to scholars, theFlavian Amphitheater of Pozzuoli would have been built under Vespasian and inaugurated during the reign of Emperor Titus. However, it is believed, due to the presence of masonry made with a special technique, that part of the work was carried out during the time of Nero. However, traces of the latter's involvement in the execution of the works were "erased" and removed as much as possible, in accordance with the process of damnatio memoriae that was reserved for Nero after his death.

The Flavian Amphitheater in Pozzuoli is a significant place rich in legends from a religious point of view as well.

It is said that in 305 A.D., during the persecution of Christians carried out by Emperor Diocletian, some Christian martyrs were condemned to be publicly mauled by ferocious beasts in the Amphitheater.

This group of martyrs included. San Gennaro, patron saint of Naples which still enjoys great devotion today, and St. Proculus (patron saint of Pozzuoli). However, at the moment when the starving beasts were released and harangued against the condemned, they bowed meekly and tame before them, without harming them. Following this miracle, the martyrs' punishment was commuted to beheading, and executed at the Solfatara. Still visible in the Amphitheater today is the "Prison of St. Gennaro," an ancient chapel built in the 17th century to commemorate the saints' last hours before execution.