Visit the Aragonese Castle of Baia with Campania>Artecard, home to Museo Archeologico dei the Campi Flegrei in the province of Naples.

The numerous artifacts on display come from various archaeological sites in the Phlegraean area, including the Sacellum of the Augustales in Miseno, Cuma, Pozzuoli, and the Nymphaeum of Punta Epitaffio in Baia, which is now 7 meters below sea level due to bradyseism. A large section is dedicated to plaster casts, providing evidence of the significant presence of sculptors' workshops in the Phlegraean area during the Roman era.

The walls of the castle conceal an even older reality: the remains of a grand Roman villa, an extraordinary example of a seaside residence that extends from the sea up to nearly 100 meters above the promontory, now occupied by the Padiglione Cavaliere, the keep of the castle. Here, well-preserved Roman floors in decorated opus signinum and black-and-white mosaic can still be admired. The villa, which may have belonged to Julius Caesar, was built in the 2nd century BC and later underwent two phases of renovation: in the second quarter of the 1st century BC and during the Neronian era, when it became imperial state property.

This site is part of a mini circuit that includes the Museo Archeologico dei Campi Flegrei, il Parco Archeologico delle Terme di Baia, l'Anfiteatro Flavio e il Parco Archeologico di Cuma. By using just one entry included in the pass, visitors can explore all the sites in the mini circuit within two consecutive days.

Cover photo: Caryatids in Piazzale d'Armi | Photo by Vittorio Infante for PAFLEG