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THE PAUSILYPON ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK

The terrestrial area adjacent to the MPA which extends from the promontory of Trentaremi to the Gaiola valley is of extreme naturalistic and archaeological interest. Now it is enclosed within the Pausilypon Archaeological and Environmental Park. The entrance to the complex is from the majestic Seiano Grotto, a Roman-era tunnel over 700m long that connects the plain of Bagnoli with the Gaiola valley. The Pausilypon Park contains part of the ancient remains of the Pausilypon villa, built in the 1st century BC by the Roman Knight Publio Vedio Pollio. Here, in the enchantment of one of the most fascinating landscapes of the Gulf, it is possible to admire the remains of the Theater, the Odeion and other structures of the villa, whose maritime structures are now part of the neighboring Gaiola Underwater Park. The amenity and beauty of the place, the mild climate and the luxuriant nature were some of the factors that, starting from the 1st century BC, made such places sought-after so much that - in a short time - they became the most luxurious and famous in the Roman world where senators and wealthy knights chose to place their homes. Among these, the villa of Pausilypon (whose term means “place where the pain ends”) is the one whose the most significant testimonies remain. The complex represents one of the first examples of a villa built by adapting the architecture to the nature of the place including, in addition to the housing part, thermal structures, gardens, neighborhoods for service workers, areas for shows, and towards the sea the port and the complex system of fish ponds still well preserved. Upon the death of Pollio, the Villa of Pausilypon became part of the imperial state property; the primitive nucleus was enlarged and adapted to the new functions of the imperial residence.

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Today the Pausilypon Archaeological Park and the Gaiola Underwater Park, recovered and valorized, also thanks to the collaboration of the Interdisciplinary Study Center Gaiola onlus, represent a tourist-cultural area of ​​enormous importance for the City of Naples.

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