Monte Nuovo

Bay of Naples

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At 8pm on 29 September 1538, a crack appeared in the earth near the ancient Roman settlement of Tripergole, violently spewing out a concoction of pumice, fire and smoke over six days. By the end of the week, Pozzuoli had a new 134m-tall neighbour. Today, Europe’s newest mountain is a lush and peaceful nature reserve, its shady sea-view slopes the perfect spot for a picnic.

The mountain's 'conception' actually goes back to the early 1530s, when an unusual level of seismic activity began rattling the area. It was at this time that locals also noticed a dramatic uplift of the land between Lago d’Averno, Monte Barbaro and the sea, a shift that displaced the coast by several hundred metres. Little did they know that under them a monte nuovo was preparing for its unforgettable entrance.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Water carriers from Herculaneum, Museo Archeologico Nazionale.

    Museo Archeologico Nazionale

    8.61 MILES

    Naples' National Archaeological Museum serves up one of the world’s finest collections of Graeco-Roman artefacts. Originally a cavalry barracks and later…

  • Royal Palace of Capodimonte, Naples

    Museo di Capodimonte

    8.81 MILES

    Originally designed as a hunting lodge for Charles VII of Bourbon, the monumental Palazzo di Capodimonte was begun in 1738 and took more than a century to…

  • NAPLES, ITALY - JUNE 11: The Modesty of Antonio Corradini in the Sansevero Chapel during the reopening to the public on June 11, 2020 in Naples, Italy. The Sansevero Chapel Museum can be visited again after the closure imposed by the lockdown for the covid-19 emergency, exactly thirty years after the reopening to the public after the restoration works which in 1990 returned to the fruition the baroque masterpieces of the chapel commissioned by Raimondo di Sangro and the Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sanmartino sculpted in 1753, today a symbol of the Neapolitan Baroque. (Photo by Ivan Romano/Getty Images) 1249041534

    Cappella Sansevero

    8.8 MILES

    It's in this Masonic-inspired baroque chapel that you'll find Giuseppe Sanmartino's incredible sculpture, Cristo velato (Veiled Christ), its marble veil…

  • Carved head, Casa dei Nettuno e Anfitrite, Herculaneum.

    Ruins of Herculaneum

    13.68 MILES

    Herculaneum harbours a wealth of archaeological finds, from ancient advertisements and stylish mosaics to carbonised furniture and terror-struck skeletons…

  • Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompeii 60092; Accidents and Disasters; Ancient; Ancient Civilization; Antiquities; Archaeology; Architectural Column; Architecture; Asia; Atlantic Islands; Boulder - Rock; Buried; Campania; City; Demolished; Disaster; Empire; Environmental Damage; Ephesus; Flores; Flores Island - Indonesia; Fortified Wall; Green Color; History; Horizontal; Italian Culture; Italian Currency; Italy; Landscape; Misfortune; Monte; Monument; Mountain; Mountain Range; Mt Vesuvius; Naples - Italy; No People; Old; Old Ruin; Outdoors; Photography; Pompeii; Rock - Object; Social Issues; Sorrento - Italy; Statue; Stone - Object; Stone Material; Temple - Building; The Past; Tower; Travel Destinations; UNESCO; UNESCO World Heritage Site; Volcanic Landscape; Wall - Building Feature;

    Ruins of Pompeii

    21.75 MILES

    The ghostly ruins of ancient Pompeii (Pompei in Italian) make for one of the world's most engrossing archaeological experiences. Much of the site's value…

  • Scenic picture view of the city of Naples Napoli with famous Mount Vesuvius in the background from Certosa di San Martino monastery, Campania, Italy; Shutterstock ID 2105276987; purchase_order: 65050; job: poi; client: ; other: 2105276987

    Certosa e Museo di San Martino

    8.03 MILES

    The high point (quite literally) of the Neapolitan baroque, this charterhouse-turned-museum was built as a Carthusian monastery between 1325 and 1368…

  • Burial chamber at the San Gennaro Catacombs

    Catacombe di San Gennaro

    8.59 MILES

    Naples' oldest and most sacred catacombs became a Christian pilgrimage site when San Gennaro's body was interred here in the 5th century. The carefully…

  • View of Castello Aragonese

    Castello Aragonese

    9.57 MILES

    There are castles and then there’s Ischia’s Castello Aragonese, a veritable fort-city set on its own craggy islet, looking like a cross between Harry…

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Nearby Bay of Naples attractions

1. Lago d'Averno

0.73 MILES

In Virgil's Aeneid, it is from Lago d'Averno that Aeneas descends into the underworld. It's hard to imagine hell in such a bucolic setting, where old…

2. Parco Archeologico di Baia

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3. Spiaggia del Castello

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4. Museo Archeologico dei Campi Flegrei

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This usually crowd-free museum occupies the commanding Castello di Baia, built in the late 15th century by the Aragonese as a defence against possible…

5. Mercato Ittico

1.66 MILES

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6. Tempio di Serapide

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7. Rione Terra

1.94 MILES

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8. Anfiteatro Flavio

2.02 MILES

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