Resort Towns of Ancient Rome

  • The wealthy Romans took their summer holidays on the Bay of Naples and built sumptuous villas in resort towns along coastline. Tivoli near Rome was another popular Resort.

Bay of Naples

  • Baiae
    • A reference in 178 BCE to ‘Aquae Cumanae’, the ‘Cumaean Waters’, shows the Spa Town was already popular under the Roman Republic.
    • Under the Roman Empire, Baiae became the main Spa Town and Resort for the Roman Emperors and the Roman Aristocracy.
    • Several Roman Emperors had Villas there, including Hadrian who died at his villa here on the 10 July 138 CE aged 62.
    • The Temple of Mercury (known as the Temple of Echo due to its acoustics) had the largest Dome (21.5 m or 71 ft) in the Ancient World until the Pantheon was built in 128 CE. These ‘Temples’ were actually Baths, several of which had Domes.
  • Pompeii
    • Pompeii was a very popular resort town frequented by the Roman wealthy, and many had villas there.
    • The Archeological site of Pompeii is the excavated area of the town of Pompeii which was buried under the volcanic ash of Mount Vesuvius during the eruption of 79 CE.
  • Herculaneum
    • Herculaneum was nearby to Pompeii and was also a popular resort town with many villas. It also was buried under the ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.
  • Capri
    • Capri is an Island in the Bay of Naples in Italy.
    • It is the location of the Villa Jovis, built and lived in by the Roman Emperor Tiberius (14-37 CE).
    • Tacitus mentions that Tiberius owned 12 villas on the island of Capri.

Near Rome

  • Tivoli
    • Tivoli was ‘Tibur’, another popular resort, where there were many villas, including Hadrian's Villa.
  • Lake Nemi

Lake Como

    • Lake Como was a popular location for wealthy Romans to have villas, such as Pliny the Younger (61-112 CE), in contrast to having villas at Baiae, in the bay of Naples.
    • After Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore, Lake Como is the third largest Lake in Italy, and is 28 miles (46 km) in length. It is shaped in an upside down ‘Y’ and surrounded by mountains along its shores.
    • The villages and towns along its banks were most easily connected to each other by water, and even today they remain connected by a fleet of high speed ferries running to a timetable.

 

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