NAPOLI - Anfiteatro Flavio di Pozzuoli

The Flavian Amphitheatre is one of the two Roman amphitheatres in Pozzuoli. Dating back to the second half of the 1st century AD, it was built to cope with the demographic growth of Puteoli, which had made the previous building used for public shows in the Republican era insufficient. Second only to the Colosseum and the Campano amphitheatre in Capua in terms of capacity, it stands at the convergence of two main roads, the Via Domiziana and the road to Naples. The Flavian Amphitheatre in Pozzuoli has been attributed to the same architects as the Colosseum, of which it is slightly later. Some texts report its construction under Vespasian and its inauguration probably by Titus. The archaeological excavations began in 1839 and concluded at the end of the same century but, only in 1947, following a new excavation campaign, the monument was finally freed from the debris that had accumulated over the years. The structure, with an elliptical plan, measures 150 x 116 meters. Inside, which was accessed through the four main entrances or through twelve secondary ones, the arena, on whose perimeter there were several trapdoors, also along the "scenic pit", which were closed with wooden boards during the shows, from where the beasts (tigers, lions and giraffes) made their entrance. In the basement, located about 7 meters deep, parts of the gears for lifting the cages that brought wild beasts into the arena and probably other elements of the show's scenography are still visible. Filmed with SONY RX10M3.