Parco Archeologico di Cuma
Parco Archeologico di Cuma
4
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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- mvidroWashington DC, District of Columbia428 contributionsOff the beaten path, but worth the effortI hired a driver to get me there from Naples. The site is segmented into an upper portion and a lower portion. I spent about 2.5 hours in the upper portion. Good signage in English helps with site interpretation. While middlingly preserved, in terms of tradition, Cuma has much to offer. Per Virgil, when Aeneas fled Troy, this is where his feet first touched Italian soil. Shortly after arrival, he consulted the famous Apollonian Sybil (Delphi wasn’t the only place supplicants sought guidance), who directed him to nearby Lake Averno (itself a Campi Flegrei crater) to enter Hades to see his father. From the Sybil’s cave, I walked up hill to see what’s left of Apollo’s temple. Per tradition, renown craftsman Dadeleus built the structure after his son Icarus plunged into the sea. He dedicated his own wings on the altar to the Sun’s relentless power.Visited September 2023Traveled soloWritten October 23, 2023
- Vivian LGermantown, Maryland151 contributionsA MUST SEE!!!!This is well worth the effort. If you do not have a car, I would suggest hiring a driver to get there. There is a train from the center of Pozzuoli to Cuma, but it is a bit of a hike from there. In cool weather, very possible, in heat, rough! However the park is truly wonderful, the sheer amount of archeological artifacts in good condition is incredible.Visited July 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten August 3, 2024
- evonwise17Windsor, United Kingdom219 contributionsEnthralling and impressiveI spent an enthralling 2 hours wandering this site on a hot afternoon in August- I was unsure if this would be too hot, but with all the shade provided by trees it was bery manageable and so interesting I couldn’t have cut it short! The local bus stopped just outside. Staff were helpful on arrival. There is a site map near the beginning of the trail but the path around the site logically leads you through the whole site and there are lots of boards at each point of interest explaining both the historical background and the site itself. And it was all so interesting! I found myself being drawn up steps and down paths and around corners! The temples, and Sybil’s cave were particularly impressive. And such fantastic panoramic views from the top of the site! I would thoroughly recommend this for those wanting to know more of the ancient history of the area.Visited September 2024Traveled soloWritten September 6, 2024
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iptissam
374 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
Visit to Cuma Park. Given that the park is itself a heritage that the whole world envies, we start from the entrance: to welcome tourists piles of garbage next to a bar that opens comfortably hours after the opening of the park. To the telephone request if it was possible for teachers to show the coupon, to the affirmative Response we believe to enter without problems. We realize that the information given to us was wrong, made us look like two ignorant, are forced to pay the 5 euro entrance fee. In the park, not accessible to everyone, there are no indications: you have to orient yourself as best you can. Many totems have worn-out captions. Neglected place, shame because enhanced would enhance the magic and charm that it contains.
Automatically translated
Written August 30, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
evonwise17
Windsor, UK219 contributions
Sep 2024 • Solo
I spent an enthralling 2 hours wandering this site on a hot afternoon in August- I was unsure if this would be too hot, but with all the shade provided by trees it was bery manageable and so interesting I couldn’t have cut it short! The local bus stopped just outside. Staff were helpful on arrival. There is a site map near the beginning of the trail but the path around the site logically leads you through the whole site and there are lots of boards at each point of interest explaining both the historical background and the site itself. And it was all so interesting! I found myself being drawn up steps and down paths and around corners! The temples, and Sybil’s cave were particularly impressive. And such fantastic panoramic views from the top of the site! I would thoroughly recommend this for those wanting to know more of the ancient history of the area.
Written September 7, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Simo
3 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
The park is easily accessible and offers beautiful views and insights. For a wider audience, the few information boards on the grounds would need to be better prepared for educational purposes; at the moment, a visit is more worthwhile for visitors who already have prior knowledge of ancient mythology and history. - Unfortunately, during our visit, 2 cars were broken into (some of them just deliberately and without any worthwhile result!), although there were at least 4 people in the immediate vicinity in the kiosk and ticket office. The whole thing seemed to be carried out "professionally" and well organized and was apparently the first time this had happened in 3 years. We advise caution!
Written August 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vivian L
Germantown, MD151 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
This is well worth the effort. If you do not have a car, I would suggest hiring a driver to get there. There is a train from the center of Pozzuoli to Cuma, but it is a bit of a hike from there. In cool weather, very possible, in heat, rough!
However the park is truly wonderful, the sheer amount of archeological artifacts in good condition is incredible.
However the park is truly wonderful, the sheer amount of archeological artifacts in good condition is incredible.
Written August 3, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JuliannaBudapest
Budapest1 contribution
Cumae was one of the major oracles of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The cave of the famous prophetess, the Cumaean Sibyl had been carved into a huge rock near the seaside. In addition to the description of archaeological excavations, especially impressive are quotations from Virgil’s Aeneid carved on marble tablets, the Ancient texts telling us about what, according to the epic, Aeneas and the men accompanying him felt, what Ancient people felt as they approached the cave of the prophetess.
For a moment we also felt this fear mixed with respect as we stepped into the triangle-shaped entrance of the sanctuary. Getting into the rock-slot, we had a weird impression as if the approximately 100-meter long, triangle-shaped slot were a large, long birth canal, the end of which was widening just like a uterus. This cave is the symbol of femininity and fertility.
Alongside the long corridor, smaller booths also taking the shape of a triangle can be seen. These booths must have been closed by heavy brass gates and they may have been used by people waiting in hope of getting prophecies. At the end, where the slot is widening, we get into a tall, rotund rock cave with two minor slots alongside. In one of these slots the echo effect could especially distinctly be heard. Was it from this dimness that the prophetess called those waiting for her? Archaeologists surely know much more about this. At any rate, it was a great experience to see and feel this monument of cult.
Julianna Farkas, Hungary
For a moment we also felt this fear mixed with respect as we stepped into the triangle-shaped entrance of the sanctuary. Getting into the rock-slot, we had a weird impression as if the approximately 100-meter long, triangle-shaped slot were a large, long birth canal, the end of which was widening just like a uterus. This cave is the symbol of femininity and fertility.
Alongside the long corridor, smaller booths also taking the shape of a triangle can be seen. These booths must have been closed by heavy brass gates and they may have been used by people waiting in hope of getting prophecies. At the end, where the slot is widening, we get into a tall, rotund rock cave with two minor slots alongside. In one of these slots the echo effect could especially distinctly be heard. Was it from this dimness that the prophetess called those waiting for her? Archaeologists surely know much more about this. At any rate, it was a great experience to see and feel this monument of cult.
Julianna Farkas, Hungary
Written August 24, 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah T
Somerville, MA21 contributions
Apr 2015 • Solo
This site is well worth seeing. It is beautiful and interesting... unlike anything I've seen anywhere else. The temple of Apollo was of particular interest to me,, but there are several magnificent sites available to see, with information signs in both Italian and English. Some of the sites were extremely sacred in ancient times, and have been referred to in various myths and legends. For 4 euros, you get your money's worth!
That said, there are a couple of things to be aware of when visiting this site
Photography: You are allowed to take photos, but they must be for your use only. They cannot be posted anywhere online. If you want to take photos, you will have to fill out a form and give your passport/ID number. Personally, I was fine with that, but if you come without your ID you might be disappointed.
Getting there: It is a huge hassle to get to this ruin from Naples without a car. On my first day I tried the train-bus combo that many have suggested, only to find halfway through that the bus wasn't running because it was a holiday. If you are going to go this route, make absolutely sure you are not travelling during a national holiday, as there are no taxis at the train station! I wound up taking a private taxi from Naples the next day, and having the taxi wait to bring me back when I was ready, but it was expensive. It was worth it to me (these ruins were the main reason I came to Naples), but others may not have the same opinion.
Food/Shop: Do not expect much in the way of food or a gift shop-- there is only one small stand. There is more information on the signs in the site itself than in any book you can find there.
Tours: There were no tours when I was there. Do not expect to be able to arrive and just join up with whatever tour is happening next!
Even with all the quirks, I absolutely adored this ruin. Well worth a visit!
That said, there are a couple of things to be aware of when visiting this site
Photography: You are allowed to take photos, but they must be for your use only. They cannot be posted anywhere online. If you want to take photos, you will have to fill out a form and give your passport/ID number. Personally, I was fine with that, but if you come without your ID you might be disappointed.
Getting there: It is a huge hassle to get to this ruin from Naples without a car. On my first day I tried the train-bus combo that many have suggested, only to find halfway through that the bus wasn't running because it was a holiday. If you are going to go this route, make absolutely sure you are not travelling during a national holiday, as there are no taxis at the train station! I wound up taking a private taxi from Naples the next day, and having the taxi wait to bring me back when I was ready, but it was expensive. It was worth it to me (these ruins were the main reason I came to Naples), but others may not have the same opinion.
Food/Shop: Do not expect much in the way of food or a gift shop-- there is only one small stand. There is more information on the signs in the site itself than in any book you can find there.
Tours: There were no tours when I was there. Do not expect to be able to arrive and just join up with whatever tour is happening next!
Even with all the quirks, I absolutely adored this ruin. Well worth a visit!
Written April 28, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
diporzio
Naples, Italy304 contributions
Jun 2011 • Family
The Acropolis of Cuma is located on a small promontory near the sea on the shore of Licola, a once beautiful but now crowded, unclean, often polluted beach. It was founded by the Greeks in 750 BC. Little remains of the Greek temples, Jupiter's Temple and the Temple of Apollo, but the place is extremely charming. And the location magnificent. In it lies the cave of the Sibyl of Cumae, a priestess of Apollo who wrote her prophecies on leaves carried by the wind. For the gift of Apollo, she could live for as many years as the grains in a handful of sand, but not having had the gift of youth she had become very old, according to the legend. Here Aeneas went, as described by Virgil in the Aeneid, to receive the oracle that he predicted the future of Rome. The cavern is connected by a tunnel in rock to Lake Avernus. This cave, in fact, was excavated to allow the passage on foot of the soldiers who arrived with their ships in the harbor. This beautiful volcanic lake for the ancient Romans was the door between the realm of the living and the dead. And 'through it that Dante begins his journey in the Divine Comedy. The Sibyl of Cumae was painted by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican and quoted by TS Eliot, in The Waste Land.
L'acropoli di Cuma sorge vicino al mare sulla piaggia di Licola, un tempo bellissima ma ora affollata, poco pulita, le acque inquinate dagli scarichi dei depuratori spesso malfunzionanti. Fu fondata dai greci nel 750 AC. Dei templi greci di Giove e di Apollo resta poco ma il luogo è estremamente affascinante. E la localaizazione magnifica. In esso si trova l'antro della Sibilla Cumana, una sacerdotessa di Apollo che scriveva le sue profezie su foglie trascinate dal vento. Per dono di Apollo ella potè vivere per tanti anni quanti i granelli di sabbia contenuti in una manciata, ma non avendo avuto anche il dono della giovinezza era diventata estremamente vecchia. Qui si recò Enea, come descritto da Virgilio nell'Eneide, per ricevere l'oracolo che gli avrebbe predetto il futuro di Roma. L'antro è collegata da un tunnel nella roccia al lago d'Averno. Questa grotta, in realtà, fu scavata nel tufo per consentire il passaggio a piedi dei militari che arrivavano con le loro navi nel porto. Questo bel lago vulcanico per gli antichi romani era la porta di comunicazione tra il regno dei vivi e quello dei morti. E' attraverso di esso che Dante inizia il suo viaggio nella Divina Commedia. La Sibilla Cumana fu dipinda da Michelangelo nella volta della cappella Sistina in Vaticano, fu citata anche da T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land
L'acropoli di Cuma sorge vicino al mare sulla piaggia di Licola, un tempo bellissima ma ora affollata, poco pulita, le acque inquinate dagli scarichi dei depuratori spesso malfunzionanti. Fu fondata dai greci nel 750 AC. Dei templi greci di Giove e di Apollo resta poco ma il luogo è estremamente affascinante. E la localaizazione magnifica. In esso si trova l'antro della Sibilla Cumana, una sacerdotessa di Apollo che scriveva le sue profezie su foglie trascinate dal vento. Per dono di Apollo ella potè vivere per tanti anni quanti i granelli di sabbia contenuti in una manciata, ma non avendo avuto anche il dono della giovinezza era diventata estremamente vecchia. Qui si recò Enea, come descritto da Virgilio nell'Eneide, per ricevere l'oracolo che gli avrebbe predetto il futuro di Roma. L'antro è collegata da un tunnel nella roccia al lago d'Averno. Questa grotta, in realtà, fu scavata nel tufo per consentire il passaggio a piedi dei militari che arrivavano con le loro navi nel porto. Questo bel lago vulcanico per gli antichi romani era la porta di comunicazione tra il regno dei vivi e quello dei morti. E' attraverso di esso che Dante inizia il suo viaggio nella Divina Commedia. La Sibilla Cumana fu dipinda da Michelangelo nella volta della cappella Sistina in Vaticano, fu citata anche da T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land
Written May 18, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susannah M
Naples, Italy1 contribution
Jan 2014 • Couples
Cuma Archaeological Park is a beautiful and interesting place and off the normal tourist path so much quieter. I think we were the only people visiting that day, if not week. This ancient site outdates most of the history in Rome and Naples and really is a treasure and hopefully more will be unearthed there in the future as excavations continue.
The park closes an hour before sunset and today (14th Jan) closed at 2.30ish. It's very quiet in winter, though there did seem to some facilities (drinks kiosk) that may be open in the high season.
The biggest challenge as I said in the title of the review is getting there - it was a second attempt that proved successful. Here's some top tips as to how to get there from Napoli:
(1) Don't use the Circumflegrea line from Montesanto to Torregaveta which supposedly stops at Cuma. It frequently doesn't go that far (e.g. stops at Licola) and trying to get a bus or taxi from there proved fruitless, though it was a Sunday. I was informed elsewhere though that additionally the Cuma station is nowhere near to the entrance to the site.
(2) The best option for getting to Cuma is to go via Pozzuoli. The Cumana train goes there from Montesanto and the Line 2 train from Gianturco (via Garibaldi station) goes to another train station in Pozzuoli. Either will work.
(3) If you go via the Cumana train (final destination Torregaveta), then you'll be near a bus stop (EAV bus) and take the P12R bus to Cuma. Cuma is the last on the line and stops right outside the park. They run every 20minutes or so, but Italian buses aren't 100% reliable.
(4) If you take the Line 2 train from Gianturco then you could also walk to the bus stop from the Pozzuoli station to the stop (though I don't know the route). I suggest taking a taxi to Cuma, which is what we did, though 20 euros is the maximum you should agree to pay - the meter didn't even reach that but we'd agreed to pay 25.
In brief: get a train to Pozzuoli and then either a taxi or bus to Cuma and get the bus back to Pozzuoli afterwards. The stop is by a cafeteria at the end of the short drive leading up to the park entrance.
Additionally: I have heard that you can get the Cumana train to Fusaro and then get a bus from there to Cuma, but I found no evidence this was possible from our experience and my research. Unfortunately travel info is anything but centralised in this part of Italy...
Worth it for an interesting day out and as other reviewers have said, some fantastic views, but not for those who want a clearly mapped out travel itinerary with little chance of interruption or change.
The park closes an hour before sunset and today (14th Jan) closed at 2.30ish. It's very quiet in winter, though there did seem to some facilities (drinks kiosk) that may be open in the high season.
The biggest challenge as I said in the title of the review is getting there - it was a second attempt that proved successful. Here's some top tips as to how to get there from Napoli:
(1) Don't use the Circumflegrea line from Montesanto to Torregaveta which supposedly stops at Cuma. It frequently doesn't go that far (e.g. stops at Licola) and trying to get a bus or taxi from there proved fruitless, though it was a Sunday. I was informed elsewhere though that additionally the Cuma station is nowhere near to the entrance to the site.
(2) The best option for getting to Cuma is to go via Pozzuoli. The Cumana train goes there from Montesanto and the Line 2 train from Gianturco (via Garibaldi station) goes to another train station in Pozzuoli. Either will work.
(3) If you go via the Cumana train (final destination Torregaveta), then you'll be near a bus stop (EAV bus) and take the P12R bus to Cuma. Cuma is the last on the line and stops right outside the park. They run every 20minutes or so, but Italian buses aren't 100% reliable.
(4) If you take the Line 2 train from Gianturco then you could also walk to the bus stop from the Pozzuoli station to the stop (though I don't know the route). I suggest taking a taxi to Cuma, which is what we did, though 20 euros is the maximum you should agree to pay - the meter didn't even reach that but we'd agreed to pay 25.
In brief: get a train to Pozzuoli and then either a taxi or bus to Cuma and get the bus back to Pozzuoli afterwards. The stop is by a cafeteria at the end of the short drive leading up to the park entrance.
Additionally: I have heard that you can get the Cumana train to Fusaro and then get a bus from there to Cuma, but I found no evidence this was possible from our experience and my research. Unfortunately travel info is anything but centralised in this part of Italy...
Worth it for an interesting day out and as other reviewers have said, some fantastic views, but not for those who want a clearly mapped out travel itinerary with little chance of interruption or change.
Written January 14, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KJAtchity
Los Angeles, CA9 contributions
Oct 2016 • Couples
For centuries, people believed that Virgil was drawing on his epic imagination to describe the sibyl's cave in Aeneid Book 6, when Aeneas descends to the underground to meet his father Anchises. In 1950 it was discovered that the chimney to a pizza maker's oven in fact led down to the very cave thought to be fantasy. Of all the many sites I've explored in Italy and Sicily, this one moved me the most--the geometry of the entrance walls is stunning, the overall design resonant of Virgil's lines, the labyrinthine purpose of the ancient Greek excavation (yes, the Greeks predated Rome by centuries here) lost in the secrets of the past. I wrote about it in The Messiah Matrix and The Meander Stone of Lisa Greco, and will continue to be inspired by it.
Written March 18, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DiveJedi
Amsterdam129 contributions
Apr 2014 • Couples
We arrived at the Cuma archeological site and were directed by a guy that offered "to keep an eye on our car" , although it is a free parking lot. Who is damaging my car - it's in the middle of nowhwere ?
I don't understand why the Museum staff allows people to scam tourists that visit their archeological site.
We just left - I don't like being ripped off.
I don't understand why the Museum staff allows people to scam tourists that visit their archeological site.
We just left - I don't like being ripped off.
Written April 11, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cuma e' felicemente collegata con un servizio comodo a effetto vintage su binari:LA CUMANA!quindi conviene davvero usare questo trenino
Written April 27, 2019
Kent er iemand de openingsuren van deze site ?
Written August 29, 2018
Avendo una certa età vorrei sapere se ci sono molte scale o sentieri ripidi da fare.Grazie
Written April 20, 2018
Si sentieri tipo di e scale di epoca romana con basalto o pietre scivolose.
Necessarie scarpe comode.
Written May 4, 2019
Per persone di una certa età c'e molto da camminare in salita?
Written April 8, 2018
Si può fare con calma se si vuole arrivare proprio su
Written April 16, 2018
Ma l'antro della sibilla è visitabile, o, come è scritto sul sito web, è chiuso?
Written March 14, 2018
qualcuno sa come arrivare all'ingresso degli scavi archeologici con i mezzi pubblici ? prendo la Cumana a Montesanto e scendo a Cuma,ma poi? qualcuno sa quanto distano gli scavi?
Written June 29, 2017
en montesanto coges linea cumana a fusaro, te bajas y al salir de la
estación a la derecha coges el bus a scavicumas, para el bus a 3 minutos de la puerta,
cualquier duda pregunta al del bus o gente del lugar, sin problema.
Written July 21, 2017
qualcuno sa come arrivare all'ingresso degli scavi archeologici con i mezzi pubblici ? prendo la Cumana a Montesanto e scendo a Cuma,ma poi? qualcuno sa quanto distano gli scavi?
Written June 29, 2017
qualcuno sa spiegarmi come raggiungere il sito con mezzi pubblici da Napoli? Grazie
Written June 22, 2017
La vedo difficile. Io ci sono arrivato con la macchina
Written August 18, 2017
qualcuno sa spiegarmi come raggiungere il sito con mezzi pubblici da Napoli? Grazie
Written June 22, 2017
Se intendi da Napoli Centro, devi prendere la Circumflegrea al capolinea di MonteSanto e scendere alla fermata Cuma. Da lì sono pochissimi minuti a piedi.
Il costo di ingresso è di soli 4 euro e permette l'accesso in due giorni anche ad altri tre siti (Anfiteatro di Pozzuoli, Castello di Baia e al Parco Archeologico delle Terme di Baia.
Written July 1, 2017
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