Flavian Amphitheater

The Flavian Amphitheater is a Roman stone structure in Pozzuoli with exterior walls rising across three stories of columns and half-columns. Sixteen wide passages lead inside, where the seating tiers once surrounded the central sand floor.

Emperor Vespasian ordered construction in the late first century, with architects connected to the Roman Colosseum working on the project. Later, under Trajan or Hadrian, underground chambers and a trench were added to lift stage sets and cages into view.

This structure replaced an earlier Augustan arena and served as a gathering place for residents of the ancient settlement of Puteoli. Visitors today mainly see the foundation vaults beneath the arena floor, which reveal the technical effort required for events involving wild animals.

The site opens daily except Tuesdays from nine in the morning until one hour before sunset, with admission following local tariff guidelines. Visitors walk through several passages and explore mainly the underground sections, where the framework for earlier performances remains visible.

Beneath the floor runs a forty-three-meter trench that once raised large decorative elements to the surface and now demonstrates the principle of Roman stage mechanics. Few amphitheaters preserve this technical infrastructure as completely as this one does.