Rione Terra, Archaeological site in Pozzuoli, Italy.

Rione Terra is an archaeological site in Pozzuoli containing the remains of an ancient Roman city buried beneath the modern town. The excavations reveal original streets, grain storage facilities, working mills, and underground passageways carved into the soft rock.

The site was founded in 194 BCE as a Roman colony and became a major port for Mediterranean trade. A major temple was later integrated into a medieval cathedral, showing how Romans and later people reused the same space.

The site demonstrates how Romans organized their cities with orderly streets and commercial spaces side by side. You can see where bakeries and shops operated, reflecting the everyday commerce of ancient times.

Only some outdoor areas are open to visitors: the alleys, the panoramic belvedere, the Duomo, the Diocesan Museum and the archaeological park. A lift inaugurated in 2023 connects the quarter with the lower town centre. Expect uneven ground and steps in the excavated streets.

The 1970 evacuation followed a bradyseism crisis that had begun the year before and lifted the hill by 1.7 m relative to sea level; poor sanitation and crumbling buildings also weighed in. Bishop Salvatore Sorrentino stayed on as the quarter's last resident, working until 1980 to save its artworks.