powered by FreeFind	Baia 71 pictures     Located north-west of Naples, Baia was celebrated by the poet Horace as one of the most enchanting holiday sites in the world. The name Baia is said to come from Baios, Ulysses companion and pilot who was buried in the site. Another theory is that the name comes from the Roman word meaning small bay. From the Augustan period it earned the official status of imperial residence. Its prosperity, however, was severely put to the test from the 4th century A.D. by a long series of earthquakes and by the progressive accentuation of the phenomenon of bradyseism, which led to the slow submersion of the coast and of many Roman buildings. The final blow came in the 16th century A.D., when a devastating earthquake practically razed the town to the ground. "Villa dell' Ambulatio" Houses Temple of Venus Water Cannals Mercurio Baths The historian Tito Livio (59 B.C.-17 A.D.) tells that the Roman consul Cornelius, passing through Baia, relieved the painful consequences of a fall from a horse just with this water. The thermae provided with hot streams, are healthier than any other artificially warmed bath, because it has natural excels. Sosandra Complex Back to Italy Index