Il Castello di Baia: hub degli itinerari archeologici flegrei nella chora di Cuma

Abstract

The Castle of Baia: hub of the Phlegraean archaeological itineraries in the chora of Cuma

In the historical and geographical perspective fuelled by the recent establishment of the metropolitan city of Naples, the mythical territory of the Phlegraean Fields, the ‘chora’ of Cuma, the founding nucleus of the Neapolitan reality, finds an unprecedented dimension of centrality. In this interpretative framework, the territory, marginalized in recent decades by phenomena of squatting and resource exploitation, positions itself as a field for the experimentation of the concept of archaeology as infrastructure, capable of rearming the semantic structure of disconnected parts within the complex contemporary landscape. The widespread archaeological sites, belonging to the Archaeological Park of the Phlegraean Fields, become the cornerstones of a transformative process, the pivots of a network of routes that winds through heterogeneous fragilities, activating processes of regeneration of the imaginary. Within this research framework, the case study of Baia Castle, home to the Archaeological Museum of the Phlegraean Fields, is interpreted as a Phlegraean hub due to its strategic location. The study of the transformations that occurred in the 20th century, caused by industrialization, alongside the recent rediscovery of the Castle's lower section, will allow for the delineation of the Bastions Park, a ring of pathways and collective spaces capable of reconfiguring the landscape image of the Castle in the contemporary landscape.

Keywords: Phlegraean Fields, Baia, archaeological itinerar