The Solfatara of Pozzuoli

The Solfatara is the base of a volcano that has been monitored by many throughout the years as researchers still conduct investigations into the activity of the volcano.
The Solfatara and the scientific research.
The Solfatara turns out to be an optimal logistics base in order to perform scientific searches. Inside the crater there are numerous points of scientific measurement, realized with several agencies.
Italian and foreign students as well as investigators pass periods in the Solfatara for the survey and the measurement of numerous scientific parameters.

Peripheral station of the net for the surveillance of geochemistry and the volcanology:
ARGO System:
The system inside of the Solfatara is constituted from a parabolic antenna and relative electronic equipment; one of these pieces of equipment is positioned on the top of the crater and the others near the main fumarola.
The parabolic antenna is used to transmit the scientific data collected from the electronic equipment to a geo-stationary satellite, which then transmits this data to several research agencies.

Interested agencies:
• Ministry of the civil Protection
• Telespazio
• National Council Searches
• National group for the Volcanology
• Institute of Geochemistry of the Fluid
Vesuviano Observatory:
• Photovoltaic cells of feeding
• Anemometer
• Carbon dioxide measurement
• Antenna of transmission-giving every 4 hours.

Tetrahedron reflectors to monitor the bradisism:
In order to monitor the bradisism or earth movements in the Phlegraean Fields, the Osservatorio Vesuviano, together with other national and international research institutions, has installed artificial satellites which can monitor the slow movements of the earth. The equipment inside the Solfatara consists of two pairs of corner reflectors measuring 1.5m x 1.5m x 1.5m.

Participating Institutions:
• Osservatorio Vesuviano
• Engineering Faculty (Naples University)
• Milan Politecnico
• Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris
• Institut fuer Navigation
• Universitaet Stuttgart
• Technical support of the European Space Agency ESA-ESRIN.

History:
The Romans already knew the Solfatara since Imperial times. Strabone (66 B.C. -24 A.C.) gives the most ancient written testimony coming to us in his “Strabonis geographica”, indicating it with the name “Forum Vulcani”, dwelling of the god Vulcano, entrance to Hades. The Solfatara opened up officially to visitors in the year 1900, although its immemorial destination for its renown volcanic phenomena, for the therapeutic properties of the sulphurous waters and for the hot saunas; it was in fact included among the forty most famous thermae of the Phlegreaen Fields since the Middle Ages.

There was not a traveller of the 18th and 19th century who would not place the Solfatara among his excursions within the so called “Grand Tour”, educational travel for the young of the European noble families.

Around 1900 a thermal establishment was organised within the Solfatara, as a publicity leaflet. In this “thermal bath”it was possible to cure oneself with mud, given the existence of a natural mud pit, and with the sulphurous water as well as bathing in the vapours of the so called saunas. An extractive activity of alu
me, sulphur and bianchetto since the beginning of the 20th century operating, an activity which found its heyday during the Middle Ages.