It is currently nearing 100 degrees every single day in southern Italy. Spending any length of time outside is not enjoyable by any stretch of the imagination. The only place one can find relief is near or in the water. The breeze on the beach while under an umbrella makes spending a day outdoors enjoyable. But even more so, a day IN the water is sweet relief from the oppressive heat.
Due to a bradyseism (gradual shift in the earth’s surface), a large section of the ancient port city of Baia was submerged in water. The area was a popular holiday destination for the ancient Roman aristocracy, but is now enjoyed by the likes of you and me. According to the park’s website, the submerged park of Baia was discovered in the late 1960s and was established as a marine protected area in 2002. Not only can the ruins be viewed from a glass bottom boat, but they can also be explored by SCUBA diving or snorkeling. We aren’t certified divers, so we opted for a morning snorkeling trip.
I booked our tour online, and received a confirmation shortly after, which gave us our meeting time. I didn’t realize until the night before our excursion that the confirmation I received was two hours past the time I requested. Please note that when you book, you are selecting your “preferred time”, which does not guarantee your tour will take place then. I sent an email requesting an earlier time, but did not receive a response, so we took a chance and showed up early. Luckily, there were enough spots for us in the morning boat! I believe the departure times are 9a and 12p, but you should confirm the time before you schedule your day!
As always, parking was an adventure. The archeological park has no official parking area; however, there was plenty of street parking, and there was even a small metered lot by the water. We chose to park in the lot and walk the few hundred meters to the diving center. The meter does NOT have EasyPark, so have some coins ready if you want your morning to go better than ours. Ha! The meter took the third credit card we tried.
When I Googled the route, Google Maps directed us to walk over train tracks once we arrived…however, there are a few tunnels that go under the train. If I were to go again, I would park on the street near Ostriaria – Movo Seafood, and walk under their tunnel. It is the closest to the dive center. The diving center is just beyond this lido. We, of course, grabbed caffe and cornetti while we waited for our boat to arrive.
We took a rubber boat to the location, then the guide led us to the underwater villa, where we saw multiple ancient mosaics. They were very similar to the ones that are in Pompeii, and were a true thrill to observe underwater! We had a little trouble with the snorkeling equipment they provided, and wished we had brought our own. The snorkeling lasted about an hour, then we got back in the boat and headed into the dock. Had Josiah’s favorite pizza place been open (it was only a few minutes away!), we would have stopped there, but we opted for an afternoon at home instead. It was a fun, educational morning and a great way to beat the August heat!
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