12-07-2025
Italy's sunken Roman city rises again from sea; visitors to explore via glass-bottomed boats, snorkelling
Off the coast of the Italian island of Ischia, the ruins of a forgotten Roman city are once again seeing the light of day. Thought to be lost to legend, the city of Aenaria is now being brought back to public consciousness through a combination of archaeological excavations and guided underwater tours.
Located in the Bay of Cartaromana, the ruins lie just beneath the surface. Visitors can now explore the site via glass-bottomed boat rides or snorkelling excursions that reveal ancient quays, Roman artefacts, and stone structures preserved on the sea floor.
'It was believed that the Romans never built a city on Ischia,' archaeologist Dr Alessandra Benini told the BBC. 'It was the opposite.'
The eruption that likely destroyed Aenaria is estimated to have occurred around 180 AD, but unlike the well-documented destruction of Pompeii in 79 AD, Aenaria's story remained unwritten. No contemporary Roman records describe the event, and for centuries, the site was buried under volcanic sediment.
Initial clues emerged in the 1970s, when divers found fragments of pottery and lead ingots off Ischia's coast. However, early efforts led by Don Pietro Monti and archaeologist Giorgio Buchner failed to uncover the city. The trail went cold until 2011, when a group of local sailors and history enthusiasts resumed investigations, eventually unearthing the remains of a massive Roman quay buried under two metres of seabed.
Subsequent discoveries have included amphorae, mosaics, coins, the remains of seaside villas, and even a wooden Roman ship.
Long believed to be a Greek domain, Ischia was famed for its thermal springs and early Greek colonisation around 750 BC. Roman control followed in 322 BC, with the island renamed Aenaria, a name that appears in classical texts by Pliny the Elder and Strabo. But physical evidence of Roman settlement was scarce.
'The name was documented,' said local resident Giulio Lauro, as per BBC. 'But no one could find the place.'
It turned out the city had not disappeared. It had simply sunk. The rediscovery was driven by Lauro and a team of local tour operators, archaeologists, and volunteers who self-funded the ongoing excavation.
'We started from zero,' Lauro told the BBC. 'We were lucky to believe in it. And then to actually find it.'
Items uncovered suggest that Aenaria was not only a port but also a residential hub. Archaeologists have found mosaic tiles, oil lamps, wooden combs, fishing needles, decorated plaster, and even Roman baths.
Radiocarbon dating places the quay's construction between 75 BC and AD 30. In 2020, the discovery of a shipwreck revealed military hardware, including a bronze mooring post shaped like a swan's head and lead sling bullets, indicating Aenaria may have had a strategic role in Roman military operations, as per the BBC.
Trade evidence is equally strong. Amphorae found at the site originate from 12 production centres across the Mediterranean, including Campania and the Levant. Analysis of recovered lead traced its origin to Spain, painting a picture of a deeply interconnected Roman trade hub.
'It's likely there was also a small town nearby the port,' Benini said.
Visitors can now observe live digs during the summer months, view artefacts at a nearby exhibit, and watch a 3D video reconstruction of Aenaria, offering an immersive look at its streets, buildings, and coastline.
(With inputs from BBC)
