Grotta di Cocceio
Encyclopedia
Grotta di Cocceio, also known as the Cocceius Tunnel, is a straight-line subterranean gallery nearly a kilometre in length connecting Lake Avernus
with Cumae
north of Naples
, Italy
. It was burrowed clean through the tuff
stone of Monte Grillo from 38-36 BCE. The tunnel was effected by the architect Lucius Cocceius Auctus
at the wishes of Agrippa who was in the process of converting the Lake into a military port, the Portus Julius
. The Avernus side of the passage was decorated with a colonnade and had many statues in niches hewn into the tufa stone walls of the entrance.
It is also known as the Grotta della Pace in reference to a Spanish captain, Pietro de Pace, who made use of the tunnel in 1508-1509 to plunder the ruins of Cumae
, which, at the time, still bore many rich items.
The Grotta was heavily damaged during World War II
and is no longer open to the public.
Avernus
Avernus was an ancient name for a crater near Cumae , Italy, in the Region of Campania west of Naples. It is approximately in circumference. Within the crater is Lake Avernus .-Role in ancient Roman society:...
with Cumae
Cumae
Cumae is an ancient Greek settlement lying to the northwest of Naples in the Italian region of Campania. Cumae was the first Greek colony on the mainland of Italy , and the seat of the Cumaean Sibyl...
north of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It was burrowed clean through the tuff
Tuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
stone of Monte Grillo from 38-36 BCE. The tunnel was effected by the architect Lucius Cocceius Auctus
Cocceius Auctus
Lucius Cocceius Auctus was a Roman architect employed by Octavian's strategist Agrippa to excavate the subterranean passageways the crypta neapolitana connecting modern-day Naples and Pozzuoli and the Grotta di Cocceio connecting Lake Avernus and Cumae...
at the wishes of Agrippa who was in the process of converting the Lake into a military port, the Portus Julius
Portus Julius
Portus Julius was the home port for the Roman western imperial fleet, the classis Misenensis, named for nearby Cape Miseno...
. The Avernus side of the passage was decorated with a colonnade and had many statues in niches hewn into the tufa stone walls of the entrance.
It is also known as the Grotta della Pace in reference to a Spanish captain, Pietro de Pace, who made use of the tunnel in 1508-1509 to plunder the ruins of Cumae
Cumae
Cumae is an ancient Greek settlement lying to the northwest of Naples in the Italian region of Campania. Cumae was the first Greek colony on the mainland of Italy , and the seat of the Cumaean Sibyl...
, which, at the time, still bore many rich items.
The Grotta was heavily damaged during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and is no longer open to the public.