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ABOUT THE SURROUNDINGS
Of the ancient Nuceria Alfaterna, whose perimeter
falls almost entirely within the current boundaries of
Nocera Superiore, many monuments survive, including: the
City Walls, the Hellenistic-Roman Theatre, the Ampitheatre,
the Thermal Baths, the Necropolis of Pizzone and the early
Christian Baptistery. The walls, built using double curtain
structure around the second century BC, were partially
destroyed during the wars between the Lombards and the
Byzantines. Some parts survive in the locality of the town
known as Pareti.
The Hellenistic-Roman theatre in Pareti, which like the walls was built
around the second century BC, was distinguished by the Greek
style of its architecture.
Subsequently, under Roman rule, it took on its present form through the use
of perforated bricks for the load-bearing structure and the
opus incertum technique for the partitions. After being
rebuilt several times following earthquakes and the eruption
of Vesuvius in 79 AD, it was abandoned and neglected during
the Middle Ages and gradually buried. Having been uncovered
partly as a result of excavations, it is considered one of
Campania’s major theatres in terms of size and one of its
most beautiful, thanks to the floors in polychrome marbles
and the forms of the ancient cavea, partly visible with its
tiers and numerous frescoes. The ampitheatre’s outer
perimeter is currently circled by dwellings of a more recent
age.
It was discovered in 1926 and by means of studies conducted, the remains of
some parts of the building dating to the first century BC
were found. According to estimates of its dimensions, it was
one of the largest in Campania in terms of seating capacity.
The town’s central thermal baths form part of a number of
more recent discoveries made during the most recent
excavations.
The necropolis of Pizzone, therefore, as in
many other cases from ancient times, was located just behind
the city gates and close to the most important roads.
Excavations have unearthed the tombs of illustrious families
of the era. The Baptistery is, without a doubt, the town’s
main symbol. Constructed by the Byzantines in the sixth
century AD, the building has a circular layout.
At the centre there is a double row of columns which supports the dome.
These columns in Pentelic marble are elements that originate
in Roman temples now lying in an abandoned state. With their
main characteristic lying in their diversity, they confer a
different light upon the entire nave, determined by the
different polychromy of the materials. The baptismal font
contained within is the second largest in Italy. The
Baptistery was built upon the foundations of a number of
earlier civilian buildings. The frescoes that adorn the side
chapels are also worthy of note. Many of the excavated finds
are preserved inside the “Provincial Museum of Archaeology”
in Nocera Inferiore. |
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