«Heaps of rubbish removed. Finally you can see the lake.” The mayor of Giugliano Nicola Pirozzi announces the redevelopment of the archaeological area of Liternum. The remains of the ancient Via Domiziana emerge among the grass. The inauguration is scheduled for May 5th with the president of the Campania regional council, Vincenzo De Luca. «Now Giugliano is waiting for tourists», comments the mayor.
Illegal buildings, unkempt grass and piles of waste: this was the scenario that characterized the ruins of the city that Scipio Africanus chose to spend his last years of life. It was, because now the turning point has come.
History
The maritime colony of Liternum went down in history due to the archaeologist’s never-found hypothesis Amedeo Maiuri of the presence in this point of the tomb and the villa of Scipio Africanus. Alongside the pages of history, however, many news stories have been written in recent years. All negative, just as the state of the places was negative. Abandoned and exploited. On one side houses built without permits within the Roman walls, on the other an illegal landfill among the unkempt grass grazed by goats. This meant that even the archaeological site was not open to visitors over the years, despite the recent work to renovate the turf and the lighting.
Path
But now what everyone has hoped for is reality. With an investment of two million euros, the almost 70 thousand square meters of greenery have been entirely reclaimed. The shores of the lake, submerged by signs of neglect, have re-emerged. «A 3.5 kilometer pedestrian path has been created. Seven islands of archaeological observation. Five rest points with benches also accessible to disabled people. One pier for docking canoes and seven for pedestrian crossing. An open-air theater that will host events and shows. A life path for athletes and for those who want to train in the open area. We have also inserted many new trees to nourish the vegetation. Then irrigation systems, lighting, video surveillance and drinking water with special fountains.”
Everything will be accessible to citizens and visitors starting from May 5th, the date on which the mayor and president Vincenzo De Luca will cut the tricolor ribbon. But now tourists are also expected: «These works were done to give our inhabitants a liveable city. But not only. Giugliano is an area rich in history and archaeology. We recently went around the world with the discovery of the tomb of Cerberus. With this last piece of redevelopment we expect many tourists. We are ready to welcome them.”
The abuse
But illegal construction still remains to be fought. «There are still two buildings built illegally close to the finds and which need to be demolished. The procedures have already been started. Of course it will still take some time, I think two years. But I’m confident. We will also win this battle of civilizations”, concludes Pirozzi.
