Baiae. Baiae was an ancient Roman town situated on the northwest shore of the Gulf of Naples and now in the comune of Bacoli.
It was a fashionable resort for centuries in antiquity, particularly towards the end of the Roman Republic, when it was reckoned as superior to Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Capri by the super-rich who built luxurious villas here from 100 BC to 500 AD. It was notorious for its hedonistic offerings and the attendant rumours of corruption and scandal. The lower part of the town later became submerged in the sea due to local volcanic, bradyseismic activity which raised or lowered the land, and recent underwater archaeology has revealed many of the fine buildings now protected in the submerged archaeological park.
Many impressive buildings from the upper town can be seen in the Parco Archeologico delle Terme di Baia. Baiae was said to have been named after Baius, the helmsman of Odysseus's ship in Homer's Odyssey, who was supposedly buried nearby.
The adjacent was named after the town. It now forms the western part of the Gulf of Pozzuoli.
The settlement was also mentioned in 178 under the name. Baiae was built on the Cumaean Peninsula in the Phlegraean Fields, an active volcanic area. It was perhaps originally developed as the port for Cumae. Baiae was particularly fashionable towards the end of the Roman Republic. Marius, Lucullus, and Pompey all frequented it. Juliu