Baia di Trentaremi
Posillipo
Hidden gemFree beaches
The story
A bay closed in by high cliffs of yellow tufo (volcanic tuff), with caves cut by the Romans: no road reaches it, only the sea and the kayaks slip in among the rocks.
Access
by sea
The story
The Baia di Trentaremi opens along the coast of Posillipo, in the Marine Protected Area of the Underwater Park of the Gaiola, established in 2002. It is a wild bay closed by high cliffs of yellow Neapolitan tuff, hollowed by a system of sea grottoes, on one of the most evocative and fragile stretches of coast of the city, a stone's throw from the submerged remains of the Roman villa of Pausilypon.
What to see
The walls of golden tuff sheer above the water, the sea grottoes and the transparent sea of the protected area, where submerged archaeology and nature coexist. It is a landscape to be looked at more than trodden: the bay, exposed to rockfalls, is admired above all from above or from the sea, as part of the scene of the Gaiola.
Hours and prices
Free entry.
Tips
The bay is inside a marine protected area with precise rules: find out about the access arrangements and the permitted activities from the Gaiola Interdisciplinary Study Centre, which runs the park and organises visits and excursions. For safety reasons access on shore may be limited: respect the signs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Baia di Trentaremi?
A wild bay of Posillipo, closed by high cliffs of yellow tuff with sea grottoes, inside the Marine Protected Area of the Underwater Park of the Gaiola.
Can you swim at Trentaremi?
The bay is in a marine protected area and is exposed to rockfalls: access on shore may be limited for safety. Better to find out from the Gaiola Study Centre and respect the signs.
What is special about this coast?
Nature and archaeology coexist: the tuff cliffs and sea grottoes are next to the submerged remains of the Roman villa of Pausilypon, in the Underwater Park of the Gaiola.
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