Lake Avernus, ancient Lacus Avernus., Lake, southern Italy. It lies west of Naples in the crater of an extinct volcano. Because of its sulfurous vapors, it was considered an entrance to the underworld by the ancient Romans, including Virgil. According to legend, the grove of Hecate and the grotto of the Cumaean Sibyl lay nearby. In the 1st century bc it was transformed into a naval base, Portus Iulius, by Agrippa and linked to the sea. Its impressive Roman ruins include baths, temples, and villas.
Lake of Averno Article
Lake Avernus summary
Learn about Lake Avernus and its mythological significance
Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Lake of Averno.
Campania Summary
Campania, regione, southern Italy, on the Tyrrhenian Sea between the Garigliano (Lower Liri) River (north) and the Gulf of Policastro (south). The region comprises the provinces of Avellino, Benevento, Caserta, Napoli, and Salerno. Campania is mountainous and hilly, the Neapolitan Apennines in the
Italy Summary
Italy, country of south-central Europe, occupying a peninsula that juts deep into the Mediterranean Sea. Italy comprises some of the most varied and scenic landscapes on Earth and is often described as a country shaped like a boot. At its broad top stand the Alps, which are among the world’s most
lake Summary
Lake, any relatively large body of slowly moving or standing water that occupies an inland basin of appreciable size. Definitions that precisely distinguish lakes, ponds, swamps, and even rivers and other bodies of nonoceanic water are not well established. It may be said, however, that rivers and
Europe Summary
Europe, second smallest of the world’s continents, composed of the westward-projecting peninsulas of Eurasia (the great landmass that it shares with Asia) and occupying nearly one-fifteenth of the world’s total land area. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the west by the Atlantic