History
The tunnel was built during the reign of Augustus connecting Neapolis (ancient Naples) to Pozzuoli and Baiae. The tunnel is over 700 meters in length and between 4 to 6 meters wide. The height varies from 7 to 30 meters. Until the beginning of 20th century the tunnel could be used to travel from Naples to Baiae. Unfortunately, the tunnel is now closed for renovations as parts are blocked by collapses that happened during the 1920s.
Virgil was the object of literary admiration and veneration before his death. In the following centuries his name became associated with miraculous powers and his tomb the object of pilgrimages and pagan veneration. The poet himself was reputed to have created the cave with the fierce power of his intense gaze.
At the time of Virgil's death, a large bay-tree was growing near the entrance. According to the legend, it died when Dante died, and Petrarch planted a new one. Because visitors took branches as souvenirs the new tree died too.
Read more about this topic: Virgil's Tomb
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—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)
“The history of the past is but one long struggle upward to equality.”
—Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902)
“Jesus Christ belonged to the true race of the prophets. He saw with an open eye the mystery of the soul. Drawn by its severe harmony, ravished with its beauty, he lived in it, and had his being there. Alone in all history he estimated the greatness of man.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)