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Few traces remain of the ancient Puteoli wharf, one of the most complex architectural constructions of antiquity that developed into an uninterrupted series of quays and commercial depots along the coast (the ripa Puteolana). Most of the structures - still visible at the beginning of the 19th century - have been covered over in time by the construction of the modern wharf, while the harbour basins were already submerged in ancient times by the lowering of the ground due to bradyseism.A grandiose example of harbour engineering, it is of the pillar and arch type, with imposing dimensions (372 metres long, over 15 metres wide supported by 15 rectangular pillars set into the sea bed and joined by arches of about 10 metres). The pier, celebrated by poets and ancient writers, was repaired by Emperor Hadrian after a violent storm and then completely restored (139 AD) by his successor Antoninus Pius. At the end of the 4th century A.D. activity continued in the port of Pozzuoli, but shortly afterwards the worsening of bradyseism, which progressively sank the coast, and the decline of commercial activities caused the pier to be abandoned, covered by the waters of the sea.It owes its name to the memory of one of Caligula's crazy deeds (emperor from 37 to 41 A.D.), who made the Gulf of Pozzuoli the setting for a spectacular performance inspired by the bridge of boats built in 480 B.C. by Xerxes, king of Persia, over the Dardanelles Strait. built in 480 BC by Xerxes, King of Persia, over the Strait of the Dardanelles: a colossal bridge with two rows of ships, requisitioned from the merchant fleet, almost 5 kilometres long from Puteoli to Bauli (Bacoli), on which the Praetorian Guard performed daring military manoeuvres in imitation of those of the Persian army.