In the bay of Pozzuoli, to the west of Naples, the ongoing bradyseismic crisis has now forced more than 2,800 people from their homes. According to figures presented by the Comune di Pozzuoli on 13 August 2026, which were picked up by the Italian news agency ANSA, a total of 2,843 people from 1,114 families have been affected by evacuation or closure orders since the severe earthquake of 31 July 2026. The crisis, which is not a new phenomenon for the geologically active caldera region of the Campi Flegrei , has thereby reached a scale not documented since more than four decades ago.
What bradisismo means
Bradisismo, literally "slow earthquake", is a geological phenomenon in which the ground slowly rises or subsides over extended periods of time. It is caused by the magma and hydrothermal processes beneath the Campi Flegrei caldera, one of the two active volcanic systems in the Gulf of Naples alongside the Vesuvio. Unlike a conventional earthquake, which releases energy within a matter of seconds, bradisismo unfolds over months or years. In its current phase, which began in 2005, the ground in Pozzuoli has risen by around one metre, with the rate of uplift accelerating in recent years. As the Osservatorio Vesuviano of the INGV documents in its weekly Sorveglianza bulletins, the frequent earthquakes, often occurring in series of several dozen per night, are the most perceptible consequence of this ground uplift. They are generally of low to moderate magnitude, yet cause considerable damage owing to their frequency and the age of much of the residential building stock in Pozzuoli.
The current figures in detail
Of the 2,843 people displaced from their homes, 2,703 have opted for autonomous accommodation supported by the state CAS contribution , the Contributo di Autonoma Sistemazione of between 400 and 900 euros per month, depending on family size. Most of these families have moved in with relatives or found a rented flat in the surrounding area. A further 140 people are housed in hotels in the region under contractual arrangements, and 53 are at the Palatrincone, the emergency shelter centre established specifically for the crisis in Pozzuoli. As Napoli Magazine notes in its detailed breakdown from the Centro Coordinamento Soccorsi, the pace of change over recent days has been considerable: on 8 August there were around 2,023 sfollati, on 11 August 2,696, and on 13 August 2,843. Within the space of a week, more than eight hundred additional people were displaced from their homes , whilst the fire brigade and engineers from the Protezione Civile continue to assess further buildings for structural integrity.
Political and financial response
The Mayor of Pozzuoli, Luigi Manzoni, together with the Campanian regional president Roberto Fico, has put forward several demands to the Italian government. Central to these is the merging of the two existing funds, AEDES and CARTIS, into a single permanent fund, the Fondo Unico Permanente, which would be reliably available even during quieter phases of the crisis. Manzoni is also calling for full coverage of the costs of seismic renovation works, an extension of the deadline for CAS contribution applications to 31 October 2026, and a thirty per cent advance payment for building contractors so that renovation works can begin without delay. The Regione Campania has in the meantime made one million euros available as an advance for CAS payments, with around 1.9 million euros earmarked for 2026 and a further 4.5 million euros for 2027.
Civil protests under the slogan "Pozzuoli esiste ancora"
Alongside the institutional response, a broad civil society protest movement has taken shape in Pozzuoli under the slogan "Pozzuoli esiste ancora", "Pozzuoli still exists". Three demonstrations took place within the first week of August, documented among others by Il Mattino, with the largest corteo drawing more than a thousand participants through the Centro Storico to the harbour. There, demonstrators symbolically blocked the landing stages, so that ferry connections to Ischia and Procida had to be redirected. Banners carried slogans such as "Dovete fare presto", a deliberate reference to the famous words of President Sandro Pertini following the Irpinia earthquake of 1980, as well as "Non siamo abusivi, vogliamo case sicure", "We are not illegal occupants, we want safe homes". At a parallel children's corteo, the youngest participants carried the slogan "Vogliamo contare i giochi non le scosse", "We want to count our toys, not tremors".
A delegation of seven activists was received at the Prefecture of Naples by Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and presented four core demands: a roof over the head of every sfollato family, an end to rental speculation in the surrounding area, the suspension of taxes and utility bills, and the binding securing of damaged residential buildings. A particular point of contention is the reception facility in via Artiaco, which has not yet opened due to a legal dispute between the owner, the concessionaire and the regional authority. The citizens' movement's criticism is directed not only at the national government but also at the local administration and Mayor Manzoni, who is accused of responding too slowly and maintaining an insufficient presence on the ground.
Historical Context
The current bradyseismic phase is not the first that Pozzuoli has experienced in its recent history. Between 1969 and 1972, and again between 1982 and 1984, the ground beneath the city rose by a total of around 3.5 metres, accompanied at times by severe earthquakes and what was then a dramatic evacuation of around 40,000 people from the Rione Terra, the historic heart of the city. To this day, the empty buildings left from that era shape the image of a city that has come to accept its geological reality as part of everyday life. The last actual volcanic eruption in the Campi Flegrei, however, lies more than four centuries in the past: in 1538, following a ground uplift of around 16 metres over just two years, the Monte Nuovo was formed, a new volcanic cone on the northern edge of the Gulf of Pozzuoli that remains visible in the landscape to this day.
The Campi Flegrei as a Travel and Cultural Region
For travellers planning to visit the area around Naples in the coming weeks, the current situation is primarily a local crisis affecting certain districts of Pozzuoli, while the region's classic destinations remain accessible. The archaeological zone of Baiae with its Roman thermal baths, the Anfiteatro Flavio in Pozzuoli, the Solfatara crater, and the volcanic landscape surrounding the Lago d'Averno are among the historically richest cultural regions of southern Italy.
As the Italian Civil Protection Authority documents in the Piano speditivo di emergenza drawn up in collaboration with the Prefecture of Naples, there are concrete codes of conduct and zone classifications for the affected areas, which may also be relevant for travellers. Those who have booked accommodation in the region are advised to check the latest situation via the portal of the Comune di Pozzuoli and the regional government before setting off.
