Lago solfureo
The archaeological site of Ansanto Valley (Valle d'Ansanto), better known as "Mefite", is a sulphurous lake, with a perimeter of around 40 meters. The little lake is formed by a pool of water, about 2 metres (7 ft) deep, that boils as a result of the gas emissions of the subsoil, consisting primarily of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid. This represents a rare and impressive surface phenomenon, in a non- volcani area connected to the presence of tectonic structures that allow a fast ascent of fluids from the bowels of the earth making the air fetid and stifling. Under certain weather conditions, breathing the gas could be lethal. Il laghetto è ricordato da Virgilio nell’Eneide quale accesso agli inferi.Il nome “Mefite” deriva dalla dea che nell’antichità (VII-II sec.a.C.) era venerata, dalle popolazioni italiche di quasi tutta l’Italia Meridionale, per la fertilità dei campi e delle donne. In suo onore fu costruito un tempio già individuato dal Santoli verso il 1780, che rese sacro quel luogo e i cui resti vennero alla luce a seguito di scavi archeologici compiuti negli anni '50 e '60. Virgil mentioned this lake in the Aeneid, saying it was the entrance to the underwold. It was named after the ancient Italic goddess Mefitis, venerated by people from Southern Italy, venerated for the fertility of fields and for female fertility. To honor the goodess people built a temple, discoverd by Santoli in 1780, making this a place of worship. The Archaeological excavations carried out in the 50s and 60s discovered several ruins of this site.