In September 1532, the new viceroy Pedro Alvarez de Toledo arrived in Naples which was still affected by the plague which had killed tens of thousands of deaths. The viceroy immediately launched his ambitious plan of transformation and modernisation of the city which he then extended to Pozzuoli.

Alvarez de Toledo Pedro Viceroy of Naples

In order to defend the gulf of Pozzuoli from the raids of the Barbary pirates, he built the Torre di Gaveta and Torre di Patria. He repaired the Neapolitan Crypt, in other words the gallery of more than seven hundred meters carved into the rock of the hill of Posillipo, which was guarantying the connections between the capital and Pozzuoli. He was the one who granted the tax exemption to Pozzuoli people so that they could go back to their city which they left because of the eruption of the Monte Nuovo in 1538. Don Pedro de Toledo has been in charge for almost twenty years, ruling the viceroyalty with iron fist. He died in Florence on the 22nd of February 1552 while he was on a mission in Tuscany on behalf of the Emperor.