Nisida is avolcanic islet of theFlegrean Islands archipelago, in southernItaly. It lies at a very short distance fromCape Posillipo, just north ofNaples; it is connected to the mainland by a camera-enforced 1km-long pedestrian zone. The islet is almost circular, with a flooded crater forming the bay of Porto Paone on the southwest coast. It has a diameter of about 0.5 kilometres (0.3 miles) and a highest altitude of 105 metres (344 feet).
The name of the island comes from the Greek for "islet" (small island), νησίς, for which theaccusative wasnesida.[1]
In ancient timesLucius Licinius Lucullus built a villa on Nisida, and alsoMarcus Iunius Brutus had a holiday villa there.Cicero's letters record him visiting Brutus there, and it was there that Brutus's wifePorcia, the daughter ofCato Uticensis, committed suicide. He also may have agreed withCassius on theassassination of Julius Caesar there.[2] The claim is made that some of the archaeological remains on Nisida are, indeed, those of the villa of Brutus. There may have been a monastery there in the 7th century (see below).[3] In the 16th century a castle was built, which was subsequently a fief of theMacedonio family.
In the 19th century, Nisida was the site of an infamousBourbon prison that gained notoriety when - after a visit to the prison in 1851 -William Ewart Gladstone wrote hisTwo Letters to the Earl of Aberdeen on the State Prosecutions of the Neapolitan Government, exposing the harsh conditions. In these letters, Gladstone coined the now famous description of theKingdom of Two Sicilies as "the negation of God erected into a system of Government." Indignation throughout Europe was partially responsible for the at least partial improvement of the conditions in the prison.
During theSecond World War, the island was occupied byBritish Army and became "55 Military Prison". At least one execution of a criminal took place there during this time: 1474762 Gunner G.T. Huckell of theRoyal Artillery was executed byfiring squad on Nisida at 7.31 am on 23 May 1944. He was 26 years old and had been convicted of murdering and robbing an Italian civilian named Rudolfo Mastrominico. Huckell was subsequently buried in Plot II, Row E, Grave 3 at Naples War Cemetery. The British military also executed Italian generalNicola Bellomo for the murder of a Britishprisoner of war.[4][5]
From 1946 through 1961 the island was home to theAccademia Aeronautica, the Italian Air Force Academy, which has since moved to a hilltop campus on the mainland.
NATO'sAllied Naval Forces Southern Europe moved fromMalta to Nisida Island in 1971.[6]
Nisida is divided now between a naval headquarters belonging to theItalian Navy[7] and a juvenile detention facility.
The surprisingly extensive connections between the island and Britain may have begun in the 7th century with Hadrian orAdrian of Canterbury, abbot ofChristchurch, Dorset.Bede records that he was a Greek-speakingBerber fromNorth Africa, who wasabbot of a monastery near Naples (non longe a Neapoli). The name of the monastery varies with different textual traditions betweenmonasterium Niridanum andHiridanum. Neither is identifiable as a place near Naples, which has led many scholars to think that "Nisidanum", or "of Nisida" was meant. There are no other records of a monastery there, although there were many around theBay of Naples.[8]
Hadrian was twice offered the position ofArchbishop of Canterbury byPope Vitalian, but instead suggestedTheodore of Tarsus, who then insisted that Hadrian accompany him. It is thought that a hypothetical "Neapolitan Gospelbook" which then ended up atWearmouth-Jarrow is the source of some Neapolitan elements found inNorthumbrian gospel manuscripts including theLindisfarne Gospels, which records feasts which were celebrated only in Naples: the birth ofSaint Januarius and the Dedication of the Basilica of Stephen.
40°47′43″N14°09′48″E / 40.79528°N 14.16333°E /40.79528; 14.16333
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