The Campania's hinterland was inhabited from the beginning of the 1st millennium BC by theOsci,Samnites andEtruscans, while between the 8th and 7th centuries BC its coastal areas were colonised by theancient Greeks (Magna Graecia). At that time,Capua was Campania's leading city, whileNaples was an anomaly, being predominantly Greek-speaking.[11]
Campania is rich in culture, especially with regard to food, music, architecture, and archaeological and ancient sites—such as Pompeii, Herculaneum,Oplontis,Paestum,Aeclanum,Stabiae, andVelia. The name "Campania" is derived from Latin; theRomans knew the region asCampania felix ("fertile countryside" or "happy countryside"). The rich natural beauty of Campania makes it important to the tourism industry: the city of Naples, the Amalfi Coast, Mount Vesuvius, and the islands of Capri andIschia have long been major attractions.[12]
The region known today asCampania was inhabited from at least the beginning of the 1st millennium BC by severalOscan-speakingItalic tribes: theOsci, theOpici, theAurunci, theAusones, theSidicini, theHirpini, theCaudini, theOenotrians, theCampanians (after whom the region is named) and theLucanians (who inhabited the southernmost part of Campania, known in ancient times asLucania, roughly where modern-daySalerno is).[13][14] Many of thesetribes lived insimpleagro-towns. Not much is known about thepre-Indo-European tribes that had lived in the region earlier; they were probably not as technologically or culturally advanced as the Oscans, and any who still flourished had become fully Oscanised by the middle of the first millennium BC.
At one point in history, a distinct group of Oscan-speaking tribes fromSamnium (in south-central Italy), theSamnites, moved down into Campania.Since the Samnites were more warlike than the other Oscan populations, they easily took over the cities ofCapua and Cumae, in an area which was one of the most prosperous and fertile in theItalian Peninsula at the time.[19] During the 340s BC, the Samnites were engaged in a war with theRoman Republic in a dispute known as theSamnite Wars, with Rome claiming the rich pastures of northern Campania during theFirst Samnite War.[20] The First Samnite War was initiated when the Etruscan-influenced Oscan city of Capua (inEtruscanCapeva) was being attacked by the Samnites, and thus appealed to Rome for defensive help.
As the majority ofSouthern Italy was under Roman control at the time, the sole major remaining independent settlement in the region was theGreek colony ofNeapolis, and when the city was eventuallycaptured by the Samnites, the Neapolitan Greeks were left with no option but to call on theRomans, with whom they established an alliance, setting off theSecond Samnite War.[19] TheRoman consul Quintus Publilius Filo recaptured Neapolis by 326 BC and allowed it to remain a Greek city with some autonomy as acivitas foederata while strongly aligned with Rome.[21] The Second Samnite War ended with the Romans controlling all of southern Campania and additional regions further to the south, such as parts ofLucania.[20]
Campania was a full-fledged part of theRoman Republic by the end of the 4th century BC, valued for itspastures and rich countryside. Naples, with itsGreek language and customs, made it a centre of Hellenistic culture for the Romans, creating the first traces ofGreco-Roman culture.[22] During thePyrrhic War in 275 BC, theBattle of Beneventum took place in Campania in the Samnite city of Maleventum, in which the Romans, led by the consulCurius Dentatus, were victorious. They renamed it Beneventum (modern dayBenevento), which grew in stature until it was second only to Capua in southern Italy.[23] During theSecond Punic War in 216 BC, Capua, in a bid for equality with Rome, allied withCarthage.[24] The rebellious Capuans were isolated from the rest of Campania, which remained allies of Rome.Naples resistedHannibal due to the imposing walls.[22] Capua was eventually starved into submission in theRoman retaking of 211 BC, and the Romans were victorious.[24]
With the initial exception of Naples, the region adoptedLatin as official language, in that sense gradually replacing the native Oscan and the Greek and the Etruscan still talked respectively in their colonies of the region,[25][26][27] subsequently becoming fullyRomanised.[28][29] As part of theRoman Empire, Campania, withLatium, formed the most important region of theAugustan divisions ofItalia, theRegio I Latium et Campania; Campania was one of the main areas forgranary.[29] In ancient times Misenum (modern 'Miseno'), at the extreme northern end of the bay of Naples, was the largest base of the Roman navy, since its port (Portus Julius) was the base of the Classis Misenensis, the most important Roman fleet. It was first established as a naval base in 27 BC by Marcus Agrippa, the right-hand man of the emperor Augustus.Roman Emperors chose Campania as a holiday destination, among themClaudius andTiberius, the latter of whom is infamously linked to the island ofCapri.[22] It was also during this period thatChristianity came to Campania. Two of theapostles,St. Peter andSt. Paul, are said to have preached in the city of Naples, and there were also severalmartyrs during this time.[30] The period of relative calm was violently interrupted by the epic eruption ofMount Vesuvius in 79 which buried the cities ofPompeii andHerculaneum.[31] With theDecline of the Roman Empire, its last emperor,Romulus Augustus, was put in amanor house prison nearCastel dell'Ovo, Naples, in 476, ushering in the beginning of theMiddle Ages and a period of uncertainty in regard to the future of the area.[22]
Sicily and Naples were separated in 1458 but remained as dependencies ofAragon underFerrante.[42] The new dynasty enhanced Naples' commerce by establishing relations with theIberian Peninsula. Naples also became a centre of the Renaissance, with artists such asLaurana,da Messina,Sannazzaro andPoliziano arriving in the city.[43] During 1501 Naples came under direct rule fromFrance at the time ofLouis XII, as Neapolitan kingFrederick was taken as a prisoner to France; this lasted four years.[44]Spain won Naples at theBattle of Garigliano and, as a result, Naples then became part of theSpanish Empire throughout the entireHabsburg Spain period.[44] The Spanish sentviceroysto Naples to directly deal with local issues: the most important of which wasPedro Álvarez de Toledo, who was responsible for considerable social, economic and urban progress in the city; he also supported theInquisition.[45]
Ferdinand IV was restored as king; however, after only seven yearsNapoleon conquered the kingdom and instatedBonapartist kings including his brotherJoseph Bonaparte.[50] With the help of theAustrian Empire and allies, the Bonapartists were defeated in theNeapolitan War and Bourbon Ferdinand IV once again regained the throne and the kingdom.[50] TheCongress of Vienna in 1815 saw the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily combined to form theTwo Sicilies,[50] with Naples as the capital city. Naples became the first city on the Italian peninsula to have arailway in 1839,[51] there were many factories throughout the kingdom making it a highly important trade centre.[52]
In September 1943, Salerno was the scene ofOperation Avalanche and suffered a great deal of damage. From 12 February to 17 July 1944, it hosted the Government of MarshalPietro Badoglio. In those months Salerno was the temporary "Capital of theKingdom of Italy", and the KingVictor Emmanuel III lived in a mansion in its outskirts. Salerno received the first "Tricolore" in an official ceremony on 7 January 2012 from the premierMario Monti, to celebrate the glorious story of Italy and its old capitals.
Campania has an area of 13,590 km2 (5,247 sq mi) and a coastline of 500 km (311 mi) on theTyrrhenian Sea.[53] Campania is famous for its gulfs (Naples, Salerno and Policastro) as well as for three islands (Capri,Ischia andProcida).
Four other regions border Campania;Lazio to the northwest,Molise to the north,Apulia (Puglia) to the northeast andBasilicata to the east.
The mountainous interior is fragmented into severalmassifs, rarely reaching 2,000 m (6,562 ft) (Miletto of 2,050 m (6,726 ft)),[54] whereas close to the coast there are volcanic massifs:Vesuvio (1,281 m (4,203 ft))[55] andCampi Flegrei.
The climate is typicallyMediterranean along the coast with warm, sunny and sultry summers and mild, rainy winters, whereas in the inner zones it is more continental, with lower temperatures in winter and warm summers. Snow is possible at higher elevations but rare at sea level. 51% of the total area is hilly, 34% mountainous and the remaining 15% is made up of plains.[56] There is a highseismic risk across the region.
The GDP per capita in Campania is rank 18 from 20 Italian regions, surpassing onlySicily andCalabria.[57] It is only 66.7% of the Italian average. It has been speculated that a factor could be the failure to connect the region's economy with the rest of Italy, while another factor could be its peripheral position with respect to the developed central areas of Europe.[58]
Overall, Campania appears to be a region with great economic potential, which is partly held back byorganized crime (Camorra) and the resulting corruption.[59] The economy of Campania is one of the most affected nationwide by the economic and financial crisis that began in 2008,[60] but between 2015 and 2016 it came out of the recession and began to recover due to, above all, industry, but also tourism and tertiary.[61]
Tourism is supported by the abundant presence of artistic and naturalistic beauty which attract millions of people from all over the world every year. Precisely in this sector the region finds its strong point (through which it was able to react to the recession in 2015), in fact, according to 2018 studies done byEurostat, Campania is in the top 20 of the most visited regions in Europe and fifth in Italy afterLombardy,Lazio,Veneto andTuscany (in order), as well as first among the southern regions.[62]
The tourist flow sees more than half of the Italian and foreign tourists of the entire region gather in theMetropolitan City of Naples.[63] Of all the locations,Pompeii andHerculaneum stand out, two of the most visited archaeological sites in Italy and among the most visited in the world where there is an average of four million tourists a year.[64] Then there are theCampanian Archipelago (Capri,Ischia andProcida, the latter named Italian capital of culture in 2022),Vesuvius and theSorrento coast; a notable growth in the cruise sector was observed in thePort of Naples.[65]
Tourist data on other sites in Campania show important records that the region holds nationally and worldwide. Among these above all the data relating to Capri (which is the most visited minor island in Italy and among the most sought-after in the world),[66] theAmalfi Coast (which is among the most visited sites in Italy)[67] and finally Vesuvius (the most visited and well-known volcano in the world).[68][69] There is also a growing influx of tourists toCilento (Paestum andCertosa di Padula.[70]
Campania has many small and picturesque villages, 11 of them have been selected byI Borghi più belli d'Italia (English:The most beautiful Villages of Italy),[71] a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest,[72] that was founded on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities.[73]
Campania is traditionally the most industrialized region of southern Italy, particularly the Neapolitan territory was one of the most industrialized areas of Italy until the beginning of the 20th century, preceded only by the provinces of the so-called "industrial triangle" (Milan,Turin andGenoa).[74]
In recent decades, the gap with respect to other regions is no longer as significant as it used to be, given that southern regions such asApulia andAbruzzo have grown considerably economically, while Campania has paradoxically undergone a constant process of de-industrialisation. The symbol of this phenomenon is the reclamation process of the area inBagnoli where the formerItalsider andEternit operated promoted by the region.[75]
Campania mainly produces fruit and vegetables, but has also expanded its production of flowers grown in greenhouses, becoming one of the leading regions of the sector in Italy.[76] In 2021 thevalue added of this sector represents around 2.34% of the total value added of the region, equalling €2.2 billion.[77] Campania produces over 50% of Italy's nuts and is also the leader in the production of tomatoes.[78]
A distinctive point of regional agriculture in the breeding ofbuffalos. The milk is used to producemozzarella di bufala.
Olive trees, mainly of the varieties Carpellese(PDO designated),[79] Cornia (Val di Cornia DOC),Frantoio,Leccino, Ogliarola Barese, Olivella, Ortice, Pisciottana (Also Ogliastrina or Olivo dell'Ascea),[80] Ravece (also known as Rotondello),[81] and Salella,[82] covers over 74,604 hectares (184,350 acres).
Vineyards cover 41,129 ha, but only ca. 5,100 ha using to produce quality wine ofDOC andDOCG types. There are 4 DOCG wines: Aglianico del Taburno (red and rose), Fiano di Avellino (white), Greco di Tufo (white and sparkling) and Taurasi (red). Wine production has increased as well as the quality of the wine.[83]
There is a problem withillegal toxic waste dump in theTriangle of death north ofNaples betweenAcerra,Nola andMarigliano.[84][85] In the region, over 12,000 cattle, river buffaloes and sheep had beenculled before 2006.[86] High levels of mortality and abnormal foetuses were also recorded in farms in Acerra linked to elevated levels of dioxin.[86] Local studies have shown higher than permissible levels oflead in vegetables grown in the area.[87] The government blames the Mafia's illegal garbage disposal racket.[87] In samples of milk, which is using to producemozzarella di bufala, found cancerogenicdioxine.[88] InNaples-Bagnoli is anasbestos contamination from formerEternit cement plant.[89] Millions of tons of toxic industrial waste has been dumped in Campania, not only in the Triangle of death, a region once celebrated for the fertility of its soil, but now the local population have been exposed to land contaminated with waste. This includes highly dangerous materials such asasbestos,zinc,lead,germanium,arsenic,mercury,cadmium,chromium,dioxin anduranium. Blood tests of people living in Campania show alarming levels of dioxins.[90]
Campania had a massiveautomotive industrial production till 2011, focused onAlfa Romeo.[91] Production ofAlfa Romeo was reduced and relocated to a plant inCassino nearRome. Currently only one low-levelFiat Panda model is produced in facilities located inPomigliano d'Arco in the Naples metropolitan area (140,478 units in 2020).[92] A FIAT plant manufacturing engines is inPratola Serra,Avellino. There are also plants for automotive parts suppliers likeMagneti Marelli (exhaust systems) andDenso (engine cooling and air-conditioners). Buses are produced by Industria Italiana Autobus inFlumeri (ex-Irisbus).
A failedMars mission namedExoMars in 2016 had a major part of its technology designed in Naples[93] No signal indicating a successful landing was received.[94]
Radars for military and air traffic control applications and components are produced by two other Leonardo establishments inGiugliano in Campania andBacoli[95]
Jewelry inMarcianise, one of the four located in Italy. It has 350 companies with ca. 2500 employees, and the annual turnover is 750 million euros. Every two years there is a special fair.
Coral products,cameos andnacre inTorre del Greco. Since 1989 in Torre del Greco coral fishing is not practised, but the town still remains the most important centre in the world for coral processing, with over 2,000 employees in the sector.
Leather tanning inSolofra extends over an area of about 60 km2 in the south-western area of the province of Avellino, including alsoMontoro andSerino. This area is specialized in the tanning of sheep and goatskins, for a total of about 400 companies operating in the sector including tanneries, subcontractors and garment manufacturers, 4,000–4,500 employees and an average annual turnover of 1,500 million euros. It specializes in the processing of leathers for clothing, shoes and leather goods.
The region has a dense network of roads and motorways, a system of maritime connections and an international airport (Naples Airport). The port of Naples connects the region with theMediterranean basin, and brings tourists to thearchaeological sites, the cities of art (Naples and Caserta), to the coastal areas and to the islands.
Sea-based activity accounts for about 3.9% of the economy, which includes port movements of goods and passengers and sea transportation, as well as a sizable seaside tourism economy. InCastellammare di Stabia there is a bigFincantieri shipyard. Shipping companiesGrimaldi andTirrenia both headquarter inNaples.
The region, with a population of over 5.8 million inhabitants, is divided into five provinces: Naples, Benevento, Avellino, Caserta and Salerno. Over half of the population is resident in the province of Naples, where there is a population density of 2,626 inhabitants per km2. Within the province, the highest density can be found along the coast, where it reaches 13,000 inhabitants per km2 in the city of Portici. The region, which was characterised until recently by an acute economic contrast between internal and coastal areas, has shown an improvement in the last decade thanks to the development of the provinces of Benevento and Avellino. At the same time, the provinces of Naples, Caserta and in part Salerno, have developed a variety of activities connected to advanced types of services.[98]
The largest resident foreign-born groups on 31 December 2021[99]
Nationality
Population
Ukraine
37,834
Romania
33,334
Morocco
23,252
Sri Lanka
16,506
China
11,896
Nigeria
8,648
India
8,147
Albania
7,966
Pakistan
7,689
Poland
6,855
Unlike central andnorthern Italy, in the first decade of the 2000s the region of Campania has not attracted large numbers of immigrants, despite having increased from approximately 100,000 in 2007 to 240,000 in 2021. The Italian national institute of statisticsISTAT estimated in December 2022 that 241,008 foreign-born immigrants live in Campania, equal to 4.32% of the total regional population.[100] Part of the reason for this is in recent times, there have been more employment opportunities in northern regions than in theSouthern Italian regions.
The Regional Council of Campania (Consiglio Regionale della Campania) is composed of 60 members, of which 47 are elected in provincial constituencies withproportional representation, 12 from the so-called "regional list" of the elected president and the last one is for the candidate for president who comes second, who usually becomes the leader of the opposition in the council. If a coalition wins more than 55% of the vote, only 6 candidates from the "regional list" will be elected and the number of those elected in provincial constituencies will be 53.[101]
Campanian cuisine varies within the region. While Neapolitan dishes centre on seafood, Casertan and Aversan ones rely more on fresh vegetables and cheeses. The cuisine from Sorrento combines the culinary traditions from both Naples and Salerno.Pizza was conceived in Naples.[102]Spaghetti is also a well-known dish from southern Italy and Campania.
Several different cakes and pies are made in Campania.Pastiera pie is made duringEaster.Casatiello andtortano areEaster breads made by adding lard or oil and various types of cheese to bread dough and garnishing it with slices ofsalami.Babà cake is a well known Neapolitan delicacy, best served withrum orlimoncello (a liqueur invented in theSorrento peninsula). It is an oldAustrian cake, which arrived in Campania during the Austrian domination of theKingdom of Two Sicilies and was modified there to become a "walking cake" for citizens always in a hurry for work and other pursuits.Sfogliatella is another pastry from theAmalfi Coast, as isZeppole, traditionally eaten onSaint Joseph's day.Struffoli, little ballsfried dough dipped inhoney, are enjoyed during the Christmas holidays.
Dried red peppers and lemons hanging from a shop inAmalfi
Another Campanian dish is the so-calledRussian salad, also known as Olivier salad, which is based on similar dishes fromFrance. It is made of potatoes inmayonnaise garnished withshrimp and vegetables in vinegar. Another French-derived dish is "gattò" or "gâteau di patate" (an oven-baked pie made of boiled potatoes). As with the Russian salad, Campania is home to popular seafood-based dishes, such as "insalata di mare" (seafood salad), "zuppa di polpo" (octopus soup), and "zuppa di cozze" (mussel soup). Other regional seafood dishes include "frittelle di mare" (fritters with seaweed), made with edibleposeidonia algae, "triglie al cartoccio" (red mullet in the bag), and "alici marinate" (fresh anchovies in olive oil). The island of Ischia is known for its fish dishes, as well as for cooked rabbit. Campania is also home to the lemons ofSorrento.Rapini (or Broccoli rabe), known locally asfriarielli, are often used in regional cooking. Campania also produces many nuts, especially in the area of Avellino, Salerno and Benevento.Hazelnut production is especially relevant in the province of Avellino – inSpanish, inPortuguese and inOccitan the hazelnut is respectively calledavellana,avelã andavelano,[103] after the city ofAvella. That is also the case of ancient Italianavellana, which is however not in use anymore.
The region of Campania is rich with a vast array of culture and history. Since theGreek colony ofElea, nowVelia, Campania was home to philosophers of thePre-Socratic philosophy school, such asParmenides andZeno of Elea, who came to prominence around 490–480 BC. TheLatin poetVergil (70 BC–19 BC) settled in Naples in his late-life: parts of hisepic poemAeneid are located in Campania. The ancient scientistPliny the Elder studied Mount Vesuvius and died after being poisoned and killed by gas emitted from the volcano during the 79 AD eruption.
By the end of the Middle Ages, themedical school ofSalerno, which combined ancient Roman andGreek medicine with Arab medicine, was known throughout Europe and its methods were adopted across the continent. Some have suggested that this may have been one of the first universities in Europe.Boccaccio, the Tuscan poet, visited Naples on various occasions, and in theDecameron described it as a dissolute city. He also wrote a love story involving a noblewoman close to the King of Naples.
The island ofCapri, often seen as a cultural symbol of Campania
Raimondo di Sangro, prince of Sansevero, was a scientist and one of the last alchemists. Around this time, in 1786, German writerGoethe visited Campania and Naples. German archaeologistJohann Joachim Winckelmann also visited Naples, Paestum, Herculaneum and Pompeii in 1748 and later, studying how archaeological surveys were conducted in the kingdom of Naples. He was one of the first to study drawings, statues, stones, and ancient burned scrolls made of papyrus found in the excavations of the city of Herculaneum. Archaeological excavations in Pompeii were initiated by King Charles III of Naples in 1748. He issued the first modern laws in Europe to protect, defend and preserve archaeological sites. Neapolitan musicians of that period includeNiccolò Antonio Zingarelli andGiovanni Paisiello.
In February 1851, British statesmanWilliam Ewart Gladstone was allowed to visit the prison where Giacomo Lacaita, legal adviser to the British embassy, was imprisoned by the Neapolitan government, along with other political dissidents.[105] He deplored their condition, and in April and July, he published twoLetters to the Earl of Aberdeen against the Neapolitan government, followed byAn Examination of the Official Reply of the Neapolitan Government in 1852.[106] His pamphlets may have contributed to the cause of theunification of Italy in 1861.
French writerAlexandre Dumas, père was directly involved in the process of the Unification of Italy and sojourned two or three years in Naples, where he wrote severalhistorical novels regarding that city. He was also a known newspaper correspondent.Francesco de Sanctis, writer, politician and twice Minister of Instruction after the reunification of Italy in 1861, was born inMorra De Sanctis near Avellino.
German scientistAnton Dohrn founded in Naples the first public aquarium in the world and laboratory for the study of the sea, known as Maritime Zoological Station. The Astronomic Observatory of Capodimonte was founded by KingJoachim Murat, in 1816. The observatory now hosts the Italian Laboratory of Astrophysics. Doctors and surgeonsAntonio Cardarelli andGiuseppe Moscati were representatives of medical studies in Naples.
Neapolitan artists, actors, playwrights, and showmen includedEduardo De Filippo andPeppino De Filippo, and their sisterTitina De Filippo.Totò (byname of Antonio de Curtis) was one of the most important comedians in Naples in the 20th century. He is also known for the song "Malafemmena".
Campania is home to several national football,futsal,water polo, volleyball, basketball and tennis clubs.
The fencing school in Naples is the oldest in the country and the only school in Italy in which a swordsman can acquire the title "master of swords", which allows him or her to teach the art offencing.
The "Circolo Savoia" and "Circolo Canottieri Napoli" sailing clubs are among the oldest in Italy and are known for their regattas. These are also home of the main water polo teams in the city. Many sailors from Naples and Campania participate as crew in theAmerica's Cup sailing competition.
^Upton, Clive; Kretzschmar, William A. Jr. (2017).The Routledge Dictionary of Pronunciation for Current English (2nd ed.). Routledge. p. 183.ISBN978-1-138-12566-7.
^Freeman, Philip (1999).The Survival of EtruscanArchived 8 August 2022 at theWayback Machine. Page 82: "Oscan graffiti on the walls of Pompeii show that non-Latin languages could thrive in urban locations in Italy well into the 1st century A.D."
^Hilmar C. Krueger. "The Italian Cities and the Arabs before 1095" inA History of the Crusades: The First Hundred Years, Vol.I. Kenneth Meyer Setton, Marshall W. Baldwin (eds., 1955). University of Pennsylvania Press. p.48.
^"Swabian Naples". Faculty.ed.umuc.edu. 7 October 2007. Archived fromthe original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved22 July 2009.
^Bruzelius, Caroline (1991). ""ad modum franciae": Charles of Anjou and Gothic Architecture in the Kingdom of Sicily".The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians.50 (4):402–420.doi:10.2307/990664.JSTOR990664.
^"Campania", Microsoft Encarta 2008."Econimia della Campania".www.voyagesphotosmanu.com. Financial Times. Archived fromthe original on 9 June 2017. Retrieved30 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
.jpg)
_(3).JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
_ATR.72-212A(500)_FlyFireFly_TLS_30AUG11_(6097869500)_(cropped).jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
