51 Campania, Italy Facts: History, Food, Culture And More

Naples is one of Italy's most famous cities.

It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Mediterranean area. Its history dates back over 3,000 years to the eighth century BC when the ancient Greeks built the Naples region.

The Italian peninsula has been ruled by the Roman Empire, Barbarians, Spain, and Austria, to name a few. Nearly a million people live in the city, with several million more in the neighboring areas.

Facts About Campania Italy

There are many interesting facts about the Campania region in Italy.

• Naples is the regional capital of Campania.
• The town's name is derived from the ancient Greek settlement of Neapolis, which roughly translates to 'New City,' and the moniker has persisted to this day.
• Naples is Italy's third-biggest city in Campania.
• Naples is a massive metropolis with a total area of 46 sq mi (119 sq km).
• There are catacombs dating back to the third century.
• The most notable are the San Gennaro catacombs, which were created in the second century.
• They have almost 2,000 burial coves and 500 sarcophagi.
• The 13th century saw the construction of the Naples Cathedral in Campania.
• The construction of this spectacular monument began in 1266 and was finished 169 years later, in 1435.
• Campania is where pizza originated.
• In the early 19th century, pizza, as we know it today, was conceived in Naples.
• Queen Margherita inspired the creation of the famed Margherita Pizza.
• Raffaele Esposito, a pizza maker, was invited to create a pizza for Italian King Umberto I and his wife, Queen Margherita, in 1889. He created a straightforward pizza with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil.
• Naples lies directly adjacent to Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that erupted in 79 AD, destroying Pompeii.
• The volcano can be seen from the city, and it reminds people that life is fleeting.
• While Naples is just the third-largest city in Italy, it is unquestionably the most densely populated, more than three times the density of Rome's population.
• The Central Cable Car in Campania is among the world's busiest funiculars.
• Naples is a mountainous city, so traditional modes of transportation aren't always the best option.
• The city center is Europe's biggest.
• In 1995, the old center of Naples was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The area spans more than 3.8 sq mi (10 sq km), making it Europe's largest city center.
• Naples has not always been a part of Italy.
• Since 1137, Naples has been a component of the Country of Sicily, an autonomous kingdom.
• With the unification of Italy in 1861, Naples became a component of the Kingdom of Italy.
• Pompeii and Herculaneum, two settlements devastated by Mount Vesuvius' eruption, are located in the Metropolitan City of Naples.
• A monster volcano is always threatening Naples.
• Mount Vesuvius is a mega volcano made up of 24 craters, and the eruptions might be disastrous.
• In comparison, Mount Vesuvius' eruption has a level five on the Volcanic Explosivity Index.
• Campi Flegrei is rated at an all-time high of seven.
• Paestum in Campania is home to three of the world's best-preserved Greek temples, including the two Hera's Temples.
• The Port of Naples is one of Europe's busiest passenger ports.
• The Neapolitan city has a big harbor because it is built on the Bay of Naples.
• The Port of Naples is massive.
• The major activity is passenger transportation.
• 6.5 million passengers travel through the harbor each year.
• The Port of Naples is Europe's 12th largest passenger port.
• An Allied bombardment of the city during WWII caused significant damage.
• During World War Two, Naples was an important city for Fascist Italy.
• It was the second most attacked city in Italy, with over 200 airstrikes, after Milan.
• The city suffered significant devastation, with over 25,000 people murdered and prominent structures such as the Church of Santa Chiara destroyed.
• The National Archeological Museum of Naples is brimming with Greek and Roman artifacts.
• In Naples, there used to be rivers.
• The city is split into 30 sections, called 'quarters'.
• The Capodimonte museum is home to a number of magnificent artworks.
• Pastries from Naples are really delicious.
• Pedestrians are at risk in Naples.
• The streets of Naples are rather tiny, with only enough room for a car to pass through.
• In Italy, the Royal Palace of Caserta is quite famous.
• The royal palace was the residence of the kings of Naples.
• Naples is the home of the renowned 'O Sole Mio' song.
• Luciano Pavarotti made the song popular when he recorded it in 1980.
• The region's economy is mainly based on agriculture.

 Campania's History

Several Oscar-speaking Italic tribes lived in Campania from at least the beginning of the first millennium BC.

• Many of these tribes lived in modest agrarian settlements.
• Little is known about the pre-Indo-European tribes that lived in the region before the Oscans; they were likely not as technologically or culturally evolved as the Oscans, and those who remained had become fully Oscanised by the middle ages.
• By the end of the fourth century BC, Campania had become a full-fledged member of the Roman Republic, appreciated for its pastures and fertile countryside.
• With its Greek language and habits, Naples became a center of Hellenistic culture for the Romans, leaving the first traces of Greco-Roman civilization.
• During the Pyrrhic War in 275 BC, the Battle of Beneventum took place in Campania at the Samnite city of Maleventum, and the Romans were victors, headed by the consul Curius Dentatus. They called it Beneventum (modern-day Benevento), and it rose to be second only to Capua in southern Italy in terms of importance.
• During the Second Punic War in 216 BC, Capua joined with Carthage in a bid for equality with Rome.
• The rebelling Capuans were cut off from the remainder of Campania, which remained Rome's friends.
• The strong fortifications of Naples withstood Hannibal.
• During the Roman retaking of Capua in 211 BC, the city was starved into submission, and the Romans triumphed.

Geographical Facts About Campania

Campania has a land area of 5,247 sq mi (13,590 sq km) with a Tyrrhenian Sea coastline of 217 mi (350 km). Campania is well-known for its gulfs (Naples, Salerno, and Policastro) and three islands (Capri, Ischia, and Procida).

• Campania is bordered by four other regions: Lazio to the northwest, Molise to the north, Apulia (Puglia) to the northeast, and Basilicata to the east.
• The Amalfi coast is on the north side of the Salerno Gulf. The Amalfi coast is on the southern side of Italy.
• The climate along the coast is usually Mediterranean, with warm, sunny, and steamy summers and mild, wet winters, but the climate in the interior is more continental, with lower temperatures in winter and warm summers.
• Snow is possible at higher elevations, although it is uncommon at sea level.
• The terrain is hilly in 51% of the whole area, mountainous in 34%, and flat in the remaining 15%.
• The region is subject to a high level of seismic danger.

Campania's Culture And Food

Campanian cuisine differs by area. While Neapolitan cuisines emphasize fish, Casertan and Aversan dishes emphasize fresh vegetables and cheeses. Sorrento cuisine blends culinary traditions from both Naples and Salerno.

• Spaghetti is a popular dish in southern Italy, mainly in Italian cities.
• You can enjoy great music along with Campanian wines on an island in Europe while having Italian food.
• Lacryma Christi, Fiano, Aglianico, Greco di Tufo, Falerno del Massico, Taburno, Solopaca, and Taurasi are among the wines produced in Campania.
• Mozzarella di Bufala (mozzarella produced from buffalo milk).
• Fiordilatte is a type of mozzarella made from cow's milk.
• Ricotta is made from sheep or buffalo milk.
• Provolone is made from cow milk.
• Caciotta, made from goat milk, is the cheese of Campania.
• In the provinces of Salerno and Caserta, buffalo are raised.
• The Campania region produces a variety of Italian cakes and pies.
• During Easter, Italian Pastiera pie is baked.
• Casatiello and tortano are Easter breads created by combining bread dough with lard or oil, various varieties of cheese, and salami pieces.
• Babà cake is a popular Neapolitan dessert that is best served with rum or limoncello (a liqueur invented in the Sorrento peninsula). It is an old Austrian cake that arrived in Campania under the Austrian dominance of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies and was adapted to become a 'walking cake' for inhabitants who were always on the go for work and other interests.
• Sfogliatella is another Amalfi Coast pastry, as is Zeppole, which is customarily seen in history and eaten on Saint Joseph's Day in Europe.
• Struffoli, which are little fried dough balls coated in honey, are popular during the Christmas season.
• Another typical Campanian meal is the so-called Russian salad, sometimes known as the Olivier salad, and is based on French cuisine. It's made with mayonnaise-dressed potatoes, shrimp, and vinegar-dressed veggies. Gatt or gâteau di patate is another French-derived dish (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, zuppa di polpo, and zuppa di cozze (mussel soup).
• Other regional fish recipes include frittelle di mare, cooked with edible poseidonia algae, triglie al cartoccio, (red mullet in a sack), and alici marinade (fresh anchovies in olive oil).
• Ischia is famous for its seafood dishes as well as its fried rabbit. Sorrento lemons are also grown in Campania, the capital.
• In regional cookery, rapini (or broccoli rabe) is known as friarielli. Many nuts are grown in Campania, particularly in the areas of Avellino, Salerno, and Benevento.
• The cultivation of hazelnuts is notably important in the province of Avellino—the hazelnut is known as avellana, avel, and avelano in Spanish, Portuguese, and Occitan, after the city of Avella.