Campania

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Campania is a region of southern Italy located on the Italian Peninsula. It is bordered by Lazio to the northwest, Abruzzo and Molise to the north, Puglia to the northeast and Basilicata to the east. The Tyrrhenian Sea lies to the southwest and west and the small Flegrean Islands and Capri are also considered part of Campania.

With an area of 13,595 km², Campania is only the twelfth largest region of Italy, but a population of around 5.8 million people makes it the second most populous, and the most densely populated region in the country.

The name derives from Latin, as the Romans knew the region as Campania felix ("fortunate countryside"), a name that is shared by the French province of Champagne.

Geography

Campania is divided into five provinces:

• Avellino
• Benevento
• Caserta
• Naples (Napoli / Nàpule)
• Salerno

History

Campania was part of the Magna Graecia, the Greek colonies of southern Italy; the first Greek colony was founded at Cumae, north of present day Naples, in the 8th century BC. Etruscans and Samnites gave way to the expanding Roman Republic. In 217 BC Hannibal entered Campania and, by burning the crops of these fertile lowlands, hoped to provoke the Roman commander Fabius Maximus Cunctator (the delayer). Hannibal failed in his attempt; nor did he weaken Roman prestige enough to provoke any of the Campanian towns to rebel. Fabius, in turn, failed to trap Hannibal in Campania when Hannibal used the ruse of tying burning brands to the horns of cattle, so drawing off the force guarding a vital pass out of Campania. In 216 BC, however, after Hannibal's victory at the battle of Cannae, Capua, the leading city of Campania, wavered. They first requested complete equality with Rome, including the demand that one of the Roman consuls should be elected from Capua. When Rome rejected this, they opened negotiations with Hannibal who was more than willing to endorse the full independence they sought. The defection of Capua did not however inspire other Campanian towns so Capua was isolated. The Romans, in Hannibal's absence, were eventually able to build siege works round the city. As Hannibal proved unable to break the siege, Capua was eventually starved into submission in 211 BC.

Campania was the breadbasket of Rome until the acquisition of Egypt brought greater supplies of grain, resulting in the conversion of smallholdings in Campania to the characteristic latifundia that lasted from the Empire to modern times. Goths and the Byzantine Empire struggled for control during the 5th and 6th centuries, followed by the Lombards, who established the Duchy of Benevento. The Normans (Robert Guiscard) conquered and re-unified Campania during the 11th and 12th centuries, seizing southern Italy from the Byzantines, forming the Kingdom of Sicily. After the Hohenstaufen confrontation with the Papacy, the kingdom passed to Charles of Anjou who retained his mainland territories after he lost Sicily (1282) as the Kingdom of Naples, reunited with Sicily by Alfonso V of Aragon (1442) who styled himself the 'King of Two Sicilies', a title that was subsequently revived during the Spanish domination (1504 – 1713) of both kingdoms. The Bourbons succeeded in 1713: prior to the unification of Italy, Campania formed part of the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

People

The people of Campania have a proud collective common history, however provincial identity takes president over their regional Campanian identity. For example, people from the province of Naples (which makes up over half of the total population of Campania) refer to themselves as Neapolitan before Campanian, there is a similar situation in the other Campanian provinces, for example with the people from the province of Salerno and the self-referential term Salernitan (or in their native language, Salernitani).

Demographics

Unlike central and northern Italy, in the last decade the region of Campania has not attracted large numbers of immigrants. The Italian national institute of statistics ISTAT estimated in January 2007 that 98,052 foreign-born immigrants live in Campania, equal to only 1.7% of the total regional population. Part of the reason for this is in recent times, there have been more employment opportunities in northern regions than in the Southern Italian regions. In Campania there are sixteen cities and towns which have a population level above 50,000 people as of 2007, these are;

Food

The pizza in its modern aspect and taste was born in Naples.

Historical and original pizza from Naples are pizza fritta (fried pizza), with or without being stuffed with ricotta cheese; if stuffed it is called Calzone (like single part of trousers); pizza Marinara (pizza seamans'style), with just olive oil, tomato sauce and garlic; and the queen of all pizza, the pizza Margherita with olive oil, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and some basil leaves.

Spaghetti is a well known dish from southern Italy and Campania. Neapolitans were among the first Europeans to use tomatoes not only as ornamental plant, but also as food and garnishment.

Campania is also home to Lacryma Christi, Fiano, Aglianico, Greco di Tufo, Pere 'e palomma, Ischitano, Taburno, Solopaca, Taurasi wines.

Campania is regarded throughout Italy as the producer of the best Mozzarella di Bufala (Mozzarella made from buffalo milk), fiordilatte (flower of milk) made from cow milk, ricotta from sheep or buffalo, provolone from cow milk, and caciotta made from goat milk. Buffalo cattle are in Salerno and Caserta.

Mozzarella is very famous for being soft and chewy cheese and melts gently if exposed to heat. It just smells and tastes of milk, so it is appreciated for being not stinky. It is such a good cheese that there are rising mozzarella producers all over the world, in USA, in Australia, and even in China where cheese it is not very appreciated due to genetic reasons (2 Chinese out of 3 when becoming adults lose their capability to digest lactose).

Very famous are the cakes and pies from Campania. The pastiera pie it is made in the Easter period. Also casatiello and tortano are Easter bread-cakes made adding pork grease and/or oil to the dough of the bread and are garnished with chops of salami and various chops of cheese mixed and cooked with the bread.

The babà cake it is a well known neapolitan gourmandise, best served with Rum or limoncello liquor. It is an old Austrian cake which arrived in Campania during Austrian domination of the Kingdom of Naples and here was modified to became a "walking cake" for citizens always in hurry for work and other occupations.

The sfogliatella is another pasty cake from Amalfi Coast. Last century it became famous throughout Italy, and now is beginning to be known worldwide as well as are becoming famous the zeppole cake.

Limoncello is a world renowned liquor invented in the Sorrento peninsula.

Struffoli, little balls fried dough dipped in honey, are enjoyed during the Christmas holidays.

Zeppole, which is eaten on Saint Joseph's day is another cake enjoyed around the world.

Derived from some similar dishes from France, other famous Campanian dishes are also the so called Russian salad made of potatoes in mayonnaise garnished with shrimps and vegetables in vineger. Strange to know the Russians call this dish Olivier Salad and the Germans called it italian salad. Also from France domination comes the "gattò" or "gateau di patate" (pie made of boiled potatoes cooked in oven).

Fish-based dishes, such as "insalata di mare" (sea salad), "zuppa di polpo" (boiled soup of octopus), "zuppa di cozze" (soup of mussels), are popular. Another dish is "frittelle di mare" (fritters with seaweed), made with edible poseidonia algae. There are a number of famous dishes made with, such as "triglie al cartoccio" (red mullet in the bag), and "alici marinate" (raw anchovyies in olive oil). The island of Ischia is famous for its fish dishes as well as cooked rabbit.

Campania is home to the beautiful and tasty lemons of Sorrento, which were much loved by German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:

"Kennst du das Land, wo die Zitronen blühn?" ("Do you know the land where the lemon-trees bloom?), Goethe, Mignon.

Also from Campania are the friarielli or friggiarelli vegetables. Friarielli are broccoli that taste bitter. This gives this vegetable an intense taste, and make it good to be fried and often served with sausages.

Famous worldwide are the nuts of Campania from Salerno and Benevento.

Campanian cuisine distinguish itself into various typical zones, Neapolitan is rich of seafood; Salernitan, which mix up mountain and sea; Benevantan and Avellinese from inner and mountain land; Casertan and Aversana rich of fresh vegetables and mozarella cheese; Cilento cuisine typical of the foremost south of Campania; Sorrento cuisine which melts together the cuisine from Naples and from Salerno, and the mountain ones, because Sorrento peninsula it is a mountain which elevates up to from the sea.

Calitrian cuisine is renowned in the region of Campania for being very tasty and rather spicy. Typical hand-made pasta dishes include cingul', the local dish par excellence. This is short, twirly pasta boiled and then served with a thick, tasty tomato sauce. Other varieties of pasta with the same sauce include lahan' and aurecchi' r' preut'- (priest’s ears in the local dialect). Others are annazze', served with delicious hot tomato sauce and pecorino cheese; and sciliend' (a special vermicelli-like pasta) with a condiment of garlic-fried oil and hot chili pepper.

Culture

Campania and Naples are famous through the centuries.

From Greek colony of Elea nowadays named Velia in Campania were the philosophers of the Pre-Socratic philosophy school, Parmenides and Zeno of Elea Their time was about in 490 - 480 B.C. Zeno was famous for his paradoxes and called by Aristotle the inventor of the dialectic.

Latin poet Virgilius (70 B.C. - 19 B.C.) loved Campania very much, so much that he decided to establish in Naples. Many parts of his epic poem and immortal masterpiece Aeneid are located in Campania.

Ancient scientist Plinius Pliny the elder who wrote a "Naturalis Historia" ("Pliny's History of the Nature") studied the Volcano Vesuvius and was poisoned and killed by gas emitted from the volcano during the famous eruption in 79 A.D.

His nephew Pliny the younger eventually survived and described the eruption and the death of his uncle in a famous letter to one of his friends.

In Naples in 476 A.D. circa died last emperor of western empire of Rome Romulus Augustus, prisoner of German general Odoacer.

Artist Giotto in middle age made some fresco paints in Castel Nuovo. Unfortunately these paintings were destroyed by an earthquake.

In the end of middle age, the medical school of Salerno which combined ancient Roman and Greek medicine with recent discoveries of Arab medicine was known in all Europe. Its methods were then adopted in all the continent. It could be reckognized as being almost the first university in whole Europe, but as there are no certain documents that it was organized like a modern university as we known it, then the preeminence of being the first modern university in the world it tooks to "Alma Mater Studiorum" University in Bologna.

Boccaccio poet from Tuscany visited various time Naples, and described it vivid into Decameron as dissolute city. He had a love story with a noble woman close to King of Naples.

Famous in 1500 is the big book tale named "Lo cunto de li cunti" by Giovan Battista Basile.

In 1570 the famous writer Cervantes who wrote romance "Don Quixote" served as Spanish soldier a period in Naples. he said of the city that it was the beauties city he had ever visited.

Literate and poet Torquato Tasso author of the epic poem la "Gerusalemme Liberata" was born in Sorrento in 1575.

The first modern description and studies on the of the "camera obscura" ("dark chamber"), are firmly established in Italy with the availability of Giovanni Battista della Porta in its masterpiece Magiae Naturalis, ("Natural Magic") in 1558 . These studies then led to construction of first photocameras in 1850 circa by French scientists Niepce and Daguerre.

Phliosoper Giordano Bruno was born in Nola. He was the first to teorize infinte suns and infinite worlds in the universe. He was burnt in Rome by Inquisition in 1600.

Of 1630 circa it is the first modern song of europen music history "Michelemmà".

In 1606 ca. the famous painter Caravaggio established his studio in Naples. His life was really riotus. He was even harmed in a riot in 1609 near Cerriglio inn.

Famous Italian architect Cosimo Fanzago from Bergamo decided to live his life in Naples.

In period of 1700 Naples was the last city to be visited by literate and philosopes who enterprised the "Grand Tour" which was the big touring (looping) voyage to visit all the important cultural sites of the European continent.

Italian architect Luigi Vanvitelli son of Dutch architect Kaspar van Wittel build the Kingdom Palace in Caserta in 1750 circa. He contributed to the construction of many neoclassic-style palaces in which the nobles of Naples spent their holidays. These palaces are now known worldwide as "Ville Vesuviane".

Raimondo di Sangro, prince of Sansevero, was a scientist and one of the last alchemists.

German writer Goethe visited Campania and Naples in 1786 and was amazed by the beauty of it.

German archaeologist Johann Joachim Winckelmann also visited Naples, Paestum, Herculaneum and Pompeii in 1748 and later, studying how where conducted acheological surveys in 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 city of Herculaneum. His masterpiece, the "Geschichte der Kunst des Alterthums" ("History of Ancient Art"), published in 1764, was soon recognized as a significant contribution to European literature.

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.

Famous Neapolitan musicians of that period are Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli and Giovanni Paisiello.

Musician Rossini lived many years in Naples, where he wrote numerous compositions.

Italian poet and writer Giacomo Leopardi established his home in Naples and Torre del Greco lived there at the end of his young brief life. It was there that hhe wrote the Ode to the Ginestra flower. He died in Naples in 1837 .

The first volcano observatory, the Vesuvius Observatory, was founded in Naples in 1841.

Geologist Giuseppe Mercalli, born in Milan in 1850, was one of the most famous directors of Vesuvius Observatory. He invented in 1902 the first scientific method to study the effects of an earthquake, the Mercalli intensity scale (also known as MCS, MWM or recently MM). The scale quantifies the effects of an earthquake on the Earth's surface, humans, objects of nature, and man-made structures on a scale of 1 through 12, with 1 denoting a weak earthquake and 12 one that causes almost complete destruction. It represents the results of an earthquake as reported by human eye and considering only the surface of the earth, so it became quickly obsolete and replaced by Richter Magnitude Scale which quantifies the real amount of energy of the seismic movements. Nothwithstanding of this fact the Mercalli scale is still useful to quantify the damages of an earthquake. He died in the fire of his house in 1914.

British statesman William Ewart Gladstone (1809-98), exposed in newspaper articles the horrors of the prison system of the Kingdom of Naples in the mid-nineteenth century. His pamphlets gave enormous help to the cause of re-unification of Italy in 1861 and increase notheworthy his reputation in homeland, as representative of the British Parliament to be then elected as Prime Minister. It was later discovered that he never visited any neapolitan prison, neither investigated upon that jail system. He simply reported voices and wannabe testimoniances. These articles, containing a long list of absurd lies and propagandistic inventions, and probably were made to support invasion and annexion of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies by the Kingdom of Piedmont, with the following foundation of modern Italy.

French writer Alexandre Dumas, père was directly involved in the process of re-unification of Italy, and sojourned two or three years in Naples, where he wrote many historical novels regarding that city. He was also a known newspaper correspondent.

Francesco de Sanctis, writer, literate, politician and two times Minister of Instructions after re-unification of Italy in 1861, was born in Morra de Sanctis near Benevento.

German scientist Anton Dohrn founded in Naples the first public aquarium in the world and laboratory of study of the sea known as Maritime Zoological Station.

Also famous is Astronomic Observatory of Capodimonte founded by King Gioacchino Murat general of French emperor Napoleon in 1816. The observatory it is now the site hosts the Italian Laboratory of Astrophisics.

We remember also the Botanic Garden of Naples and again the Geological Station of the Volcano Vesuvius.

Doctors and surgeons Antonio Cardarelli, and Giuseppe Moscati were ensign representatives of the medicine studies in Naples. Their life was an example for all city and the entire nation.

Doctor Giuseppe Moscati, for his extraordinary devout and religious life and his care to the poors of Naples was first declared "Blessed" by Roman Church in 1975, and proclaimed "Saint" by Pope John Paul II in 1987.

Famous worldwide are the schools of sightseeing pictures known as "School of Posillipo" and "School of Resina" out of period from 1800-1900 circa. There were famous painters like Giacinto Gigante, Raffaele Carelli, Teodoro Duclère, Achille Vianelli, Vincenzo Franceschini, Alessandro La Volpe, Giuseppe Bonolis, Giuseppe Fagnani, Salvatore Fergola, Emile-Jean-HoraceVernet, Gonsalvo Carelli, Achille Carelli, Giuseppe Carelli, Filippo Palizzi, Nicola Palizzi, Federico Cortese, Simone Campanile, Domenico Morelli, Saverio Altamura, Giuseppe De Nittis, Francesco Sogliano, Michele Cammarano, Eduardo Dalbono, Vincenzo Gemito, Antonio Mancini, Gennaro della Monica, Raffaello Pagliaccetti, Teofilo Patini, Francesco Paolo Michetti, Costantino Barbella, Pasquale Celommi, Gaetano Esposito, Giuseppe Casciaro, Federico Maldarelli, Giuseppe De Simone.

Amongst the painters who inspired directly these schools, we remember Salvator Rosa, Pierre Jacques-Antoine Volaire who became famous for his gouaches, Anton Sminck van Pitloo who preferred to live his remaining life in Naples.

In the begin of the 20th century Naples was the capital of Cinema in Italy, before than Rome and then Milan.

Very important Italian movies of the origins were played in Naples, such as Assunta Spina from a novel of Salvatore di Giacomo.

The world renowned opera singer Enrico Caruso was also a native of Naples.

In Capri lived for a certain time the Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir I. Lenin.

From Naples came the mathematician Renato Caccioppoli, nephew of Russian anarchic revolutionary Michael Bakunin. Born in 1904 he committed suicide in 1959. His life was represented in a movie "Morte di un matematico napoletano" ("Death of a neapolitan mathematician") by Mario Martone in 1992.

The first President of the Italian Republic in 1946 (with a pro-tempore mandate of six months) was lawyer Enrico De Nicola from city of Torre del Greco. He was famous for his studies regarding the Constitutions.

Campania gave two other Presidents to Italy: Giovanni Leone was various times Prime Minister and then becme elected the 6th President of the Republic; and the actual 11th President Giorgio Napolitano. Curiosity: President Napolitano is a former representative of Italian Communist Party (PCI).

20th century most known philosoper and literate in Naples was Benedetto Croce, famous for his studies in aesthetics, ethics, logic, economy, history, politics.

Famous Neapolitan artists, actors, playwriters, and showmen were Eduardo De Filippo worldwide known for its theatre works such as "Filumena Marturano" (filumena), and "Questi fantasmi" (a.k.a. "Souls of Naples)", Peppino De Filippo and their sister Titina De Filippo.

The prince Antonio de Curtis was one of the most important actors in Naples in the 20th century. Known around the world by his art nickname of Totò he worked with Pier Paolo Pasolini in the movie "Uccellacci e uccellini". He is also known for the song "Malafemmena".

Pop artist Andy Warhol created two famous paintings ofIrpinia Earthquake of 1980: Fate presto and Vesuvius. Both originals are hosted in the exhibit Terrae Motus in King's Palace of Caserta.

The Academy Award-winning actress Sophia Loren was born in Pozzuoli.

The famous cinema producer Dino De Laurentiis (grandfather of Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis) was born in Torre Annunziata.

Recent campanian writers are Curzio Malaparte and Domenico Rea.

Recent campanian actors and directors are Francesco Rosi, Iaia Forte, Pappi Corsicato, Teresa De Sio, Lello Arena, Award winning actor Massimo Troisi, Award winning director Gabriele Salvatores.

Recent and modern Italian songers and musicians from Campania are Peppino di Capri, Renato Carosone, Edoardo Bennato, Eugenio bennato Mario Merola, Sergio Bruni, Aurelio Fierro, Roberto Murolo, E.A. Mario, Eugenio Bennato Tony Tammaro, Teresa De Sio, Eduardo De Crescenzo, Alan Sorrenti, Jenni Sorrenti, Toni Esposito, Tullio De Piscopo, Gigi Finizio, Massimo Ranieri, Pino Daniele, James Senese and his group Napoli Centrale, Enzo Avitabile, Enzo Gragnaniello, Maria Nazionale, Nino D'Angelo, Gigi D'Alessio, the music groups of 99 Posse, Almamegretta, Bisca, 24 Grana la "Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare". remember all it is almost impossible.

Well known and deservers its place in the history of music it is the music genre called neapolitan song. Famous worldwide are O sole mio (a.k.a. "It's Now or Never"), Funniculì Funniculà, O Surdato nnamurato, Torna a Surriento, Guapparia, Santa Lucia Reginella, Marechiaro, Spingule Francese. Famous titles are hundreds. Neapolitan songs are thousands.

Even singers and music directors who do not have Campanian origins wrote Neapolitan songs Paolo Conte, Lucio Dalla, or adapted it to English, like Elvis Presley or Bryan Adams. There are some who perhaps just played neapolitan songs, such as for example Mia Martini or Domenico Modugno. Lyric artists Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Andrea Bocelli performed it various times.

There are also famous film artists who directed movies about Naples or actors who played famous movies in Campania, or even interpreted famous Neapolitans on-screen, including directors and actors Vittorio De Sica, Nanni Loi, Domenico Modugno, Renzo Arbore, Lina Wertmüller, Mario Lanza as "Caruso", Clark Gable in "It started in Naples", Jack Lemmon in the movies "Avanti!" and "Maccheroni" (a.k.a."Macaroni") played together with Marcello Mastroianni.

Sports

Campania is very famous in Italy for its football teams, water polo, volleyball, and more recently for basketball and tennis.

The school of swords in Naples is the oldest in the country and the only in Italy in which a swordsman could acquire the title of "master of swords" and then teach the art of fence.

The sail clubs in Naples "Circolo Savoia" and "Cannottieri Napoli" are both very ancient in Italy and famous for thir regattas, and are also home for the main waterpolo teams.

Many sailsmen from Naples and Campania participate as crew to "America's Cup" sailing championship.

In Castellammare di Stabia were born the Lorenzo Abbagnale and Carmine Abbagnale brothers four times rowing world champions and Olympic gold medallists.

Main football teams

• S.S.C. Napoli playing in Serie A
• U.S. Avellino which plays in Serie B
• Salernitana Calcio 1919 playing in Serie C1/B
• S.S. Juve Stabia from Castellammare di Stabia which plays in Serie C1/B
• S.S. Cavese 1919 from Cava de' Tirreni which plays in Serie C1/A
• Benevento Calcio playing in Serie C2/B
• A.G. Nocerina 1910 from Nocera Inferiore playing in Serie D
• F.C. Savoia 1908 playing in Serie D

References

External links

• Official Region homepage
• Campania Photo Gallery
• typical food products
• Map of Campania
• typical wines of Campania
• Vesuvius Observatory

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