The city of Naples and surrounding area of Campania are full of historical sites. (gregorylee | 123rf.com)

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Your new home near NSA Naples is in the Campania region of Italy – a place with gorgeous dramatic coastlines, ancient Roman ruins, iconic volcanic landscapes and the third largest city in Italy.

The name Campania comes from one of the oldest known tribal groups that lived in the region from around 1000 B.C. The Campanians were one of many tribes that spoke the Oscan language, and you can see an inscription of words in this language written in Latin on the Tabula Bantina in the Naples Archaeological Museum.

External colonizing began around 800 B.C from two different groups. First, the Etruscans moved in to create permanent villages from tribal centers in well-known towns like Capua, Pompeii or Sorrento. You can see Etruscan artifacts at the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Capua and visit the Etruscan-Samnite Necropolis in Salerno. While the Etruscans settled villages, Greeks came to establish more substantial trading ports, including Naples. A visit to the Naples Underground can shed light on how the Greeks quarried out blocks to build the city they named Neapolis.

See how blocks were quarried out for Neapolis at the Naples Underground. (gianmarchetti - stock.adobe.com)

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Of course, none of this came peacefully. Tribal groups posed a real threat to colonizers, and by the 300s B.C., both Etruscan and Greek cities appealed to Rome for an alliance. Eventually, the region was subsumed into the Roman Empire, and in 27 B.C., Port Julius was built in modern Miseno at the north end of the Gulf of Naples; it became the most important and largest base for the Roman Navy. The area became a favorite holiday destination for wealthy Romans. Whole swathes of coastline are now underwater due to volcanism, and you can see the ancient villas via boat at the Underwater Archaeological Park of Baia. Across the bay, one of the most notorious volcanic eruptions occurred in 79 C.E. when Mount Vesuvius buried the Roman resort towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii. Both are now archaeological parks where you can see how the Roman elite spent their holidays.

The volcano is now part of Vesuvius National Park, which offers hiking trails and incredible views. There are plenty of other routes for enjoying the mountains, forests, coastlines and unique maquis shrublands throughout Campania; find your favorite at www.hikingcampania.com.

Vesuvius National Park has hiking trails and incredible views. (ruivalesousa | 123rf.com)

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When the Roman Empire declined, Naples was still the place for wealthy and famous folks. So much so, that the last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus was exiled in 476 to the massive Castel dell’Ovo – an estate that had been remodeled into a fortified castle over the centuries. It is still visible in Bay of Naples today. Early Christians of the time, including San (Saint) Gennaro, were interred in a maze of underground catacombs that you can still visit.

The Middle Ages found Campania ruled by various dukedoms and under the control of numerous outside polities. Much of the region became the Duchy of Benevento under the Lombards. There are countless towns fortified with walls and castles by the Lombards; start in the city of Benevento with its walls, monastery and museum. The city of Naples held out as the independent Duchy of Naples from 661-1139. In the 1300s the cult of San Gennaro grew to prominence and his miraculous blood, said to liquify and protect the city, is still housed at the Cathedral of Naples.

Inside the Duomo di San Gennaro (mitzo_bs - stock.adobe.com)

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Naples became a major center of the Italian Renaissance, and the city gave its name to the Kingdom of Naples, which included all of southern Italy, lasting until 1818. Naples still has beautiful architecture from this time, including many of the soaring churches and palaces, especially in the Royal Naples neighborhood. Visit the Royal Palace of Naples and check out the triumphal arch built at the Castel Nuovo. For Renaissance art, you cannot beat the Capodimonte Museum. North of Naples, don’t miss a visit to the Royal Palace of Caserta, a massive royal residence on the scale of Versaille with a linear park of nearly two miles full of fountains and an English garden.

In the early 1800s, the King of Naples sided against Napoleon in his attempt to take over Europe and following the Napoleanic Wars, Italy became divided. By the time of its unification into the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, there was a drastic difference between a wealthy, industrialized north and the poorer south. Campania was heavily affected by emigration of thousands of people seeking better options in America. 

In 1889, the story goes, Queen Margherita visited Naples, and ate a special version of the local pizza, topped with local ingredients and made in her honor: pizza margherita was born! It may not be true, but topped flatbreads have been a staple in the region since ancient times, and topping them with tomato products has been around since the vegetables were first imported from the Americas in the 1500s. Pizza making is like a regional art, so be sure to eat your fill at the thousands of pizzerias in Campania.

Eating pizza at one of the many pizzerias is a must-do experience while stationed in Naples (OKemppainen - stock.adobe.com)

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During World War I, Italy joined with the Allied powers, but the economic and social unrest after the war left room for the rise in fascism. Naples was the site of Mussolini’s fascist congress in 1922, before he marched on Rome to form a new government. World War II saw Italy fight on the side of the Axis powers and suffer a major defeat. Naples was heavily bombed and the region saw heavy fighting during the Salerno Landings. Visit the Museum of Operation Avalanche in Eboli to delve into one of the largest amphibious assaults in the Mediterranean.

Nowadays, Campania is known for its Mediterranean waterfront landscapes. Don’t miss visiting the cascading, colorful, cliffside villages of the Amalfi Coast, wander the tiny lanes and take a boat out to the blue water-filled grottos. For a view of Naples, head across the bay for an aperitivo at a cliff top restaurant in Sorrento. If sandy beaches are more your style, drive out to the coastlines north of the Bay of Naples, especially near Lago Patria.

Naples’ historic center, with its narrow cobblestoned streets, is known for its shopping. Find upscale fashion in the Chiaia district, head down the main shopping street of Via Toledo, build your own Christmas Nativity scene along Via San Gregorio Armeno, or try one of the city’s many street markets.

The Campania region and its city of Naples is full of historical sites. (Kovacs - stock.adobe.com)

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