Piedigrotta (; nap, Piererotta ; "at the foot of the grotto") is a section of the
Chiaia
Chiaia (, ) is an affluent neighbourhood on the seafront in Naples, Italy, bounded by Piazza Vittoria on the east and Mergellina on the west. Chiaia is one of the wealthiest districts in Naples, and many luxury brands have shops on its main street. ...
quarter of
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, so-called for the presence of the Church of the
Madonna of Piedigrotta near the entrance to the
Crypta Neapolitana
The Crypta Neapolitana (Latin for "Neapolitan crypt") is an ancient Roman road tunnel near Naples, Italy. It was built in 37 BC and is over 700 metres long.
The tunnel connected Naples with the so-called Phlegrean Fields and the town of Pozzu ...
.
The area was also well known for an annual festival, which gave rise to a song writing competition leading to the commercial birth of the popular
Neapolitan song
Canzone napoletana (), sometimes referred to as Neapolitan song ( nap, canzona napulitana ), is a generic term for a traditional form of music sung in the Neapolitan language, ordinarily for the male voice singing solo, although well represented b ...
.
References
Zones of Naples
{{Campania-geo-stub