San Gennaro Vesuviano is a

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

and town located in the

Metropolitan City of Naples The Metropolitan City of Naples ( it, Città metropolitana di Napoli) is an Italian metropolitan city in Campania region, established on 1 January 2015. Its capital city is Naples; within the city there are 92 comunes (municipalities). It was ...

Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...

, in southern

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 ...

Geography

San Gennaro Vesuviano is located in the country-side area around

Nola Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian worship. ...

(the so-called “agro Nolano") approximately 25 kilometers east 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 ...

and nine kilometers from Nola.

History

Ancient history

The

of San Gennaro Vesuviano is positioned in the site of the Pianura Campana (the Campania Plain – once named the Planum Palmae), surrounded by the

Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ; it, Vesuvio ; nap, 'O Vesuvio , also or ; la, Vesuvius , also , or ) is a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples The Gulf of Naples (), also called the Bay of Naples, is a roughly 15-kilometer-wide (9 ...

and Monte Sant’Angelo. Archeological findings date early settlements back to the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

, around 2000 BC, when a sudden eruption of the Vesuvius wiped out the ancient communities settled in the area. Only several centuries later did new settlers repopulate the area.

17th century

The area remained uninhabited until 1631, when the Count of San Valentino and Marquis of

Lauro Lauro is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. It is located in lower Irpinia, in a woody valley. Sights include the remains of a 1st-century BC Roman ''thermae In ancient Rome, (fro ...

donated it to the monastic

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...

, who built here a convent; the inhabited center which grew around it was initially a neighbourhood of Palma Campania and later a self-governing entity by decree of King Ferdinand II of Two Sicilies. The Marquis also established the local Fair which is held every year in name of

Saint Januarius Januarius ( ; la, Ianuarius; Neapolitan language, Neapolitan and it, Gennaro), also known as , was Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Benevento, Bishop of Benevento and is a Christian martyrs, martyr and saint of the Catholic Church and the Eastern ...

Nazi occupation and Allies arrival

During the Nazi occupation, a young man was executed by Nazi soldiers because he was found outside during curfew. Several livestock were seized by the German armed forces and consequently killed. The area of Pozzo Pagnotti was bombed by USA forces while a British fighter plane was taken down and fell near Via Musiello, killing the pilot. On 9 September the Allies arrived in

Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...

and on the 28th the English forces reached San Gennaro Vesuviano. The men were those from the 46th Infantry Division under the command of Major-General John Hawkesworth. A group of local inhabitants went to meet the newly arrived English forces, warning them about the location of land mines previously placed around the area by German forces.

Economy

Nowadays, San Gennaro Vesuviano belongs to a larger industrial district which consists of a territorial consortium of small businesses with a discernible specialization in the general manufacturing industry. Activities include mostly food processing. Despite the overpopulation, agriculture is still performed by local farmers and small landowners: activities include hazelnut, grain and tobacco growing (''nicotina tabacum'': indigenous of North-America) as well as vineyards Pig and cow breeding are not relevant industries. There are several specialized horse breeders.

Transportation

San Gennaro is connected to the A30 Caserta-Salerno

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

both through the Palma Campania junction and the SS-268 (a state-run toll-free road). It is also served by RFI station Palma-San Gennaro.

Churches and Monuments

Catholic Church of the

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

Convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

Catholic Church od Saints Joachim and Anna Giugliani Chapel Sommesi Chapel Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witnesses Franciscan Convent (dated ca 1600). Memorial for the fallen soldiers

Padre Pio Francesco Forgione, OFM Cap., better known as Padre Pio and as Saint Pius of Pietrelcina ( it, Pio da Pietrelcina; 25 May 188723 September 1968), was an Italian Franciscan Capuchin friar, priest, stigmatist, and mystic. He is venerated as a s ...

statue

References

History of the Camorra in Italy San Gennaro Vesuviano {{Campania-geo-stub