Palma Campania ( nap, Pàrmë), known until 1863 as Palma di Nola, 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 ...

'' (municipality) 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 wa ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

region

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

, located about 25 km 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 adm ...

. Palma Campania borders the following municipalities: Carbonara di Nola,

Domicella Domicella (Irpino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, 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 mi ...

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, (fr ...

Liveri Liveri is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 30 km northeast of Naples. Liveri borders the following municipalities: Carbonara di Nola, Domicella, Marzano di Nola, N ...

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 wo ...

Poggiomarino Poggiomarino is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 25 km east of Naples. History Poggiomarino originated from the construction the canal "Conte di Sarno", begun in 159 ...

San Gennaro Vesuviano San Gennaro Vesuviano is a comune and town located in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, in southern Italy. Geography San Gennaro Vesuviano is located in the country-side area around Nola (the so-called “agro Nolano") approximately ...

San Giuseppe Vesuviano San Giuseppe Vesuviano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in Italy, region Campania, located about 20 km east of Naples. Sights include the sanctuary dedicated to St. Joseph that stands in the center of the ci ...

Sarno Sarno is a town and '' comune'' and former Latin Catholic bishopric of Campania, Italy, in the province of Salerno, 20 km northeast from the city of Salerno and 60 km east of Naples by the main railway. Overview It lies at the f ...

, Striano,

Ottaviano Ottaviano ( nap, Uttajano) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about east of Naples and is located in the Vesuvian Area. Ottaviano was in Roman times a hamlet of houses within ...

. The city is famous also for the "Carnevale Palmese".

History

Archaeological evidence indicates human habitation of the area in the early

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 ...

(c. 1850 BCE), but the foundation of the town is more recent. It has been suggested that Palma was founded in the sixth century CE by people taking refuge from the eruptions of

Mount Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ; it, Vesuvio ; nap, 'O Vesuvio , also or ; la, Vesuvius , also , or ) is a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of ...

; alternatively it may be linked to a

Roman consul A consul held the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC), and ancient Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum'' (an ascending sequence of public offices to which politic ...

named Palma who held office at the beginning of the first century CE. Ramains of the ancient Roman Aqua Augusta aqueduct feeding the bay of Naples are nearby at ''Ponte Tirone''. The oldest building still standing is the ninth-century church of San Martino, in the ''frazione'' Vico. The earliest extant documentary record of the place dates to 997. During the Middle Ages the town's fortunes were linked to the noble families Di Palma,

Orsini Orsini is a surname of Italian origin, originally derived from Latin ''ursinus'' ("bearlike") and originating as an epithet or sobriquet describing the name-bearer's purported strength. Notable people with the surname include the following: *Angel ...

, Della Tolfa, Pignatelli, Di Bologna,

Caracciolo Caracciolo () is an Italian surname most associated with the noble House of Carácciolo from the Kingdom of Naples. Other people with the name include: * Alberto Caracciolo, Argentinian musician * Andrea Caracciolo, Italian footballer * Battistel ...

, Salluzzo, and Compagna..

References

Cities and towns in Campania {{Campania-geo-stub