Sirenuse
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The Sirenusas ( it, Le Sirenuse), also known as the Gallos (', "the Cocks"), are an archipelago of little islands off the
Amalfi Coast The Amalfi Coast ( it, Costiera amalfitana) is a stretch of coastline in southern Italy overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Salerno. It is located south of the Sorrentine Peninsula and north of the Cilentan Coast. Celebrated worldwide ...
of
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 ...
between Isle of Capri and southwest of
Province of Salerno The Province of Salerno ( it, Provincia di Salerno) is a province in the Campania region of Italy. __TOC__ Geography The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 131,950; Cava de' Tirreni, Battipagli ...
's
Positano Positano (Campanian: ) is a village and ''comune'' on the Amalfi Coast (Province of Salerno), in Campania, Italy, mainly in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast. Climate The climate of Positano is very mild, of the Mediterranean ...
, to which it is administratively attached. They are part of the
Campanian Archipelago The Campanian Archipelago ( it, Arcipelago Campano), also called Neapolitan Archipelago ('), is an archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea, in southwestern Italy. It principally comprises 5 islands: Capri, Ischia, Nisida, Procida, and Vivara. Most of the ...
. The name, Sirenuse, is a reference to the mythological
siren Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisc ...
s said to have lived there.


Extent

The archipelago consists of three main islands: *
Il Gallo Lungo Il Gallo Lungo is an island of Italy, in Campania. Belonging to the municipality of Positano, it is part of the Li Galli group. It is the largest of the three islands of the group, with the shape of a long sickle (or a dolphin), whose concavity, lo ...
, which takes the form of a dolphin * La Castelluccia, also known as Gallo dei Briganti * the nearly circular La Rotonda Smaller islets include, nearer the shore, Isca and, midway between the main islands and Isca, a prominent rocky outcropping that juts above the water, .


Mythology

Several
siren Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisc ...
s were said to have inhabited the islands, the most famous of whom were Parthenope, Leucosia, and
Ligeia "Ligeia" () is an early short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1838. The story follows an unnamed narrator and his wife Ligeia, a beautiful and intelligent raven-haired woman. She falls ill, composes "The Conqueror Wor ...
. One of them played the lyre, another sang, and another played the flute. They are mentioned in the 1st century BC by
Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
, the Greek Geographer and by
Straton of Sardis Straton of Sardis ( grc-gre, Στράτων; better known under his Latin name Strato) was a Greek poet and anthologist from the Lydian city of Sardis. Life Straton is thought by some scholars to have lived during the time of Hadrian, based o ...
in 120 AD. In ancient stories, the sirens were depicted as having bodies of a bird and human heads, but the medieval interpretations of the stories depicted them as mermaids. The terms ''Sirenai'' and ''Sirenusai'', from the Latin ', meaning indicate both the sirens themselves and their residence. The modern name, ''I Galli'' or ''The Cocks'', references the bird-like form of the ancient sirens.


History

Originally the site of an ancient Roman anchorage, in the Middle Ages the islands became medieval fiefdoms of the 13th-century Emperor Frederick II and the
Capetian House of Anjou The Capetian House of Anjou or House of Anjou-Sicily, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct French House of Capet, part of the Capetian dynasty. It is one of three separate royal houses referred to as ''Angevin'', meaning "from Anjou" ...
.


Gallo Lungo


Isca

The Neapolitan playwright
Eduardo De Filippo Eduardo De Filippo (; 24 May 1900 – 31 October 1984), also known simply as ''Eduardo'', was an Italian actor, director, screenwriter and playwright, best known for his Neapolitan works ''Filumena Marturano'' and '' Napoli Milionaria''. Consid ...
purchased this island, which was later owned by his son
Luca De Filippo Luca De Filippo (3 June 1948 – 27 November 2015) was an Italian actor and director of theatre. De Filippo was born in Rome to Eduardo De Filippo and the singer and actress Thea Prandi. He married Carolina Rosi, the daughter of director Francesc ...
. Isca has a villa and garden on the side facing the cliff (and, thus, not visible if sailing behind the island). The island was described by the playwright’s wife, Isabella, in a book entitled, ''In mezzo al mare un'isola c'è...'' ("There is an island in the sea…"). The property has been on and off the market for years, most recently a public listing of the three islands in 2011 was for
US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
268,000,000.Rob Bear
A Pricey Amalfi Archipelago and Some Cheaper Alternatives
Curbed ''Curbed'' is an American real estate and urban design website founded as a blog by Lockhart Steele in 2006. The full website, founded in 2010, featured sub-pages dedicated to specific real estate markets and metropolitan areas across the Unit ...
, February 23, 2011, accessed September 6, 2013.


References


Sources

* * *


External links

* http://www.amalfiscoast.com/inglese/discover/wonder/galli.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20120322211616/http://ac-support.europe.umuc.edu/~jmatthew/naples/sirens.htm Around Naples Encyclopedia - Land of the Sirens. {{authority control Archipelagoes of Italy Islands of Campania Amalfi Coast Sirens (mythology)