Pagani (; , ) is a town and in
Campania
Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern 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 Islan ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, administratively part of the
Province of Salerno
The province of Salerno () is a province in the Campania region of Italy. It has 1,054,766 inhabitants as of 2025.
Geography
The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 131,950; Cava de' Tirreni, Bat ...
, in the region known as the
Agro nocerino-sarnese. Pagani has a population of 35,834, as of 2016.
History
In the period before the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
supremacy in southern Italy, it was included into the territory of , the chief town in the
Sarnus valley –
Herculaneum
Herculaneum is an ancient Rome, ancient Roman town located in the modern-day ''comune'' of Ercolano, Campania, Italy. Herculaneum was buried under a massive pyroclastic flow in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
Like the nearby city of ...
,
Pompeii
Pompeii ( ; ) was a city in what is now the municipality of Pompei, near Naples, in the Campania region of Italy. Along with Herculaneum, Stabiae, and Villa Boscoreale, many surrounding villas, the city was buried under of volcanic ash and p ...
,
Stabiae
Stabiae () was an ancient city situated near the modern town of Castellammare di Stabia and approximately 4.5 km (2.79 miles) southwest of Pompeii. Like Pompeii, and being only from Mount Vesuvius, it was largely buried by tephra ash in ...
and
Surrentum
Sorrento ( , ; ; ) is a City status in Italy, city and overlooking the Gulf of Naples, Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the southern terminus of a main branch o ...
all being dependent upon it, according to many archaeologists.
It maintained its allegiance to Rome till 309 BC when it joined the revolted
Samnites
The Samnites () were an ancient Italic peoples, Italic people who lived in Samnium, which is located in modern inland Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania in south-central Italy.
An Oscan language, Oscan-speaking Osci, people, who originated as an offsh ...
.
In 308 BC it repulsed a Roman attempt to land at the mouth of the Sarnus, but in 307 BC it was besieged and surrendered. It obtained favourable terms, and remained faithful to Rome even after
Cannae
Cannae (now , ) is an ancient village of the region of south east Italy. It is a (civil parish) of the (municipality) of . Cannae was formerly a bishopric, and is a Latin Catholic titular see (as of 2022).
Geography
The commune of Cannae i ...
.
Hannibal
Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War.
Hannibal's fat ...
reduced it in 216 BC by starvation, and destroyed the town of . The inhabitants returned when peace was restored. Even during the
Social War it remained true to Rome. In 73 BC it was plundered by
Spartacus
Spartacus (; ) was a Thracians, Thracian gladiator (Thraex) who was one of the Slavery in ancient Rome, escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major Slave rebellion, slave uprising against the Roman Republic.
Historical accounts o ...
.
In the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
(around the 9th century) a small colony of
Saracen
upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens
''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...
s was introduced in the town by permission of the
Dukes of Naples
The dukes of Naples were the military commanders of the ''ducatus Neapolitanus'', a Byzantine outpost in Italy, one of the few remaining after the conquest of the Lombards. In 661, Emperor Constans II, highly interested in south Italian affairs (he ...
, but it lasted only a few decades.
The territory was merged back to , which took the name of (), inspired by the noble Pagano family living in the castle of , in modern-day Pagani.
Churches and religion
Pagani is home to some well-known churches and basilica, including:
*The
Shrine of Saint Mary the Crowned of Carmel (), commonly known as the Shrine of Our Lady of the Hens (). This
Marian shrine
A shrine to the Virgin Mary, or Marian shrine, is a shrine marking an Marian apparitions, apparition or other miracle ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on which is centered a historically strong Blessed Virgin Mary, Marian devotion ...
hosts the annual
Feast of Our Lady of the Hens (). During this week, people dance in the streets to the
tammurriata (or tarantella).
Sports
The town is home to the Italian third-division Serie C
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club,
Paganese Calcio 1926
Paganese Calcio 1926 is an Italian association football club from Pagani, Campania. It currently plays in Serie D.
History
The club was founded in 1926.
Paganese also took part in the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1978, achieving a single victory and ...
, whose home ground is the 6,000-seat
Stadio Marcello Torre
Stadio Marcello Torre is a multi-use stadium in Pagani, Italy, Pagani, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football (soccer), football matches and is the home ground of Paganese Calcio 1926. The stadium holds 5,981 people. On November 24, 200 ...
.
See also
*
Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood
References
External links
Cities and towns in Campania
Arabs in Italy
{{Campania-geo-stub