Somma Vesuviana is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy.
History
Before the Roman colonisation, the area of today's Somma Vesuviana was probably inhabited by Italic peoples like Samnites and Oscans.
According to Strabo, the city was founded by the same group of Osci who founded Herculaneum and who called the city Sommax. The city was founded by a group of plebeians led by Tiberius Gracchus who called the city "Saxo Tribunum" (city of the plebeians).Julius Andronicus, Acutum Fondationum
Later, it became a resort for rich patricians from Rome and other rich estate owners who built magnificent villas in the area.
Excavations have shown that the north side of the Vesuvius volcano was equally as populated as the southern side where Pompeii and Herculaneum lie, but has not been paid as much attention by historians. The area was finally buried during the eruption of Vesuvius of 472 ADJournal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research Volume 113, Issues 1–2, 15 March 2002, Pages 19–36, The 472 AD Pollena eruption of Somma-Vesuvius (Italy) and its environmental impact at the end of the Roman Empire but the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 (which buried Pompeii etc.) had previously buried and damaged the earlier villa over which the later villa was built.Aoyagi M, De Simone A, De Simone GF. The “Villa of Augustus” at Somma Vesuviana. In: Marzano A, Métraux GPR, eds. The Roman Villa in the Mediterranean Basin: Late Republic to Late Antiquity. Cambridge University Press; 2018:141-156
Excavations
A large Roman villa was discovered in the 1930s in the frazione of Starza della Regina and due to its size, later interpreted as that of emperor AugustusAoyagi, M., De Simone, A., & De Simone, G. (2018). The "Villa of Augustus" at Somma Vesuviana. In A. Marzano & G. Métraux (Eds.), The Roman Villa in the Mediterranean Basin: Late Republic to Late Antiquity (pp. 141-156). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781316687147.011 at Nola where he probably passed his last days of life.Suetonius, Augustus, 98-100
Baths of a Roman villa were also discovered in nearby Pollena Trocchia in 1988 and subsequently excavated.
Main sights
The historic centre and the surrounding area retain their ancient appearance.
The site of Saxo Tribunum was said to have been discovered in 1997 by the amateur archaeologist Nicola Sannuto.
The village of Casamale
The village that takes its name from the aristocratic Causamala family, which appears for the first time in a lease deed of 1011. The ancient Aragonese walls surround the village, consolidated in 1467 by King Ferrante of Aragon. These walls were used to contain the embankments around the "Terra Murata". Four gates opened along the walls: Porta Terra (or Porta San Pietro) located on the north side; Porta Formosi (or Porta Marina) located on the west side; porta della Montagna (or porta Castello) located on the south side; Porta Piccioli (or Porta All Saints) located on the east side.
The central nucleus of the Casamale is an ecclesiastical building, the convent of the Hermit Fathers of Sant'Agostino, with the chapel first dedicated to San Giacomo and then, after the construction of the church, to Santa Maria della Sanità. In 1595, the church was awarded the title of Collegiate, changing the name of Santa Maria Maggiore. The Casamale enclosed within its walls, in addition to the imposing Collegiata, convents and palaces of the aristocracy, which only partially occupied the insulae. These lands were gradually occupied and inhabited by settlers, traders and artisans. The ancient medieval village of Casamale is still intact, despite the evident traces of tampering consisting of concrete interventions between the ancient stone walls.
The village develops on the ridge of Monte Somma, between 180 and 220 m a.s.l. and consists of a space delimited by ancient walls, still clearly visible today, which identify a clear border with the rest of the town. The village is cleverly protected to the south by Mount Somma, to the east by the Fosso dei Leoni riverbed and to the west by the Cavone del Purgatorio riverbed. Around the centre, the current Collegiata, a medieval system developed, made up of narrow streets, some arches, with the roofs of the houses that seem to touch, not allowing the sun to filter through. The buildings are grey in colour, and there are often important piperno entrance arches. The balconies of the houses, decorated with wrought iron parapets, are slightly protruding and are set on robust thresholds in worked piperno. Architectural elements of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries stand next to the medieval buildings, including Palazzo Colletta-Orsini, Palazzo Basadonna, the monastery of the Carmelite Nuns, and Palazzo Secondulfo. This important heritage of art and culture has undergone numerous manipulations, which have destroyed in a short time structures that had remained intact for centuries.
Borgo Casamale, linked for years to the traditional and evocative "Festa delle Lucerne", which takes place every 4 years, made up of picturesque views and perspective games, thanks to the presence of the lamps that in the historic center outline with touches of colour and intense and warm brightness, corners and glimpses of alleys, highlighting the historical artistic and cultural heritage of Somma Vesuviana. Passionate craftsmen, exhibiting their work, highlight a past on which to continue building, a past that fascinates and involves citizens and visitors.
The church of San Domenico The church of San Domenico rises in the heart of Somma Vesuviana and, with the consent of Pope Nicolò IV, was built by King Charles II of Anjou in 1294. It was later entrusted to the Preachers of the order of the Dominicans. The Angevin origin of the church is recalled by a canvas, the work of Cacciapuoti and placed behind the altar, depicting Charles II of Anjou kneeling at the feet of the Virgin and San Domenico who sanctifies. The church was dedicated to Santa Maddalena.
The monastic complex established itself as a cultural centre and as a venue for important economic-patrimonial transactions and for the management of income from its extensive real estate accumulated through bequests, donations and purchases. On the floor of the church, some tombstones recall the burial of characters who, over the centuries, gave life to Somma Vesuviana. The waters of the cistern located in the cloister have quenched the thirst of the local population for centuries. The cloister was also for a long time the seat of the meetings of the Mayor and of the city parliament, a privilege abolished by the Viceroy of Naples in 1696.
Numerous catastrophic events, including the 1631 eruption, caused collapses and consequent restoration and change interventions. In the eighteenth century, due to many restorations, the underlying Gothic structures were made illegible In 1794, another eruption caused the collapse of some structures, and with the subsequent reconstruction, the current façade was built against the existing one. With the second abolition of religious orders (1861-1866), the church and convent were given ownership of the municipality of Somma Vesuviana. The church was entrusted to a rector appointed from time to time by the municipal council. Some rooms of the convent were instead used as municipal headquarters and for other public offices, political, cultural, recreational and welfare organizations. After the 1980 Irpinia earthquake the church was declared unfit for use, and only later were restoration and static rehabilitation works carried out.
The facade of the church today is characterized by a narrow pronaos maintained by two Ionic columns, which is accessed by a staircase in piperno. The pronaos continues to the second order, with a recessed space enclosed by a balustrade. Six semi-columns articulate the facade, four of which are a direct extension of the pronaos below. Above this second order, a circle-shaped window hides the rose window of the ancient Gothic façade. Above this is the tympanum. The internal space, with a single nave, is preceded by a vestibule with Corinthian columns on which the monks' choir was located. The side chapels and the square apse are decorated with exquisitely crafted stuccos. Canvases by great authors of the 17th and 18th centuries enrich the chapels, while the canvas by Cacciapuoti is placed in the apse. The presence of many seventeenth and eighteenth-century tombstones documents the importance and nobility of the church.
Anthropogenic geography
Suburbs In 2011, the municipality applied for the title of city, which was then obtained in 2012, by decree of the President of the Italian Republic. Its frazione are: Centro Storico Casamale, Crocelle Camaldoli, Fornaro, Lupa, Masseria Allocca, Matarazzo, Mercato Vecchio, Musciabuono, Paradiso, Pizzone Cassante, Reviglione, Rione Trieste, San Sossio, Santa Maria delle Grazie in Castello, Santa Maria del Pozzo, Starza della Regina.
Society Somma Vesuviana had a population of 33,935 in 2021.
Foreign residents Foreign residents in Somma Vesuviana are estimated at 1,179 people; the most numerous foreign minorities are Ukrainians, Sri Lankans, Chinese, Poles, Moroccans and Romanians.
Ukrainians: 428
Romanians: 205
Moroccans: 102
Chinese: 62
Sri Lankans: 42
Poles: 38
Politics
Mayors Period Office holder Party Title Notes 1946 1948 Michele Pellegrino Indipendente 1948 1950 Paolo Emilio Restaino DC 1950 1951 Eugenio Testa DC 1951 1952 Emanuele Sessa Commissario prefettizio 1952 1953 Francesco De Siervo DC 1953 1955 Giuseppe Aliperta DC 1955 1956 Michele Troianiello DC 1956 1960 Francesco De Siervo DC 1960 1964 Francesco De Siervo DC 1964 1967 Francesco De Siervo DC 1967 1967 Roberto D'Amato Prefectural Commissioner 1967 1970 Carmine Mocerino DC 1970 1971 Francesco De Siervo DC 1971 1976 Antonio D'Ambrosio DC 1976 1981 Francesco De Siervo DC 1981 1983 Nicolò Iossa PSI 1983 1985 Cimmino Tancredi PSI 1985 1987 Antonio Piccolo DC 1987 1988 Giovambattista Mastrosimone Prefectural Commissioner 1988 1990 Vittorio Piccolo DC 1990 1993 Antonio Piccolo DC 1993 1997 Alfonso Auriemma DC 1997 2000 Carmine Mocerino PPI 2000 2001 Fiamma Spena Prefectural Commissioner 2001 2003 Vincenzo D'Avino L'Ulivo 2003 2005 Mariaguia Federico Prefectural Commissioner 2005 2006 Cataldo Bianchi Extraordinary commissioner 2006 2008 Raffaele Allocca AN 2008 2013 Raffaele Allocca PdL 2013 2014 Raffaele Allocca FI 2014 2014 Franca Fico Prefectural Commissioner 2014 2017 Pasquale Piccolo FdI 2017 2017 Caterina Iovino Prefectural Commissioner 2017 2022 Salvatore Di Sarno UdC 2022 in carica Salvatore Di Sarno
Culture and traditions
Traditions of Monte Somma
It is tradition every year to go to Mount Somma on the Saturday after Easter and on 3 May, to celebrate the festival of the edge; those who participate divide into paranza and scale the mountain.
The Saturday after Easter is known as the Saturday of the fireworks. On this day, the parishioners go to the sanctuary of the Madonna at the top of Mount Somma Vesuviana to pay homage to the Madonna with singing hymns.
On the other hand, 3 May, also known as Three of the Cross, is the closing day of the festival. The demonstrations are the same as the Saturday of the fires but the symbolism activated in the circumstances is that of thanksgiving for the abundant harvest.
Palio of Somma Vesuviana