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30minutes
Italian
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In the San Ferdinando district of Naples lies a historic district, Borgo Santa Lucia. Its inhabitants are called luciani and it takes its name from the shrine of Santa Lucia: it includes Piazza Vittoria, Via Chiatamone, Via Partenope, the Isolotto di Megaride with Castel dell'Ovo and the Borgo Marinari, the Molosiglio gardens, Via Cesario Console and the characteristic Pallonetto di Santa Lucia on the slopes of Monte Echia.
The ancient suburb is a continuous discovery, among narrow alleys, ancient remains and much more: here are some of the beauties of this historic district of Naples.
Erected in the second half of the 1700s, Saint Lucia a Mare is a monumental church in Naples that has always been a pilgrimage destination. It was elevated to diocesan sanctuary for Santa Lucia in the 1900s and is so named because it once stood on the seashore. The first to occupy it were Basilian monks who had a convent on theIslet of Megaride, then passed to the nuns of St. Patrick. In 1588 the abbess Eusebia Minadoa had almost the entire building remodeled, but in 1845 the rearrangement of the Chiatamone road caused it to be buried. The present temple was built here, bombed in 1943 and rebuilt after the war following the structure of the 19th-century church.
Inside you can admire several works such as the 18th-century statue depicting St. Lucy by Nicola Fumo, The Rosary Table by Teodoro d'Errico, and The Portrait of Priest Luigi Villani by Gioacchino Toma.
A short distance from Castel dell'Ovo, on Via Partenope, it is possible to admire the Giant's Fountain, by Peter Bernini and Michelangelo Naccherino. It was initially located in Plebiscite Square, first wide of Palace, as shown in so many paintings of the 1700s, a few steps from the statue of the Giant, removed in 1807.
Instead, the fountain was removed in 1815 and remained without a location until 1882, when it was moved near the Immacolatella Palace. Here it remained only a few years and in 1889 it was placed inside Villa del Popolo but its final location was finally in 1905, along Via Partenope.
It has three round arches above which there the coats of arms of the city: the viceroys of Naples and the king of the period. Under the central arch is the cup supported by two sea animals, and the side statues represent river deities clutching sea monsters.
In the first century B.C., the Roman general and politician Lucius Licinius Lucullus moved to Neapolis and raised his imposing villa, which according to some findings, covered almost the entire district from the Islet of Megaride to Mount Echia. The villa had a very rich library, ponds, piers on the sea, moray breeding grounds and many peach trees imported from the Persia.
The general entertained himself by organizing numerous and plentiful banquets: this is precisely where the adjective lucullian which we still use today to speak of a hearty and tasty meal. When Lucullus died, the villa passed to the Roman emperor losing relevance while Valentinus III turned it into a fortress. In the Middle Ages Byzantine monks took possession of it, making it into a monastery. Over time some rooms were used as refectories, writing places or cemeteries for the monks. In the 10th century the Neapolitans themselves destroyed it with the fear that it might be used by the Saracens as a military outpost, and it was later rebuilt by the Normans as we see it today.
On the slopes of Pizzofalcone, a very short distance from the Islet of Megaride is the St. Lucy's Lobster, the most famous and oldest that together with that of San Liborio and St. Clare constitutes the three Naples balloons. Loblet refers to the areas of the city characterized by small alleys and steep streets through which the historic center is reached. The first fishermen's dwellings were built here because originally, before the redevelopment of Naples, it was located near the sea.
Tied to the picturesque ward is the world-famous Octopus Luciana style, a traditional Neapolitan dish named after the luciani, the inhabitants of the village.
It is said that fishermen returning after a day at sea cooked freshly caught octopus: they cut them into coarse pieces, put them to cook in a large earthenware casserole covered with a damp cloth until they softened, making them tender and flavorful, and finally added tomatoes as a finishing touch. It was served as an appetizer or as a sauce for dressing pasta and today is a very famous dish served in the best restaurants in Naples.
A synthesis of a thousand intersections and histories, the origins of this village date back to the distant 7th century B.C., when the Greeks decided to found Parthènope: the territory ranged from the Islet of Megaride to Pizzofalcone and was renamed two centuries later as the Neapolis, new city.
From pre-imperial Roman times until today, the village has had periods of splendor and decay: the general Lucius Licinius Lucullus used to organize numerous banquets inside his villa, and later during the imperial era the area became famous for its proximity to the Platamonie caves, the site of magic rites. In the medieval period it declined profoundly, and it was with the arrival of the Spanish viceroys that the village was transformed into one of the most prestigious places of the time: it became a favorite destination for elite tourism, particularly during the period of the Grand Tour, educational trips for young aristocrats whose goal was to increase their education.
Saint Lucia was a young Sicilian noblewoman from Syracuse, betrothed to a pagan. When her mother, who had been sick with hemorrhages for years despite treatment, did not improve, Lucy decided to go on a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Agatha: the saint appeared to her in a dream foretelling her of her mother's healing and martyrdom. Back in Syracuse, her mother was healed indeed then she decided to consecrate herself to Christ, donated all her goods to the poor and renounced her marriage to a pagan. It was the time of Emperor Diocletian's persecutions, and her betrothed after refusing denounced her: condemned to death, she died on December 13, 304 A.D., the day on which she is venerated by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches as the bearer of light and protector of the eyes.
The famous Neapolitan comedian Totò visited the Basilica of Santa Lucia a Mare in 1957, afflicted with an eye disorder due to which he could not work: after several months and treatment his eyes improved enough to return to acting. St. Lucy is in fact the patron saint of sight, considered the patron saint of all those with eye problems. The Giant's Fountain was a source of inspiration for Manfredo Manfredi in the creation of the Carosello arch in the theme song of the famous RAI program between 1957 and 1977.
Pallonetto di Santa Lucia was the location of the TV drama I bastardi di Pizzofalcone, and several famous people have lived here such as actor Bud Spencer, writer Luciano De Crescenzo, singer Massimo Ranieri, and architect Lamont Young.
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