Castellammare di Stabia

History

Main article: Stabiae

Castellammare di Stabia lies next to the ancient Roman city of Stabiae, which was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.

The castle, from which the modern city takes its name, was erected around the 9th century on a hill commanding the southern side of the Gulf of Naples.

It was restored during the reign of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen and enlarged by King Charles I of Anjou.

Middle Ages

The Castle After the destruction of Stabiae by Vesuvius, some local inhabitants who had survived the eruption returned to their old, now destroyed homes to recover objects and money. It was these inhabitants who established a village along the coast, which, as a result of the eruption, had become much further into the sea than in the past.

This new village, which lived primarily from fishing and agriculture, became part of the Duchy of Sorrento. It was the Sorrentines who built a castle on the hill near Pozzano to defend the duchy from barbarian incursions.

During this period, in 1086 to be precise, the name of the village, Castrum ad Mare, is found for the first time in a document, most likely deriving from the fact that the castle was located nearby, overlooking the sea. During the Middle Ages it was equipped with a city wall, like other cities.

The city of Castellammare asked Queen Giovanna I of Naples (also known as Giovanna I) for a loan for the construction of a new defensive tower called the Quartuccio Tower. The decree for its construction was made official on July 28, 1364.

Castellammare di Stabia passed first under the Swabians, and subsequently under the control of the Aragonese, who, in addition to the enlargement of the port and the construction of mighty surrounding walls, completed the construction of a royal palace on the Quisisana hill, used by the royals for their summer stays.

The importance of the palace was such that Giovanni Boccaccio made it the setting for a story of the Decameron, precisely the sixth of the tenth day.

From the 20th century to today

The comune, previously called "Castellamare", assumed the name "Castellammare" on 22 January 1863, and the current name on 31 May 1912.

Demographics

Religious buildings

• Castellammare Cathedral
• San Bartolomeo
• Santa Caterina
• Chiesa del Gesù
• Chiesa del Purgatorio

Excavation of villas

The excavation of Roman villas preserved by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 is currently underway. Villa Arianna and Villa San Marco can be visited and do not charge for admission.

The thermal baths

Castellammare is known as the "Metropole of the waters" for its hydrological heritage of 28 different kinds of waters, divided in sulphurous, calcic bicarbonate and mineral water, each one with a particular healthy property. The thermal bath has been a huge part of the economic life as well as of the tourism of Castellammare since the 19th century. To take advantage of the waters' property there are two different thermal baths, one in the historical centre of the town and the other on the hill. Besides, the two most important waters of Castellammare, Acqua della Madonna and Acetosella, have been known since the time of Pliny the Elder, who suggested to drink them in case of calculosis, today they are sold as far away as America.

Ancient Thermal Baths

The Ancient Thermal Baths were inaugurated in 1836 and since the beginning had a very important role for the citizens and also for the tourists coming in summer for the thermal cure, making the city very crowded. Because of this overcrowding the building was enlarged with new pavilions and pools for the thermal cures of the body, like a real spa but it was also a cultural centre where many art exhibitions, cultural events and concerts were held. The destruction of the ancient building began on 26 February 1956, to make way for today's building. At the end of the 1980s the thermal building was in crisis because most of its offered treatments were closed, even if today they are offered in the New Thermal Baths. Today the Ancient Baths opens only few hours a day for bathing. In summer there are some cultural events. In the summer of 2007 the renovation of the building began to enable services to resume, but the ancient thermal baths remained closed as of 2024.

New Thermal Baths

The New Thermal Baths, located on the hill of the Solaro, near the district of Scanzano, was inaugurated on 26 July 1964. This building has two zones: one zone is the building dedicated to the thermal cure and then there is the park for the hydroponic cure. The building for the thermal cure offers the chance of practicing physiotherapy, hyperbaric medicine, massages, mud baths, inhalation of the sulphurous waters, rehabilitating, dermatological, aesthetic and gynaecological cures. Instead the hydroponic park allows practicing hydrotherapy, that is drinking the specific kind of water to cure specific pathologies, while walking through the park. Moreover, in summer in the park there are many events, during mornings and evenings, such as concerts, open cinema, exhibitions and conventions. Because of lack of demand and political turmoil, the new thermal baths remain closed as of 2024.

Geography

Castellammare borders with the municipalities of Gragnano, Pimonte, Pompei, Santa Maria la Carità, Torre Annunziata and Vico Equense.

It comprises the hamlets (frazioni) of Fratte, Madonna della Libera, Pioppaino, Ponte Persica, Pozzano, Privati, Quisisana, Scanzano and Varano.

Climate

Sport

The local football team, Società Sportiva Juve Stabia is an Italian football club based in Castellammare di Stabia, Campania. Juve Stabia will play in Serie B, the second tier of Italian football system, following their promotion ahead of the 2024-25 season.

People

• Pliny the Elder, born Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23 – 25 August, AD 79), adoptive citizen and resident of Stabiae (ancient name of Castellammare di Stabia), where he died during the 25 August, AD 79 Mt. Vesuvius eruption. Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian.
• Catello, Saint (9th century), Patron of the city
• Giuseppe Bonito (1707–1789), painter
• Nikolai Gogol (1809–1852) worked here on his Dead Souls in 1838, while living at the count Repnin's summer house.
• Luigi Denza (1846–1922), composer of the most famous Italian traditional song Funiculì, Funiculà
• Michele Esposito (1855–1929), influential composer, pianist, and conductor, who worked mostly in Ireland
• Ettore Tito (1859–1941), painter
• Raffaele Viviani (1888–1950), author, playwright, actor, musician
• John Serry, Sr. (1915–2003; aka Giovanni Serrapica), American musician, composer, arranger, educator
• Gabriele De Rosa (1917–2009), historian and politician
• Marcel Jovine (1921–2003), sculptor and toy designer
• Enzo Cannavale (1928-2011), actor
• Pupetta Maresca (1935-2021), 86, Italian mobster convicted murderer, and beauty queen
• Mario Merola (1934–2006), Neapolitan-style singer
• Giuseppe (born 1959) and Carmine Abbagnale (born 1962), Olympic gold medal rowers, grown up and trained at the Castellammare Yachting Club
• Aldo Arcangioli (born 1969), entrepreneur
• Antonio Filosa (born 1973), business executive
• Gennaro Iezzo (born 1973), football goalkeeper
• Raffaele Imperiale (born 1974), Italian mobster, high-ranking member of Camorra
• Bruno Cirillo (born 1977), footballer
• Antonio Mirante (born 1983), goalkeeper for AC Milan
• Fabio Quagliarella (born 1983), striker and captain for Sampdoria
• Luigi Vitale (born 1987), footballer
• Antonio Donnarumma (born 1990), Padova goalkeeper, older brother of Gianluigi Donnarumma
• Ciro Immobile (born 1990), forward for SS Lazio
• Alessio Lapice (born 1991), actor
• Gianluigi Donnarumma (born 1999), goalkeeper for Paris Saint-Germain and the Italy national team, second-youngest goalkeeper to play in Serie A
• Gaia De Martino (born 2001), dancer from Amici di Maria De Filippi
• Sebastiano Esposito (born 2002), forward for Empoli FC

Bibliography

Historical sources

References

References

1. "Comunicazione di avvenuta proclamazione alla carica di Sindaco".
2. "Monthly Demographic Balance". [[Italian National Institute of Statistics.
3. Ferdinando Fontanella. (June 24, 2018). "Castellammare città di mare". Castellammare di Stabia – Storia, Cultura, Natura e Tradizioni stabiesi.
4. Giuseppe D’Angelo. (November 9, 2001). "Giuseppe D'Angelo, R E L A Z I O N E S T O R I C A E A R T I S T I C A S U L C R O C I F I S SO L I G N E O D I P I A Z Z A C R I S T O F O R O C O L O M B O".
5. Maurizio Cuomo. (June 24, 2018). "L’antica muraglia difensiva di Castellammare". Castellammare di Stabia – Storia, Cultura, Natura e Tradizioni stabiesi.
6. Giovanni Celoro Parascandolo. (1965). "Castellammare di Stabia".
7. Gennaro Zurolo. (2014). "Signa et insignia, fonti per la storia del notariato a Castellammare di Stabia (secoli XIII-XIX)". Universal Book s.r.l..
8. Giovanni Boccaccio. (1998–2011). "Decameron (1350 c.)-GIORNATA DECIMA, NOVELLA SESTA".
9. {{OSM. r. 40689. Castellammare di Stabia