Monti Lattari
Encyclopedia
The Monti Lattari are a mountain range
in Campania
, southern Italy, which constitutes the backbone of the Sorrentine peninsula
and of the Amalfi Coast
.
in the Campanian Apennines, stretching into the Tyrrhenian Sea
to form the Sorrentine peninsula. The names derives from the flocks of goat
s grazing in the area, which provide a good quality of milk (lactis in Latin).
In the 14th century the Knights of Lattari fought off the Turkish invaders from the areas of the Lattari mountains and saved the region from Islamic hordes, shortly after the victory, the king of Naples gave to these knights the name of Lattari to use for their own purposes, and created a family tree which still exists today. The Lattari family of today, who are descendants of the Lattari Knights, are a very wealthy family of nobles situated in Calabria in Italy.
The range is bounded from north-west by the Gulf of Naples
, from north by the Sarno
river plain, from east by the Metelliana plain of Cava de' Tirreni
, and from south by the Gulf of Salerno
. The rocks are of limestone formation, touching their highest altitude at 1,444 m with the Monte San Michele. At north is the popular Monte Faito
, reachable through cable car
from Castellammare di Stabia
.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
in Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
, southern Italy, which constitutes the backbone of the Sorrentine peninsula
Sorrentine Peninsula
The Sorrentine Peninsula or Sorrento Peninsula is a peninsula located in southern Italy that separates the Gulf of Naples to the north from the Gulf of Salerno to the south.-Overview:...
and of the Amalfi Coast
Amalfi Coast
-In popular culture:The Amalfi Coast is a popular destination among tourists. It was featured in "Positano," a short story written by American author John Steinbeck in 1953...
.
Geography
The Monti Lattari are the western extension of the Monti PicentiniMonti Picentini
thumb|300px|Rocky limestone landscape in the monti Picentini.The Monti Picentini is a mountain range and national park in southern Italy, part of the Apennines, traditionally part in the Campanian Apennines...
in the Campanian Apennines, stretching into the Tyrrhenian Sea
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy.-Geography:The sea is bounded by Corsica and Sardinia , Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria and Sicily ....
to form the Sorrentine peninsula. The names derives from the flocks of goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s grazing in the area, which provide a good quality of milk (lactis in Latin).
In the 14th century the Knights of Lattari fought off the Turkish invaders from the areas of the Lattari mountains and saved the region from Islamic hordes, shortly after the victory, the king of Naples gave to these knights the name of Lattari to use for their own purposes, and created a family tree which still exists today. The Lattari family of today, who are descendants of the Lattari Knights, are a very wealthy family of nobles situated in Calabria in Italy.
The range is bounded from north-west by the Gulf of Naples
Gulf of Naples
The Gulf of Naples is a c. 15 km wide gulf located in the south western coast of Italy, . It opens to the west into the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered on the north by the cities of Naples and Pozzuoli, on the east by Mount Vesuvius, and on the south by the Sorrentine Peninsula and the main...
, from north by the Sarno
Sarno
Sarno is a town and comune of Campania, Italy, in the province of Salerno, 20 km northeast from the city of Salerno and 60 km east of Naples by the main railway.-Overview:...
river plain, from east by the Metelliana plain of Cava de' Tirreni
Cava de' Tirreni
Cava de’ Tirreni is a city and comune in the region of Campania, Italy, in the province of Salerno, 10 km northwest of the town of Salerno...
, and from south by the Gulf of Salerno
Gulf of Salerno
The Gulf of Salerno is a gulf of the Tyrrhenian Sea in the coast of the province of Salerno in south-western Italy. The northern part of this coast is the touristic Costiera Amalfitana, including towns like Amalfi, Maiori, Positano and the city of Salerno itself.The Gulf of Salerno is separated...
. The rocks are of limestone formation, touching their highest altitude at 1,444 m with the Monte San Michele. At north is the popular Monte Faito
Monte Faito
Monte Faito is a mountain in the Monti Lattari, a small chain in the Campanian Pre-Apennines, in the Sorrentine Peninsula, southern Italy. It has an elevation of 1,131 m....
, reachable through cable car
Cable car
A cable car is any of a variety of transportation systems relying on cables to pull vehicles along or lower them at a steady rate, or a vehicle on these systems.-Aerial lift:Aerial lifts where the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable:...
from Castellammare di Stabia
Castellammare di Stabia
Castellammare di Stabia is a comune in the province of Naples, Campania region, southern Italy. It is situated on the Bay of Naples about 30 kilometers southeast of Naples, on the route to Sorrento.-History:...
.