Ottaviano
Encyclopedia
Ottaviano is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Naples
in the Italian
region Campania
, located about 20 km east of Naples
and is located in the Vesuvian Area. Ottaviano was in Roman times a hamlet of houses within a vast estate (praedium Octaviorum) belonging to the gens Octavia, Augustus's family. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 23,572 and an area of 19.8 km².
The territory of the country includes most of the crater of Vesuvius.
The city of Ottaviano contains the frazioni
(subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Furchi, San Gennarello, and Zabatta.
Ottaviano borders the following municipalities: Boscotrecase
, Ercolano
, Nola
, San Gennaro Vesuviano
, San Giuseppe Vesuviano
, Somma Vesuviana
, Terzigno
, Torre del Greco
, Trecase
. In Ottaviano, in the Medici Castle, is located the headquarters of the National Park of Vesuvius.
Ottaviano suffered significant destruction during the 1944 eruption of neighboring Mount Vesuvius
. Now the city is home to the center office of Vesuvius National Park
. In late 1980, Ottaviano was firmly under the control of the Camorra
.
. On the territory of Ottaviano, during the first Servile War, in 73 BC, Spartacus
defeated the two praetor, Gaius and Publius Clodius Vatin sent from Senate. The village (Octavianum) grew in importance becoming Municipality. According to some historians, there would be dead the Emperor Augustus, then moved to Nola
. The remains of the Roman era were buried by successive eruptions of Vesuvius, but the ruins and tombs have been unearthed in excavations in various parts of the country.
In 1085, Pope Gregory VII visited the city and celebrated mass in a church (church of Vaglio) located at the baronial castle ( today palace Mediceo). Several Lords and Barons had held the city. In the thirteenth century was in possession of Thomas Aquinas, grandfather of Thomas Aquinas
. During Angevin rule in 1304 the village was put to fire and sword by Carlo di Lagonessa by order of Charles II d'Anjou, cause the killing of a regional officer ("superintendent of the woods") and his escort from the brothers John and Roberto de Marrone.
Between 1532 and 1551 was the fief of Maramaldo Fabrizio, who had obtained the services rendered to Charles V. The feud was then transferred to Gonzaga of Molfetta and after, in 1567 to Bernadetto de 'Medici, cousin of the Grand Duke Cosimo de' Medici
. The fief remained in possession of this family until 1860 and also included the current municipalities of Terzigno
and San Giuseppe Vesuviano
. The de 'Medici family was part Luigi de' Medici, the representative of the Kingdom of Naples at the Congress of Vienna.
The city has long suffered from vesuvian eruptions, especially the city was almost completely buried by volcanic ash of Vesuvius's eruption of 1631, 1779 and 1906. According to William Hamilton, during the first and second eruption Ottaviano "was buried like Pompeii", and so even in the third, as testified Matilde Serao calling the city "the new Pompeii". In the third eruption also the imponent roof of the Mother Church of San Michele Arcangelo collapsed by the weight of the ash, fortunately without killing anyone.
Ottaviano in the eighties became painfully famous for being the general headquarters of the Nuova Camorra Organizzata
, a powerful Camorristic organization headed by Raffaele Cutolo
. Currently, despite the strong presence of organized crime, the citizens of Ottaviano, hardened to fight violent destroyer Vesuvius of over two thousand years, are trying to combat this bad and undeserved reputation doing Ottaviano a city of peace and culture.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in the Province of Naples
Province of Naples
The Province of Naples is a province in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital city is Naples, within the province there are 92 Comuni of the Province of Naples.-Demographics:...
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region 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...
, located about 20 km east of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and is located in the Vesuvian Area. Ottaviano was in Roman times a hamlet of houses within a vast estate (praedium Octaviorum) belonging to the gens Octavia, Augustus's family. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 23,572 and an area of 19.8 km².
The territory of the country includes most of the crater of Vesuvius.
The city of Ottaviano contains the frazioni
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
(subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Furchi, San Gennarello, and Zabatta.
Ottaviano borders the following municipalities: Boscotrecase
Boscotrecase
Boscotrecase is a comune in the Province of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 20 km southeast of Naples...
, Ercolano
Ercolano
Ercolano is a town and comune in the province of Naples, Campania . It lies at the western foot of Mount Vesuvius, on the Bay of Naples, just southeast of the city of Naples. The medieval town of Resina was built on the volcanic material left by the eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed the ancient...
, Nola
Nola
Nola is a city and comune of Campania, southern Italy, in the province of Naples, situated in the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines...
, San Gennaro Vesuviano
San Gennaro Vesuviano
San Gennaro Vesuviano is a village of 10,100 people located in the province of Naples in Southern Italy.- Geography :San Gennaro Vesuviano is located in the country-side area around Nola approximately 25 kilometers east of Naples and nine kilometers from Nola...
, San Giuseppe Vesuviano
San Giuseppe Vesuviano
San Giuseppe Vesuviano is a comune in the Province of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 20 km east of Naples...
, Somma Vesuviana
Somma Vesuviana
Somma Vesuviana is a town and comune in the province of Napoli, Campania, Italy.-History:Before the Roman colonization, the area of today's Somma Vesuviana was probably inhabiteed by Italics populations like Samnites and Oscans. Later it became a vacation place for the rich patricians of Rome, who...
, Terzigno
Terzigno
Terzigno is a comune in the Province of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 20 km east of Naples. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 16,977 and an area of 23.5 km²....
, Torre del Greco
Torre del Greco
-Main sights:*Roman archaeological remains, including the so-called "Villa Sora" , probably a property of the Flavians.*Monastery of the Zoccolanti, with a cloister housing 28 frescoed panels depicting the life of St...
, Trecase
Trecase
Trecase is a comune in the Province of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 15 km southeast of Naples. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 9,117 and an area of 6.1 km²....
. In Ottaviano, in the Medici Castle, is located the headquarters of the National Park of Vesuvius.
Ottaviano suffered significant destruction during the 1944 eruption of neighboring Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting...
. Now the city is home to the center office of Vesuvius National Park
Vesuvius National Park
Vesuvius National Park is a national park centered around the volcano, Mount Vesuvius, east of Naples, Italy. The park was founded in 1995 and covers an area of around 135 square kilometers all located within the Province of Naples....
. In late 1980, Ottaviano was firmly under the control of the Camorra
Camorra
The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
.
History
Ottaviano was in Roman times a hamlet of houses within a vast estate (praedium Octaviorum) belonging to the gens Octavia, Augustus's family. The territory was the scene of a battle between Lucius Cornelius Silla and Lucius Cluenzio, occurred in 90 BC, during the Social WarSocial War
The Allied War was a war waged from 91 to 88 BC between the Roman Republic and several of the other cities in Italy, which prior to the war had been Roman allies for centuries.-Origins:The Early Italian campaigns saw the Roman conquest of Italy...
. On the territory of Ottaviano, during the first Servile War, in 73 BC, Spartacus
Spartacus
Spartacus was a famous leader of the slaves in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Little is known about Spartacus beyond the events of the war, and surviving historical accounts are sometimes contradictory and may not always be reliable...
defeated the two praetor, Gaius and Publius Clodius Vatin sent from Senate. The village (Octavianum) grew in importance becoming Municipality. According to some historians, there would be dead the Emperor Augustus, then moved to Nola
Nola
Nola is a city and comune of Campania, southern Italy, in the province of Naples, situated in the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines...
. The remains of the Roman era were buried by successive eruptions of Vesuvius, but the ruins and tombs have been unearthed in excavations in various parts of the country.
In 1085, Pope Gregory VII visited the city and celebrated mass in a church (church of Vaglio) located at the baronial castle ( today palace Mediceo). Several Lords and Barons had held the city. In the thirteenth century was in possession of Thomas Aquinas, grandfather of Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
. During Angevin rule in 1304 the village was put to fire and sword by Carlo di Lagonessa by order of Charles II d'Anjou, cause the killing of a regional officer ("superintendent of the woods") and his escort from the brothers John and Roberto de Marrone.
Between 1532 and 1551 was the fief of Maramaldo Fabrizio, who had obtained the services rendered to Charles V. The feud was then transferred to Gonzaga of Molfetta and after, in 1567 to Bernadetto de 'Medici, cousin of the Grand Duke Cosimo de' Medici
Cosimo de' Medici
Còsimo di Giovanni degli Mèdici was the first of the Medici political dynasty, de facto rulers of Florence during much of the Italian Renaissance; also known as "Cosimo 'the Elder'" and "Cosimo Pater Patriae" .-Biography:Born in Florence, Cosimo inherited both his wealth and his expertise in...
. The fief remained in possession of this family until 1860 and also included the current municipalities of Terzigno
Terzigno
Terzigno is a comune in the Province of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 20 km east of Naples. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 16,977 and an area of 23.5 km²....
and San Giuseppe Vesuviano
San Giuseppe Vesuviano
San Giuseppe Vesuviano is a comune in the Province of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 20 km east of Naples...
. The de 'Medici family was part Luigi de' Medici, the representative of the Kingdom of Naples at the Congress of Vienna.
The city has long suffered from vesuvian eruptions, especially the city was almost completely buried by volcanic ash of Vesuvius's eruption of 1631, 1779 and 1906. According to William Hamilton, during the first and second eruption Ottaviano "was buried like Pompeii", and so even in the third, as testified Matilde Serao calling the city "the new Pompeii". In the third eruption also the imponent roof of the Mother Church of San Michele Arcangelo collapsed by the weight of the ash, fortunately without killing anyone.
Ottaviano in the eighties became painfully famous for being the general headquarters of the Nuova Camorra Organizzata
Nuova Camorra Organizzata
The Nuova Camorra Organizzata was an Italian Camorra criminal organization founded in the late 1970s by a Neapolitan Camorrista, Raffaele Cutolo, in the region of Campania. It was also known by the initials NCO...
, a powerful Camorristic organization headed by Raffaele Cutolo
Raffaele Cutolo
Raffaele Cutolo is an Italian crime boss and the charismatic leader of the Nuova Camorra Organizzata , an organisation he built to renew the Camorra. Cutolo has a variety of nicknames including "'o Vangelo" , "'o Principe" , "'o Professore" and "'o Monaco"...
. Currently, despite the strong presence of organized crime, the citizens of Ottaviano, hardened to fight violent destroyer Vesuvius of over two thousand years, are trying to combat this bad and undeserved reputation doing Ottaviano a city of peace and culture.