Soccavo is a western suburb of Naples, with a population of about 48,000.

Geography

Soccavo (Italian: "beneath the quarry") is bounded on one side by the area of Fuorigrotta

Fuorigrotta

Fuorigrotta is a western suburb of Naples, southern Italy.-Geography:It lies beyond the Posillipo hill and has been joined to the main body of Naples by two traffic tunnels through that hill since the early 20th century....

 and on the other by the Camaldoli

Hermitage of Camaldoli

The Camaldolese Hermitage of Monte Giove is a monastery near Naples, Campania, Italy.One of the monasteries still active in the region, it sits on the hill in back of Naples at the highest point in the city, between Vesuvius and the Phlegrean Fields. It was built in 1585 by the Camaldolese...

 hill. At the base of the hill is an historic quarry, which gives its name to the area.

History

The area appears to have been colonised by Greeks in the 4th or 5th century BC. It stayed under Greek control until the Roman conquest of 326 BC, upon which it came under the influence of Poteoli (now Pozzuoli

Pozzuoli

Pozzuoli is a city and comune of the province of Naples, in the Italian region of Campania. It is the main city of the Phlegrean peninsula.-History:Pozzuoli began as the Greek colony of Dicaearchia...

); to this day Soccavo is part of the diocese of Pozzuoli and not Naples. It began to expand during the 1920s, when it was included within the administrative limits of Naples and started to develop as a residential neighborhood.

Famous residents

Fabio Cannavaro

Fabio Cannavaro

Fabio Cannavaro, Ufficiale OMRI is a former Italian footballer considered one of the greatest defenders of all time and was given the name "Muro di Berlino" which means The Berlin wall by Italian supporters. He spent the majority of his career in Italy...

, captain of the 2006 World Cup-winning Italian football team, was born in the district, along with his younger brother Paolo Cannavaro

Paolo Cannavaro

Paolo Cannavaro is an Italian football defender who currently plays for Serie A club Napoli. He is the younger brother of Fabio Cannavaro.-Club career:...

.