Borgo Santa Lucia
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Borgo Santa Lucia, or simply Santa Lucia ("
Saint Lucy Lucia of Syracuse (283–304), also called Saint Lucia ( la, Sancta Lucia) better known as Saint Lucy, was a Roman people, Roman Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, ...
orough), is a historical ''
rione A (; plural: ) is a neighbourhood in several Italian cities. A is a territorial subdivision. The larger administrative subdivisions in Rome are the , with the being used only in the historic centre. The word derives from the Latin , the 14 su ...
'' of
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, facing the coast. The area rises around the street of the same name, in turn named after the
basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...
of , the presence of which is attested since the 9th century, in spite of legend that would have it founded by a granddaughter of
Constantine I Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...
.


Territory

The territory of the ward coincides with that of the Parish and extends along via (street) Santa Lucia and Orsini and their cross streets, the Islet of Megaride with the Borgo Marinari, the
Castel dell'Ovo Castel dell'Ovo ("Egg Castle") is a seafront castle in Naples, located on the former island of Megaride, now a peninsula, on the Gulf of Naples in Italy. The castle's name comes from a legend about the Roman poet Virgil, who had a reputation in ...
, and via Chiatamone, all features of the Partenope promenade. It extends to the offices of the newspaper ''
Il Mattino ''Il Mattino'' (meaning ''The Morning'' in English) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Naples, Italy. History and profile ''Il Mattino'' was first published on 16 March 1892 by the journalists Edoardo Scarfoglio and Matilde Serao. The p ...
'', the so-called “Pallonetto of Santa Lucia” and the slopes of Mount Echia nearly to Monte di Dio. The area is bounded on the north and east by the Royal Palace, the Molosiglio and via Cesario Console, anciently famous as "Rua of the Provenzali".


History

Santa Lucia has been identified with the
history of Naples The history of Naples is long and varied, dating to Greek settlements established in the Naples area in the 2nd millennium BC. During the end of the Greek Dark Ages a larger mainland colony – initially known as Parthenope – develop ...
ever since the Greeks from
Cumae Cumae ( grc, Κύμη, (Kumē) or or ; it, Cuma) was the first ancient Greek colony on the mainland of Italy, founded by settlers from Euboea in the 8th century BC and soon becoming one of the strongest colonies. It later became a rich Ro ...
landed here to found the small market harbour of Falero, which later gave rise — between the beach, the islet of Megaride and the Pizzofalcone hill — to the ''polis''
Partenope ''Partenope'' ("Parthenope", HWV 27) is an opera by George Frideric Handel, first performed at the King's Theatre in London on 24 February 1730. Although following the structure and forms of opera seria, the work is humorous in character and li ...
(from the siren who tried to enchant Ulysses); later that town would be known as Palepoli (“old city”). In the preimperial Roman age, general
Lucullus Lucius Licinius Lucullus (; 118–57/56 BC) was a Roman general and statesman, closely connected with Lucius Cornelius Sulla. In culmination of over 20 years of almost continuous military and government service, he conquered the eastern kingd ...
moved to the area and built his magnificent villa, known as ''Oppidum Lucullianum'', to which the last Roman emperor
Romulus Augustus Romulus Augustus ( 465 – after 511), nicknamed Augustulus, was Roman emperor of the West from 31 October 475 until 4 September 476. Romulus was placed on the imperial throne by his father, the ''magister militum'' Orestes, and, at that time, ...
exiled to live out his days. In the imperial age the area became famous for its proximity to the ''platamoniae'' caves, where magic rituals were held and in which Petronius set parts of his ''
Satyricon The ''Satyricon'', ''Satyricon'' ''liber'' (''The Book of Satyrlike Adventures''), or ''Satyrica'', is a Latin work of fiction believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius, though the manuscript tradition identifies the author as Titus Petr ...
''. In the 7th century Saint Patricia from
Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
, directed towards the Holy Land, was shipwrecked here and, according to legend, founded the sanctuary and decided to settle in Naples. In the Middle Ages, the zone decayed and the villa was converted into a monastery by Basilian monks who, during the period of the ducal age, also managed the sanctuary. In the Norman age the monastery was transformed completely to become one of the best equipped fortresses guarding the gulf. In the Angevin age the close harbor was given in concession to the people of the Provençe, the land of origin of the Angevin kings; the area became very important for them, militarily and commercially, and was known by the toponym of "Port of the Provenzali". In 1588, the sanctuary was given in management to an order of nuns and, as result, was entirely rebuilt for wish of abbess Eusebia Minadoa. The
Spanish viceroys Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
, between 1500 and 1700, held the area in particular high regard and embellished it greatly; this included structures by the architect
Domenico Fontana Domenico Fontana (154328 June 1607) was an Italian architect of the late Renaissance, born in today's Ticino. He worked primarily in Italy, at Rome and Naples. Biography He was born at Melide, a village on the Lake Lugano, at that time joint p ...
beginning in 1599 that essentially transformed a village of fishermen and traders into one of the most prestigious areas of the city. With the arrival of the Bourbon dynasty, the ''lucìani'' (as the inhabitants of Santa Lucia are called) became intimates of the kings, serving as craftsmen and suppliers of the royal house. The area was a favorite goal of that brand of elite tourism associated with the so-called
grand tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tut ...
. During that period the area hosted a famous casino that saw the presence of various celebrities such as
Giacomo Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...
and Alexandre Dumas. The establishment was especially valued by the queen of Naples,
Maria Carolina Maria Carolina Louise Josepha Johanna Antonia (13 August 1752 – 8 September 1814) was List of consorts of Naples, Queen of Naples and List of Sicilian consorts, Sicily as the wife of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. As ''de facto'' ruler ...
. A single wing of the building survives today as part of a university conference center.


19th century and later

Already in 1845, the sea level rose considerably, making it necessary to bury the original sanctuary and build a new one on top of it; after the annexion of the Kingdom of Naples to Italy (1861) Santa Lucia underwent a complete transformation, including the enlarging and straightening of the Partenope promenade. It involved reclaiming large tracts of land from the sea and the creation of new streets, all of which has served the area well in this age of modern tourism. The new sections now host a row of modern hotels and a number of sailing clubs. The offices of the
Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...
regional government are located in ''Palazzo Santa Lucia'', and the area is the site of the conference center of the University “Federico II " and of the Cervantes Institute of Spanish language and culture. The area was home to admiral Francesco Caracciolo, who served in the neapolitan navy and then was executed through hanging by admiral
Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
for his service to the
Parthenopaean Republic The Parthenopean Republic ( it, Repubblica Partenopea, french: République Parthénopéenne) or Neapolitan Republic (''Repubblica Napoletana'') was a short-lived, semi-autonomous republic located within the Kingdom of Naples and supported by th ...
. His body, thrown into the sea, was recovered and is now interred in another famous church in the area, that of Santa Maria della Catena, where an epitaph, placed in 1881, recalls the episode. The Ports of Santa Lucia were during the
1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...
the Olympic harbors of the Dragon sailboats (quays of Borgo Marinari), Star and 5.5 Metre (quays of Molosiglio). Finn and
Flying Dutchman The ''Flying Dutchman'' ( nl, De Vliegende Hollander) is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the seven seas forever. The myth is likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Du ...
sailboats were instead housed in
Mergellina Mergellina is a coastal district of the city of Naples, Italy. It is located in the quartiere of Chiaia. It stands at the foot of the Posillipo Hill and faces the Castel dell'Ovo. Some people say the name derives from "mergoglino", a local name for ...
. HRH Crown Prince Constantine won the Gold medal in the event of Dragon sailboats.


In popular culture

Santa Lucia has been like subject of some traditional Neapolitan songs, among which is the most famous, '' Santa Lucia'' and ''
Santa Lucia Luntana "Santa Lucia Luntana" is a Neapolitan song written by E. A. Mario in 1919. (There is also a different Neapolitan song transcribed by Cottreau into Italian as "Santa Lucia"; "Santa Lucia Luntana" is sometimes referred to as "Santa Lucia", leadin ...
'', a musical symbol of Neapolitans leaving home to emigrate to America.


Notes and references

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