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Borgo Santa Lucia, or simply Santa Lucia ("
Saint Lucy Lucia of Syracuse ( – 304 AD), also called Saint Lucia () and 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 Catholic Church, Catholic, Angl ...
orough), is a historical ''
rione A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the title of (). Formed a ...
'' of
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, 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 (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...
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 (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...
.


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 , 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 Republic, Roman poet Virgil, who had a ...
, and via Chiatamone, all features of the Partenope promenade. It extends to the offices of the newspaper ''
Il Mattino ''Il Mattino'' (English: "The Morning") 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. Since 1999, the ...
'', the so-called "Pallonetto di 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 This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania {, class="wikitable" width="95%" , - bgcolor="white" !align=center, Residence !align=center, Photo !align=center, City !align=cen ...
, the Molosiglio and via Cesario Console, anciently famous as "Rua dei 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 ( or or ; ) was the first ancient Greek colony of Magna Graecia on the mainland of Italy and was founded by settlers from Euboea in the 8th century BCE. It became a rich Roman city, the remains of which lie near the modern village of ...
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 ...
(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 Ancient Romans, Roman List of Roman generals, general and Politician, statesman, closely connected with Lucius Cornelius Sulla. In culmination of over 20 years of almost continuous military and ...
moved to the area and built his magnificent villa, known as ''Oppidum Lucullianum'', to which the last Roman emperor
Romulus Augustus Romulus Augustus (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 while still a minor by his father Orestes, the , for whom he served as littl ...
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 Gaius Petronius Arbiter"Gaius Petronius Arbiter"
Britannica.com.
(; ; ; s ...
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 in the late 1st century AD, though the manuscript tradition identifi ...
''. In the 7th century Saint Patricia from
Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
, directed towards the
Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...
, 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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine ** Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
, 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"Domenico Fontana."
''
grand tour. 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 who was born in the Republic of Venice and travelled extensively throughout Europe. He is chiefly remembered for his autobiography, written in French and pu ...
and
Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...
. The establishment was especially valued by the queen of Naples,
Maria Carolina Maria Carolina or Marie Caroline may refer to: Royalty * Maria Karolina Sobieska (1697–1740), Princess of Turenne and Duchess of Bouillon * Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria (born 1740) (1740–1741), daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and E ...
. 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 Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...
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 Instituto Cervantes (, the Cervantes Institute) is a worldwide nonprofit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), the author of ''Don Quixote'' and perhaps the most important fig ...
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 (, ) or Neapolitan Republic () was a short-lived, semi-autonomous republic located within the Kingdom of Naples and supported by the French First Republic. The republic emerged during the French Revolutionary Wars after ...
. 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 (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 1960 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awar ...
the Olympic harbors of the
Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
sailboats (quays of Borgo Marinari),
Star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...
and
5.5 Metre The International 5.5 Metre class was created to yield a racing Keelboat, keel boat that would give a sailing experience similar to that of the 6 Metre, International 6 Metre Class but at a lower cost. The main class regulation restricts a sing ...
(quays of Molosiglio). Finn and
Flying Dutchman The ''Flying Dutchman'' () is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the sea forever. The myths and ghost stories are likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Dutch East India C ...
sailboats were instead housed in Mergellina. 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", a musical symbol of Neapolitans leaving home to emigrate to America.


References

{{coord, 40, 49, 56, N, 14, 15, 00, E, region:IT-NA_type:city_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Santa Lucia History of Naples