Information AboutCampania |
Campania is a region of Southern Italy , bordering on Lazio to the north-west, Molise to the north, Puglia to the north-east, Basilicata to the east, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. The region covers 13,595 Km² and has a population of 5.7 million. The name derives from Latin , as it was called by Romans Campania felix ("fortunate countryside"), a name that is shared by the French province of Champagne . The regional capital is Naples (Napoli). Tourist attractions include the Sibyl 's cave at Cumae , the Greek Temple s at Paestum , the Roman ruins at Pompeii and Herculaneum , the volcanoes of Vesuvius , Campi Flegrei and Ischia , the Amalfi Coast (''Costiera Amalfitana'') from Sorrento to Salerno and the island of Capri . HISTORY Campania was part of Magna Graecia , the Greek colonies of southern Italy; the first Greek colony was founded at Cumae , north of present day Naples, in the 8th century BC. Etruscans and Samnites gave way to the expanding Roman Republic . In 217 BCE Hannibal entered Campania and by burning the crops of these fertile lowlands hoped to provoke the Roman commander Fabius Maximus Cunctator (the delayer). In this Hannibal failed; nor did he sufficiently weaken Roman prestige for any of the Campanian towns to rebel. Fabius, in turn failed to trap Hannibal in Campania when Hannibal used the ruse of tying burning brands to the horns of cattle, so drawing off the force guarding a vital pass out of Campania. In 216 BCE , however, after Hannibal's victory at the Battle Of Cannae , Capua , the leading city of Campania, wavered. They first requested complete equality with Rome, including the demand that one of the Roman Consul s should be elected from Capua. When Rome rejected this, they opened negotiations with Hannibal who was more than willing to endorse the full independence they sought. The defection of Capua did not however inspire other Campanian towns so Capua was isolated and the Romans were eventually, in Hannibal's absence, able to build siege works round the city. As Hannibal proved unable to break the siege, Capua was eventually starved into submission in 211 BCE . Campania was the breadbasket of Rome, until the acquisition of . DEMOGRAPHICS Despite large and prosperous cities like Napoli , Campania has not attracted many immigrants. The number of immigrants is low comparing to the northern regions of Italy and is like the other southern regions where immigrant numbers are minimal. Those who are Moroccan , Albanian , and Polish are next largest, but again, make extremely small numbers. DRINKS AND CUISINE Campania is often acknowledged as the birthplace of Pizza . It is also home to the Lacryma Christi wine denomination. MAIN SOCCER TEAMS
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