Naples and surroundings and next Events

SANTA LUCIA AL MARE

The church of S. Lucia al Mare, founded in Middle Age, according to a legend, would have been erected by grandaughter of the emperor Costantino.

In 1588 on the place of the ancient construction was erected one new church,and then it was rebuilt again in 1854. It used to show up clearly from the sea and so was one of the last buildings that emigrants saw on the ships in departure from the horizon (from which the song: Santa Lucia luntane=Saint Lucia very far away).The seat  of the actual “via Santa Lucia” was the beach on which the fishermen, who lived on the near hill of the mount Echia,used to pull in dry their boats (actually “pallonetto Santa Lucia”: characteristic popular  zone that give background to the episode of the black market of the movie"Ieri,oggi e domani”,vry wellknow movie with Sofia Loren and Marcllo Mastroianni).

The inhabitants of the nearby village were called "Luciani" and they were the most faithful people of the Borboni, because, also for the physical vicinity of the royal palace, they were in personal contact with the King. To the stratums of the mount Echia (or Chiatamone) there are a great number of coves (now closed due to security reasons) where some religious rituals took place and there were even some mineral water sources.This water was carried for selling in all the city in the "mummere" (clay amphorae) by the "acquaioli” (water carriers), typical figures of the ‘800.