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Nestled between the foot of Mount Vesuvio and the Mediterranean Sea lies
Torre del Greco, the capital city of coral and cameos, overlooking the bay of Naples. The population of this Italian community has grown to more than 100,000 -- no fewer than 5,000
used to participate in the development of cameos and coral designs.
Exquisite cameos and workings in coral and gold leave this quiet community daily and travel around the globe. Vesuvius's lava fields prevented the natives from working the land. Fortunately the
Torre del Greco's waters were filled with coral forest and reefs. They not only engaged in the traditional occupations of sailing and shipbuilding, but also in coral and shell diving. There
was easy access to three great natural resources utilized for cameo carving: lava, coral and conch shells. Cameos made from these materials became very popular all around the world in the years following the 15th century.
Nowadays there are no more
coral forest and reefs in the Torre del Greco waters. The coral worked here comes
from Sardinia or different waters inside the
mediterranean sea.
Near Torre del Greco, there are
many beautiful places like, Herculaneum and Pompeii, both
destroyed by the Vesuvious during a tremendous eruption
in the 79 AD. A visit to the ruins will give you
the opportunity to see many artifacts well preserved
which still now prove the prosperity of this town in the
past. Not far from Pompeii there is Sorrento and
the Amalfi Coast with Positano and Ravello, where
Richard Wagner had the inspiration for his music. |
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Piazza del Plebiscito, Napoli
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Maschio Angioino, Castle in Napoli
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Galleria Umberto I, Napoli
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