The rich library of the convent of Santa Maria della Pietà, in the countryside outside the hamlet of Vatolla, was an irresistible attraction. Giovan BattistaVico was often there, as soon as his commitments as tutor of the children of baron Domenico Rocca, owner of the castle left him free time.
He spent a lot of time researching and reading the precious texts of the Franciscan library under a large olive tree, right in front of the convent. It was also under the shadow of that tree that he developed the theories and the idea of his famous "Principles of a new science", which he would only be able to publish in 1725.
Castle of Vatolla, with its barony, belonged to the Rocca family since 1660. It was bought by Giovanni, Domenico's elder brother who, on the death of the first, married his widow and had children with her. The whole family lived for the most part of the year in Casamicciola, on the island of Ischia, where another brother, Girolamo, was bishop. Girolamo had met several times in Naples, in a bookshop of the decuman, a young man always immersed in reading, who had revealed himself to be a scholar with poor means to cultivate his passion for knowledge. It was Giovan Battista Vico, son of a very poor bookseller that after a serious accident as a child had developed a skinny and frail physique. His love for studies led him to train largely as a self-taught. Upon hearing of his difficulties, Monsignor Rocca proposed that he become tutor of his nephews.
It was 1686 and nine decisive years began for the Neapolitan philosopher, who dedicated himself to the education of the young Rocca between Ischia, where they lived, and Vatolla, the hilly center overlooking the Gulf of Salerno, where they went during summer, to take advantage of the favorable climate and healthy air which also benefited Giovan Battista. As he wrote in his own autobiography.
The vichiano Museum is located in the castle back then belonging to the Rocca family, then passed to the De Vargas Macciucca family, from which it took the name and it’s curated by the Giovan Battista Vico Foundation.
Autonomous municipality for centuries, Vatolla was aggregated to the Municipality of Perdifumo, becoming a fraction in 1810 with the Murattian laws. Also famous for its historical production of onions.
