Ancient history, abruptly interrupted in 79 AD. by the eruption of Vesuvius, it was covered by the thick blanket of volcanic materials that have hidden it for centuries, even erasing the memory of the Roman era settlement and all traces of the pre-existing settlement.
But that landscape so loved by richer and more prominent figures of the empire, who had wanted their sumptuous seaside villas there, did not cease to attract the powerful even in later times. So in the Middle Ages a new story began for Portici, when the amenity of the place led the nobles of the Angevin court, who loved to stay there during the summer. It was also then that a small coastal farmhouse began to form around the church of Sant'Antonio, which is said to have been built by San Francesco himself. In 1415 Queen Giovanna II decided to transfer it with other Vesuvius possessions to her controversial favorite Sergianni Caracciolo. Over time, Portici continued to expand and its inhabitants to increase, until the new, destructive eruption of Vesuvius in 1631 sowed death and destruction. A long dark period ensued, lasting about a century.
The extraordinary beauty of the site changed the course of history once again, attracting the Duke of Elboeuf, Emanuele Maurizio of Lorraine, to the shores of the small Gulf of Granatello (so called because of the many pomegranate trees that grew there at the time), with its small port. Enamored of the place, the Duke commissioned the architect Ferdinando Sanfelice to design a grand seaside villa. The imposing building, which harmoniously dominates the Granatello Landing surrounded by a magnificent garden of exotic plants, was delivered in 1711. The Duke wanted to embellish the interior of the villa with some precious pieces from the Roman period, which had just been unearthed during the excavations that were rediscovering the layout and buildings of ancient Herculaneum.
The most illustrious of the villa's guests was King Charles of Bourbon, who was welcomed there in an emergency with Queen Maria Amalia of Saxony after their ship was wrecked a short distance from Villa d'Elboeuf. Charles was so taken with the beauty of Granatello and its views that he decided to build a royal residence there. The sumptuous Reggia di Portici, designed by the architect Medrano in 1738, was decorated with works by the leading painters and sculptors of the Bourbon court and with countless artifacts from the ongoing archaeological excavations along the Vesuvian coast. It was in the small palace that the first museum was created, along with the founding of the Herculaneum Academy. The presence of the royal family attracted the most important members of the court to Portici and was the origin of the fashion for seaside vacations. The Vesuvian villas of the so-called Miglio d'Oro (Golden Mile) were built one after the other for the purpose of vacation, and today they are partly restored and can be visited Various cultural events take place in them.
The ancient palace, which after the Unification of Italy became the seat of the High School of Agriculture and then of the Faculty of Agriculture of the "Federico II" University of Naples, today houses the Herculanense Museum, a digital version of the first Bourbon Museum, and various thematic museums related to the scientific activities of the University. The old garden and part of the park have been home to an important Botanical Garden since the 19th century, which houses various collections and rare plants from different continents.
It was on October 3, 1839 that a train crossed the seven kilometers separating Portici from Naples for the first time in Italy. The Pietrarsa Railway Museum tells the story and commemorates the first Italian railway, overlooking one of the most spectacular views of the Bay of Naples. The sunset can also be admired from the Bourbon Port of Granatello, which over the years has become the heart of nightlife in Portici and the entire Vesuvius area.