It was certainly nice to ride in a carriage. With a view over the sea and the unmistakable silhouette of Vesuvius, with blue skies populated by picturesque white clouds, which seemed to have been placed there by the most popular painters in the kingdom at the time.
Known as Strada Regia delle Calabrie, in that stretch it perfectly followed the coast line up to the slopes of the volcano. Spectacular in every season, even in the middle of winter, when the brightness of the southern sun enhances the bright colors of ripe lemons, oranges and mandarins on the many citrus trees of the lush gardens of the noble villas. For those golden fruits, beyond the official name, that road had become the Golden Mile. The stretch between Herculaneum, called Resina back in the day, and Torre del Greco, preferred by the Neapolitan nobles for their sumptuous holiday residences, was exactly one mile long. And the villas were the reference point for the beginning and the end of that very particular mile of road, which went from the one owned by the De Bisogno family of Casaluce, in the heart of Resina, to Palazzo Vallelonga in Torre del Greco.
The love of King Charles
It was Charles of Bourbon who convinced the most prominent families of the kingdom to chose those places for their holidays, in the shade of Vesuvius, retracing the steps of rich Romans of imperial era. By pure chance, queen Maria Amalia and the King, in 1738 had to stop in Portici, in the villa built for Emanuele Maurizio di Lorena, Duke of Elboeuf. The sovereigns had fallen in love with both the place and the villa, so much so that they decided to build a new royal residence right nearby, what would then become Reggia di Portici. The need of the courtiers to accompany the king was another reason for the villa to be built and several nobles followed his example, buying land next to the road leading to Calabria to build their own summer residences. An affirmation of status highlighted by the very high level of the architects called to design the new residences - Luigi Vanvitelli, Ferdinando Fuga, Ferdinando Sanfelice, Domenico Antonio Vaccaro, Mario Gioffredo - as well as artists and craftsmen who made very special jewels for them, each one different from the other. With a stylistic prevalence of late Baroque tending towards Rococo and in some cases with anticipations of neoclassical elements.
Every facade and entrance of the villas faced the Golden Mile road, in order to adequately show off the luxury and magnificence of the buildings to those traveling on that road. It was the Duke of Carafa who suggested that spectacular alignment of constructions, later also assisted by the Royal House, along an axis between Vesuvius and the sea. with the added value of those magnificent residences, the definition of the Golden Mile found further justification.
The parks descending to the sea
The road and the various properties were made even more beautiful and striking by their splendid parks, sloping down towards the sea, to which were dedicated capitals and cares no less important than those reserved for the buildings. Because even the green spaces, designed by great architects, had become a source of pride and rivalry between the owners, who competed to see who could exhibit the most innovative and particular found: the stairways and panoramic terraces, the gazebos and pergolas of vines, statues and fountains with water features, groves and flower beds, pavilions and huts overlooking the sea, to enjoy the pleasant sea breeze in the hottest hours of summer days. There was a statue of St. Gennaro in every garden, in memory of when, in 1767, the invocations and prayers to the protector had stopped Vesuvius’ lava dangerously close to the city.
And there was no shortage of ancient pieces, found by digging into the ground keeper of a layer from the Roman era. The construction of the villas favored the predation of archaeological findings, facilitated by the tunnels dug to reach the Roman underground sites and plunder them of everything possible. Precious objects that in part entered the collections displayed in the villas and in part were sold, with excellent earnings, in half of Europe.
Vesuvian Villas
At the end, there were two hundred villas built along the panoramic road in the shadow of Vesuvius. Mostly all dating back to the 18th century and located between Portici, Resina, Barra, San Giorgio a Cremano and Torre del Greco. But those golden vacations in fairytale places didn't last long. With the construction in 1839 of the first section of the railway line in Italy, the famous Naples-Portici, industrial activities of various kinds began to settle in the area, from tanneries for leather processing to shipyards. Following this rapid industrial development, which led to moving close to the workplaces of workers and technicians, the nobility began to lose interest and to look elsewhere. Then, with the unification of Italy, in 1869, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat ended up prevailing, marking the decline of the villas, which were gradually abandoned. And World War II saw them bombed and looted. Then more and more degraded. Until, in 1971, the Parliament founded the Vesuvian Villas Authority «to provide for the conservation, restoration and enhancement of the artistic heritage constituted by the Vesuvian Villas».
There are 122 Vesuvian Villas that still exist and are protected today. The restorations started at the end of the 1970s, with the recovery of Villa Campolieto, open to the public in 1984, allowed to actively protect a heritage of extraordinary historical-artistic-architectural and create a visit itinerary of incredible charm.
There are about thirty villas in Portici, in addition to the Royal Palace. In particular, besides Palazzo d'Elboeuf from which it all began, Villa Savonarola, Villa Orsini di Gravina, Villa Zelo, Palazzo Duke of Bagnara.
A Villa Bisignano can be admired from Barra.
There were about thirty villas in San Giorgio a Cremano, including Villa Bruna, Villa Vannucchi, Villa Pignatelli, Villa Tufarelli.
Eighteen villas in Torre del Greco such as Palazzo Vallelonga, Villa del Cardinale, Villa Guerra, Villa Mennella, Villa Prata, Villa delle Ginestre
Located largely on Corso Resina which is part of Via delle Calabrie, there are twentytwo villas in Herculaneum. The most famous one is Villa Campolieto, where the Vesuvian Villas Authority is located, as well as Villa Favorita and Villa Aprile, Villa Signorini in via Roma, Villa Durante and Villa Petti Ruggiero.
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