photo: mytravellinglens.com

Compania Region includes Napoli, Nola and other exceptional sights

We start our trip arriving in Rome and driving to Nola which is located just outside of Naples.

Nola

Nola, is 28 km north east of Naples, was established by the Romans and where Emperor Augustus died. With the fall of the Roman Empire there were some rough times with the town sacked a number of times. In the 1200s the town inherited to the Orsini family who dominated it until 1528. In this period it regained its ancient splendour. Earthquakes damaged Nola in the 15th and 16th Centuries.

The Cathedral of Nola Church rebuilt in 1900 after a fire and contains the crypt of the patron Saint Felice. Recently, a domus ecclesiae was found under the Cathedral, so far the only testimony in Campania.

Church of San Biagio - late-Renaissance design, reused an ancient Roman spa. Crypt is below the church with remains of a 3rd C Roman domus. The church embellished with polychrome marbles and paintings by the greatest painters of the Neapolitan seventeenth century.

The Convent of Sant'Angelo in Palco - Franciscan convent, founded by Raimondo Orsini, feudal lord of Nola, around 1440. The religious building is called "del Palco", as it overlooks olive groves and green trees of the fertile Nola countryside.

Basilica of San Felice - a main landmark in Nola, dedicated to the town's patron saint. Features an impressive Baroque façade and houses the relics of Saint Felix of Nola, a Christian martyr.

Archaeological Museum - Houses a collection of artefacts dating back to Roman times, including pottery, sculptures, and inscriptions.

San Gennaro Martyrdom Sanctuary - features a chapel containing relics and a statue of the saint.

Former convent of the Capuchins - just outside of the centre of the city and has the remains of a church built by St. Pauilinus in the 4th century.

The Roman amphitheatre - known as "Laterizio Amphitheatre" is one of the oldest and largest amphitheatres in Campania and dates back to the 1st century AD. It measures 138x108 meters and has been brought to light only in part. The amphitheatre can be visited by reservation only.

The Basilicas - Complex of Cimitile - 10 minutes by car from our hotel is the Complesso Basilicale Paleocristiano, aka Basilica Complex of Cimitile. In the Roman Empire Christianity allowed here and the place became a locatiion for pilgrims. The entrance has the grave of Saint Felice. It is possible to see sentences engraved on red plaster left by visitors.

Complesso Basilicale Paleocristiano - Via Madonnelle, 80030 Cimitile (NA) +39 081 19143141. Mon - Sat 9am to 1 pm, 3 to 6 in the summer. Sundays open from 9 am to 1 pm.

Vulcano Buono - a unique designed shopping centre.

We will be quite busy. Visiting Leonardo Pen and also taking a trip int0 Naples. There are frequent trains from Nola to Napoli, tickets are as little as 5 Euros for the one hour ride.

Napoli

photo: G Marcus mytravellinglens.com

I have to get into Naples as it is such an exciting city. I love the architecture and authentic feel of the city. Some find the city hard to take. This is a city where people live, the streets are an extension of their living rooms. The streets show the wear and tear of life. More information and photos of Naples are included in our 2023 visit to Naples.

Pen Stores in Napoli

I now realize we did not leave enough time in this area, and I will try to visist someof the pens stores in Naples.

Casa Della Penna di Bava Vincenzo - C.so Umberto I°, 88, 80138 Napoli Italy 

Stilo & Stile - Via Bernini, 12, 80129 Napoli NA, Italy

Stilo Store - Via Toledo, 170, 80132 Napoli NA, Italy

Stilnovo - Piazza Vanvitelli, 7, 80129 Napoli NA, Italy

La Penna d'Oro - Vico Vetriera, 9, 80132 Napoli NA, Italy

La Stilografica - Via Monteoliveto, 66, 80134 Napoli NA, Italy

Nuceroa Alfaterna

The Baptistery is the building where baptism took place, separated from a church.

Nocera Amphitheatre

Noceera, 37 km, 30 minute drive, south of Nola, has the Nuceria Alfaterna which was an important Roman settlement founded in the 6th century BC. Today two municipalities stand: Nocera Inferiore and Nocera Superiore. Some of the Roman ruins it holds includes:

• The ancient theatre is said to have the most impressive remains. Built during the 1st century BC, it could accommodate thousands of spectators and was used for theatrical performances and other public events. There is an area of the amphitheatre that is buried, called the "Grotti".

• The forum was the centre of political, social, and economic life in ancient Roman cities. While much of the forum at Nuceria Alfaterna has been excavated, some structures, such as the basilica and temples, still stand partially preserved.

• There are remnants of the Roman aqueduct that supplied water to the city.

• Portions of the old city walls are still visible.

• The circular baptistery, with a double ring, was built by the Byzantine in the second half of the 6th century on the remains of a thermal building from the 2nd and 3rd centuries, reusing the oldest materials, both in the thick external cylinder and for the fifteen pairs of columns that delimit the central space and support the dome. The columns, in Pentelic marble, are elements of spoils taken from different structures, but above all from Roman baths, so these columns are different from each other sometimes even in height, and even the capitals are absolutely different, especially those taken from the temple of Neptune, decorated with dolphins.

Agriturismo Relais Castelcicala

via Cappuccini, 1
80035 Nola

Karen has done it again and found a stunning place for us to stay. It will be in a beautiful agriturismo located in the "outbuildings" of Villa Castelcicala, a charming historic residence in Nola. The six suites are all located on the ground floor each with an independent entrance overlooking the courtyard or private gardens around the swimming pool.