Historical highlights

Through history, Campania was prized as a maritime strategic position and a fertile territory to provide food for the local population. It was fought over and ruled by many masters, all of whom left behind a part of their own culture.

Campania was colonised in the 8th century BC, by Greek Cumaeans, only to be conquered by Rome in the 2nd century BC. With the fall of the Roman Empire, Byzantine and Lombard armies vied for control of the region.
In the Middle Ages came the Normans, followed by Germans, the French and the Spanish.

In 1860, Garibaldi swept into the Kingdom of Naples, and that was the birth of a new Italian nation.

In Campania Italy, myth and legends are woven inextricably into historical facts.

Here, Icarus flew too close to the sun and plunged to his death in the Campi Flegrei volcano; to the south, the songs of the sirens lured sailors to their deaths on the rocks off Sorrento…or so the story goes.

Geographical gems

Campania’s landscape and climate make it an ideal place for the production of all those wonderful wines and fabulous food you can buy from us!

The landscape

The region is full of variation. There’s a coastline of sandy bays, intimate coves and spectacular plunging cliffs, lapped by the mesmerising blue of the sea. Just off the coast are the islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida, each with its own unique character.

There is still seismic activity in the region. Although dormant, Mount Vesuvius broods mysteriously above the historic sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum, a constant reminder of the doom-laden days of devastation in 79 AD.

Inland, discover wooded mountains, looming massifs and lush fertile plains, clothed in fragrant Mediterranean vegetation.

The climate

Along the coast, the climate is typically Mediterranean, with long, sun-soaked summers– so all crops have a lengthy growing season. Inland is more continental, with low temperatures in winter.

The agriculture

The fertile coastal lowlands are the chief farming areas. With such rich soils, cultivation can be intensive. Very often wheat grows in fields with fruit trees along the edges, and vines trailing amongst them. Wheat, apricots, peaches, apples, nuts, citrus fruits, figs, olives and, of course, grapes, are the main crops.

Early vegetables, flowers, hemp and tobacco add to the agricultural abundance of Campania.