Campania was part of Magna Graecia, the Greek colonies of southern Italy The first Greek colony was founded at Cumae, north of Naples today, in the 8th century BC.

In 217 BC the invading Hannibal and his hoards entered Campania and burned the crops of these fertile lowlands to try and provoke the Roman commander Fabius Maximus Cunctator (the delayer). This was a failure as was Fabius's attempt to trap Hannibal in Campania when Hannibal used the ruse of tying burning brands to the horns of cattle to draw away the Romans guarding a vital pass out of Campania.

In 216 BC, after Hannibal's victory at the battle of Cannae, Capua, the leading city of Campania requested complete equality with Rome, including the demand that one of the Roman consuls should be elected from Capua. When Rome rejected this, they opened negotiations with Hannibal who was more than willing to endorse the full independence they sought. The defection of Capua did not however inspire other Campanian towns so Capua was isolated and the Romans were eventually, in Hannibal's absence, able to build siege works round the city. As Hannibal proved unable to break the siege, Capua was eventually starved into submission in 211 BC.

Campania was the breadbasket of Rome, until the acquisition of Egypt brought greater supplies of grain to the empire.

Goths and the Byzantine Empire struggled for control of Campania during the 5th and 6th centuries, and then the Lombards established the Duchy of Benevento. The Normans conquered and re-unified Campania during the 11th and 12th centuries, seizing southern Italy from the Byzantines and forming the Kingdom of Sicily.

After the Hohenstaufen confrontation with the Papacy, the kingdom passed to Charles of Anjou who retained his mainland territories, after he lost Sicily (1282), as the Kingdom of Naples. This was later reunited with Sicily by Alfonso V of Aragon (1442) who styled himself the 'King of two Sicilies'; a title that was subsequently revived during the Spanish domination (1504 - 1713) of both kingdoms. The Bourbons followed in 1713 prior to the unification of Campania into Italy.

Pompeii:
Travel to Naples and you must see Pompeii. This makes a great part of a holiday in Amalfi or Cilento. The excavations must be seen. Take your time as Pompeii is large and there are endless things to see. Roam through the streets of the Roman town into an unforgettable journey back in time! Visit the museum with its precious discoveries and the 'castings' resulting from the huge eruption of 79 AD where mercilessly lives were taken; the pictures which stay in your memory.

Herculaneum:
This is not as well known as Pompeii, but still worth a visit. The 79 AD eruption was a catastrophe for this place which was buried by the lava. It is even more interesting than that of Pompeii. Although a much smaller excavation site it is more often visited. Meeting history here has a far more tranquil feeling. One can even go alone through the alleys of this well-preserved place (even wooden articles such as tables and stairs can be found here whereas, in Pompeii, the items unfortunately fell victim to the ashes of the lava, where items burned in the fire).


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