The Bay of Naples and the sea: truly an inseparable combination! dominated by the strangely reassuring profile of Vesuvius, and Castel dell'Ovo occupying a spit of land stretching out into the sea.
Naples is the sea, just as its food has the tang of brine: spaghetti with clams, pizza with anchovies, "maruzze" (sea snails), and a dish of "paranza" (small fry) or fried prawns and squid. The sea features in so many Neapolitan songs:
"Maruzzella, Maruzzè... /t'e miso dint'a ll'uocchie 'o mare /e mm'hê miso 'mpiett'a me /nu dispiacere..." (Renato Carosone - "Maruzzella").
Many other cities are located at the foot of the volcano: Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabia, nice resorts of the Roman Nobility, which were completely submerged by ash and lapillus in 79 d.C.; however the surrounding countryside became very fertile for agriculture thanks to Vesuvius' ash (the so-called Campania felix).
Finally, Torre del Greco finds the raw material for its superb craft "jewels" in the sea: coral and mother-of-pearl.
Pino Falcone Photographer