THE 36 CASALI OF NAPLES

Already in the days of the Duchy of Naples, around the 10th century, people spoke of "casali". This term identified the tiny clusters of farmhouses within the countryside surrounding Naples, which have almost completely disappeared today.

However, the territory of the province of Naples was extremely fertile and produced exceptional fruit, such as the "mela annurca" (a prized local apple variety).

The 36 casali were not large enough to be considered towns, but they were home to a stable population made up mainly of local farmers. These farmers would come down into the city with their carts to sell fresh fruit and earn a living.


Originally, the 36 casali were the following:

• Torre Annunziata
• Resina
• Portici
• San Sebastiano
• San Giorgio a Cremano
• Ponticelli
• Barra di Serino
• San Giovanni a Teduccio
• Fraola, Casalnuovo
• Casoria
• San Pietro a Patierno
• Frattamaggiore
• Arzano
• Grumo Nevano
• Casandrino
• Melito
• Marano
• Mongano
• Panecuocolo
• Secondigliano
• Chiaiano
• Calvizzano
• Polvica
• Piscinola
• Marianella
• Miano
• Antignano
• Vomero
• Torricchio
• Pianura
• S. Strato
• Ancarano
• Villa Posillipo
  
  
  However, it should be noted that Torre del Greco is, in some cases, considered as the 37th casale. Some names have disappeared from modern toponymy. For example, Fraola became Afragola, Mongano became Mugnano, and Resina has recently reverted to being called Ercolano. As for Panecuocolo (or Panicocoli), the situation is a little different. The village was famous for its bread ovens and was renamed by Gioacchino Murat as "Gioacchinopoli", though today it is better known as Villaricca.
  
  Within the city of Naples, Torricchio became today's Materdei, while S. Strato was a hamlet of Posillipo that grew up around the church which still stands there today. Polvica, not to be confused with the village of the same name in the province of Nola, was a village located near Chiaiano.
  
  
  Among the 36 casali of the province of Naples, only one has kept the word "casale" in its name: the town of Casalnuovo.

With the arrival of Alfonso d'Aragona, on 28 February 1443, the King established a fiscal census called the "numerazione dei focolai" (hearth count).

Thanks to this census, the casali, created by the Angevins, were exempted from paying the "42 carlini a fuoco" (42 carlini per hearth) required by the census. They began to enjoy the same privileges, prerogatives and immunities as the city of Naples.

Excluding Torre del Greco, which was not considered a casale but a well-fortified castle, there were 36 casali. They were divided into 4 areas: 8 on the seaside, 10 inland, 10 on the Capodichino hill, and 8 belonging to the Posillipo hill.
The seaside casali, along the right-hand coast beneath Vesuvius, were:

Torre Annunziata, Resina, Portici, San Sebastiano, San Giorgio a Cremano, Ponticelli, Varra di Serino, San Giovanni a Teduccio.

The inland casali were:
Fraola, Casalnuovo, Casoria, San Pietro a Patierno, Fratta Maggiore, Arzano, Casavatore, Grumo, Casandrino, Melito.

The casali on the Capodichino hill, on the north-east side, were:
Marano, Mongano, Panecuocuolo, Secondigliano, Chiaiano, Calvizzano, Polvica, Piscinola, Marianella.

The casali on the Posillipo hill, on the west side, were:
Antignano, Arenella, Vomero, Torricchio, Pianura, S. Strato, Ancarano, Villa Posillipo

Essentially, the casali belonged to the so-called "Regio Demanio" (Royal Domain) and enjoyed tax exemptions. During the period of Spanish rule, the Viceroys began selling off the state-owned casali to finance the Iberian state. This sale caused a great deal of protest, until Charles V came to the throne in 1536. He granted the "JUS PRAELATIONIS" (right of pre-emption), which allowed the casali to buy back their freedom. This decree had a negative impact on local finances, and many casali lacked the economic resources to exercise this right of redemption. Others were forced to sell themselves again to clear the debts they had run up.

The policy of selling off the state-owned casali continued until 1637. In that year, armed protests intensified and merged with the historic revolt of Masaniello, first involving some of the casali and then the entire kingdom. With the abolition of feudalism, the casali became autonomous municipalities. Nonetheless, they kept an unchanged bond with their reference city, with which they shared consumption and legal and administrative obligations. This is how the territorial institution known as the "Provincia" (Province) came into being.