Campania is a region of Southern Italy, bordering on Latium to the north-west, Molise to the north, Apulia to the north-east, Basilicata to the east, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. The region covers 13,595 km² and has a population of 5.8 million.
The name derives from Latin, as it was called by Romans Campania felix ('fortunate countryside'), a name that is shared by the French province of Champagne.
Tourist attractions include the Sibyl's cave at Cumae, the Greek temples at Paestum, the Roman ruins at Pompei and Herculaneum, the volcanoes of Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and Ischia, the Amalfi Coast (Costiera Amalfitana) from Sorrento to Salerno and the islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida, and the village of Calitri.
Food and drink
Simplicity and flavour. This is the winning combination for the cuisine of Campania, which has always preferred genuine products and traditional recipes to sophisticated concoctions and experimentations. The queen of the table is the ubiquitous pizza: Margherita, naturally, although variations on the theme are infinite. The 'princess', on the other hand, is pasta, in all of its multiple forms. Spaghetti, fusilli, vermicelli, the more the merrier. Condiments include garlic, oil and San Marzano tomatoes, and of course ragù meat sauce - Neapolitan style. Fish dishes are also excellent around these parts: from the impepate of mussels cooked with tomatoes and seasoned with pepper, to the polipi affogati (polyp) and alici alla scapece (anchovies). Popular dishes include the baccalà (dried salted cod) and zuppa di soffritto di maiale, while renowned favourites include the mozzarella of Mondragone, limoncello of Sorrento, and a variety of superb local wines (Taurasi all’Aglianico, Greco di Tufo, Asprino d’Aversa, Lacrima Christi, Fiano and Solopaca). In terms of sweets, rich flaky sfolgiate, deliciously soft babà and pastiera are the favourites of young and old alike.
