SAN GIOVANNI'S BIRTH AND HISTORY

The medieval origins and the relationship with the town

The first human settlements in the zone of S. Giovanni a Teduccio date back to about three thousand years. They are linked mostly to the foundation of the Greek. During the Roman Age, along the coast from Naples to the present district of Portici many residential villas arose. Some of these important remains can be seen at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. Duringn the middle Ages the area was called San Giovanni on consequence of the discovery in the sea of the Saint's  marble bust. The statue became a place of worship, so a little church was built. Today it is the most important church in the area. Here one can find not only the Saint's old bust, but even a little column, from the second half of the IV century B.C. It was part of an architectonic group from Teodosia's villa dating back to the late Imperial age. On the little column, a Latin inscription celebrates the birth of Emperor Teodosio's two sons Arcadio and Onorio. The present name "S. Giovanni a Teduccio" derives from the name Teodosia, after various changes (Theodociam, Tedusculo, Teduzzolo).

Veduta di Napoli dal mare (1731, Orazio Grevenbroeck)

From the Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century

Information regarding the Middle Ages is very scarce until the year 1000. It was only during the Norman Age, that the name "San Giovanni a Teduccio" was given to the area that goes from Piazza del Mercato of the city to that one called "Croce del Lagno". These two areas were joined by the construction of a bridge, (now called "il ponte della Maddalena" by Roberto il Guiscardo, and it also marked their border. In 1469, during the Aragonese Age, San Giovanni was among the 43 "casali" of the city. In 1586 there was only one document, which mentioned S. Giovanni a Teduccio and other three districts called "Peccigno" (Pazzigno), La Villa and Pietrabianca.

 Napoli vista dal Carmine (XIX secolo, Gioacchino La Pira)

These, today, still form the historical centre of S. Giovanni. Many historical happenings took place in the San Giovanni "Casale" during the  seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. On the 9th of July 1647 Masaniello drove out with fire the Spanish troops barricaded in S.Maria di Costantinopoli's church at Pietrabianca. On the 13th of June 1799 Neapolitan patriots rose up against the troops of Cardinale Ruffo, who had again conquered the Borboni's reign.

The first Italian railway (Naples-Portici inaugurated in 1839) and the opening of the Pietrarsa's workshops (1840) changed the economy of the San Giovanni "Casale". The second Industrial Revolution gave rise to complete development of S. Giovanni's Municipality. Examples of industrial developments of the area are: "Corradini" metallurgical industries (founded in 1872 and liquidated in 1949), and the renowned "Cirio" industry founded in 1875. San Giovanni became the industrial part of Naples between the XIX and XX centuries; in 1926 it became a borough of  Naples, today it is one of the 21 districts of Naples.

San Giovanni e il Vesuvio visti dal mare (Didier Barra XVII secolo)

Since the 1970s some of these factories (such as the SNIA-VISCOSA) have closed, while some others (such as the CIRIO) have moved. The Ministry of Environment has been trying to solve the dangerous problems of the refineries located in the heart of the city. All refineries and industries should be moved out of the urban centre; plans to re-value the city are being made by constructing both a tourist harbour and a big commercial centre linked to service all harbour activities. A complete retrieval of the coastline, today isolated by the railway, is in project. There are also plans to use the area to build a university centre, which would make the eastern part of the city into an area tied to culture, bringing about a complete change to this once industrial society.