What to see in Torre del Greco, itinerary including the main attractions and monuments, including the Church of the Holy Cross and Villa delle Ginestre, to discover the city renowned for its working with corals and cameos.
Tourist information
Located near the Vesuvius National Park, Torre del Greco is a town that is part of the metropolitan area of Naples, with a coastline about ten kilometers long.
The name derives from the watchtower, built by Federico II of Svevia, and from the Greek wine produced in this geographical area.
Destroyed several times by the eruptions of Vesuvius, Torre del Greco has always been rebuilt and appreciated since past ages, thanks to the mild climate and its position on the sea.
Between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries some of the stately villas in the Vesuvian area were built, including Villa Vallelonga, Villa del Cardinale, Villa Prota, which is among the most interesting Vesuvian villas, and Villa Ferrigni, also known as Villa delle Ginestre , where the poet Giacomo Leopardi wrote some poems inspired by the exceptional beauty of the place.
What see
Among the places of worship to visit is the church of Santa Croce, built on the remains of an older church destroyed by an eruption of Vesuvius.
In the Latin cross interior, located on the main altar, there is the painting depicting the scene entitled "The Invention of the Holy Cross" while, in the left transept there is a chapel containing a fragment of wood from the Holy Cross.
The church of the Santissimo Sacramento and San Michele Arcangelo was rebuilt on a previous church that was buried by lava.
Torre Del Greco is famous for the craftsmanship of corals, cameos and mother of pearl, an artistic tradition still alive as it has been handed down from the ancient school of engraving and working with coral, included in the dedicated museum.
