Campania

Campania, dominated by its glorious Thyrennian coastline and the gloomy majesty of Vesuvius, is one of the most densely populated regions in the whole of Italy, especially in and around the regional capital: the bustling, noisy city of Naples. The five provinces of the region are Benevento, Avellino, Salerno, Caserta and Naples. The stunningly beautiful islands of Ischia, Procida and Capri lie in the Gulf of Naples.

Campania is mountainous and hilly, the Neapolitan Apennines in the extreme east giving way to the lower uplands of the Matese and Picentini mountains, with the Cilento mountains extending to the coast in the south. The main farming areas are the fertile coastal lowlands, particularly those of the Terra di Lavoro, an area in the north that spreads into southern Lazio and western Molise; and the volcanic plains around Vesuvius. The farming in these parts is intensive, the plots of land producing cereals and grains on the ground, fruit on the trees along the edges of the plots, and grapes from vines trailing between the trees. The chief crops of the region are fruit (apricots, apples, peaches, nuts, citrus, and grapes), early vegetables (the famous and much sought-after primizie), flowers, and industrial crops such as tobacco and hemp, not forgetting the ubiquitous tomato - the red gold of Campania that so richly and famously flourishes under the hot sun.