Casal di Principe
Let's explore Casal di Principe: history, geography, and origin of the name!
Hello friends! Today, I'll be talking to you about Casal di Principe, a municipality in the province of Caserta in Campania. We're here to discover the history of the town, its geography, and the origins of its name.
Physical Geography
Let's start with the location of this Italian municipality. Casal di Principe is situated in the middle of the Terra di Lavoro plain, precisely between the lower basin of the Volturno River and Aversa. It is three kilometers south of Regi Lagni, minor watercourses that, together with the Volturno River, form the hydrographic network of the area.
Moreover, the municipality is about 25 km from Naples and 12 km from Caserta.
Origin of the Name
There is a legend regarding the origins of the name "Casal di Principe." During the reign of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary from 1458 to 1490, it seems that a natural son named Stanislaus attempted to assassinate his father to take the throne. Upon uncovering the plot, the king arrested him along with his accomplices, but instead of killing them, he expelled them from the kingdom and asked for shelter for them from Ferdinand I, the King of Naples and Matthias's father-in-law. Ferdinand decided to assign them an old house located in a marshy and unhealthy area inland as a punishment. From that moment on, the name "Casal di Principe" was born, meaning the house where the prince lives.
History
Ancient Times
The first news about Casal di Principe dates back to the times of the Osci civilization, who used this area as an outpost on the Domizio coastline. After the destruction of the nearby Liternum (Patria), the house seems to have been born.
Norman Era
In the Middle Ages, Casale was a Lombard fiefdom surrounded by vast Benedictine properties. Over the centuries, almost all traces of its existence were lost, and it was only found again around 1030, in the Norman era, combined with Aversa, which has a strong Norman connotation.
Swabian Era
During the Swabian lordship, Casale was a fiefdom of the Rebursa d'Aversa family.
Curiosities
There is another legend that the Madonna di Casal di Principe is the protector of the Italian municipality. Tradition has it that in 1484, a miraculous image of the Madonna was found in the sea near the mouth of the Volturno and urgently brought to a rural house, where it was the subject of religious devotion for centuries.
Furthermore, Casal di Principe is known throughout Italy and the world as the "land of fires," where toxic waste has been burned for decades.
Conclusion
Here is a brief introduction to the Italian municipality of Casal di Principe. I hope this text has been useful for you to learn a bit more about the town's history, geography, and the origins of its name. If you're in the area, I recommend that you visit the Madonna di Casal di Principe, a symbol of devotion and faith dating back to 1400.
Thank you for reading this text, and see you on the next discovery of Italian territory!
