They call it the "coral city", and it has been for three centuries: the master carvers of Torre del Greco work coral and cameos for shop windows across the world, and a state school still hands down the craft. The other partner in its story is Vesuvius, which destroyed it repeatedly — worst of all in 1794 — and each time watched it grow back on its slopes: "daughter of Vesuvius", they say here.
Giacomo Leopardi spent his final stays in Torre del Greco and composed "La ginestra" here, watching the volcano's flowering slopes from Villa delle Ginestre, now open to visitors. Herculaneum and its excavations are ten minutes away.
Near Torre del Greco
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
