Torregaveta

In ancient times the esplanade of Torregaveta was connected to the plateau of San Martino, the only maritime access road to Monte di Procida. In the second half of the 19th century, it was built Via Torregaveta, which became an important route of communication with the neighbouring cities of Pozzuoli and Naples, especially after the construction of the railway network “Cumana”.
The beautiful beach of Torregaveta is a small cove below a high cliff of tuff that in ancient times was included in the territory controlled by Cuma. Its name comes from "àvuta", that means high tower, in memory of one of the 366 bastions that King Charles V built in the 16th century to guard the realm from pirate attacks.

Some scholars disagree with this interpretation and trace the toponym from "Turris Vatiae" due to a tower that belonged to a famous Roman villa. In a modern building used as a restaurant are in fact incorporated ancient structures attributable to the famous residence of the Roman nobleman Servilio Vatia, who lived in this place isolated from everybody. According to Seneca’s description it had to be really magnificent, exposed to the wind Favonio (western wind) and equipped with fishmongers and ponds.

Since Monte di Procida was still a property of Procida, this one, with an 1868 law on compulsory roads, studied a road that shortened the distances between Monte and Pozzuoli. The project was prepared in 1878 and provided that the new road was detached from the provincial road towards Fusaro to reach the Cercone and from there down to the church. The works ended in 1880. The Mount was no longer isolated and at the end of the 19th century a brilliant development awaited him. Besides the agricultural activity, the mining activity intensified, especially in the north-eastern slope of the hill where were opened the first quarries of tuff, used for the construction of the railway “Cumana”. The section from Naples to Torregaveta went into operation on the 12th of July 1890.