Castellammare di Stabia

Antiquity

Castellammare di Stabia lies next to the ancient Roman city of Stabiae, which functioned as a seaport for the inland city of Nuceria. The city's importance was diminished after it was razed in 90 BC during the Social War, a setback from which it never fully recovered. Nevertheless, it remained inhabited, with a center with a rectangular grid plan, shops, and a temple precinct that was active until the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD.^[4]

During the late 1st century BC, the surrounding escarpment attracted the construction of luxurious villas, which were expanded and elaborated upon in subsequent years. The villas were damaged in an earthquake in 62–63 AD. While many of these structures were still in the process of being rebuilt, they were ultimately buried under several meters of pumice during the eruption of 79 AD.^[4] The same eruption also killed the prominent Roman military commander and writer Pliny the Elder, who died at a local villa after succumbing to poisonous fumes.^[4]

Middle Ages

The castle, from which the modern city takes its name, was erected around the 9th century on a hill commanding the southern side of the Gulf of Naples. It was restored during the reign of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen and enlarged by King Charles I of Anjou.

The Castle After the destruction of Stabiae by Vesuvius, some local inhabitants who had survived the eruption returned to their old, now destroyed homes to recover objects and money. It was these inhabitants who established a village along the coast, which, as a result of the eruption, had become much further into the sea than in the past.^[5]

This new village, which lived primarily from fishing and agriculture, became part of the Duchy of Sorrento. It was the Sorrentines who built a castle on the hill near Pozzano to defend the duchy from barbarian incursions.

During this period, in 1086 to be precise, the name of the village, Castrum ad Mare, is found for the first time in a document, most likely deriving from the fact that the castle was located nearby, overlooking the sea. During the Middle Ages it was equipped with a city wall, like other cities.^[6][7]

The city of Castellammare asked Queen Giovanna I of Naples (also known as Giovanna I) for a loan for the construction of a new defensive tower called the Quartuccio Tower. The decree for its construction was made official on July 28, 1364.^[8][9]

Castellammare di Stabia passed first under the Swabians, and subsequently under the control of the Aragonese, who, in addition to the enlargement of the port and the construction of mighty surrounding walls, completed the construction of a royal palace on the Quisisana hill, used by the royals for their summer stays.

The importance of the palace was such that Giovanni Boccaccio made it the setting for a story of the Decameron, precisely the sixth of the tenth day.^[10]

From the 20th century to today

The comune, previously called "Castellamare", assumed the name "Castellammare" on 22 January 1863, and the current name on 31 May 1912.

Ancient Thermal Baths

The Ancient Thermal Baths were inaugurated in 1836 and since the beginning had a very important role for the citizens and also for the tourists coming in summer for the thermal cure, making the city very crowded. Because of this overcrowding the building was enlarged with new pavilions and pools for the thermal cures of the body, like a real spa but it was also a cultural centre where many art exhibitions, cultural events and concerts were held. The destruction of the ancient building began on 26 February 1956, to make way for today's building. At the end of the 1980s the thermal building was in crisis because most of its offered treatments were closed, even if today they are offered in the New Thermal Baths. Today the Ancient Baths opens only few hours a day for bathing. In summer there are some cultural events. In the summer of 2007 the renovation of the building began to enable services to resume, but the ancient thermal baths remained closed as of 2024.

New Thermal Baths

The New Thermal Baths, located on the hill of the Solaro, near the district of Scanzano, was inaugurated on 26 July 1964. This building has two zones: one zone is the building dedicated to the thermal cure and then there is the park for the hydroponic cure. The building for the thermal cure offers the chance of practicing physiotherapy, hyperbaric medicine, massages, mud baths, inhalation of the sulphurous waters, rehabilitating, dermatological, aesthetic and gynaecological cures. Instead the hydroponic park allows practicing hydrotherapy, that is drinking the specific kind of water to cure specific pathologies, while walking through the park. Moreover, in summer in the park there are many events, during mornings and evenings, such as concerts, open cinema, exhibitions and conventions. Because of lack of demand and political turmoil, the new thermal baths remain closed as of 2024.

Climate

Historical sources

• Giovanni Celoro Parascandolo (1965). Antonio Cortese's typography (ed.). Castellammare di Stabia [Castellammare di Stabia] (in Italian). Naples (NA). Retrieved 24 January 2026.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Gennaro Zurolo (2014). Signa et insignia, fonti per la storia del notariato a Castellammare di Stabia (secoli XIII-XIX) [Signa et insignia, sources for the history of the notary office in Castellammare di Stabia (13th-19th centuries)] (in Italian). Rende (PZ): Universal Book s.r.l. Retrieved 21 January 2026.