Sant’Agnello

Situated between Piano di Sorrento and Sorrento, the municipality of Sant’Agnello covers an area of approximately 4 km². Between a tuffaceous spur with splendid terraces overlooking the sea; and glimpses of the Gulf of Naples and the Gulf of Salerno, and the hills of the Sorrentine ridge.

Sant’Agnello has about 8,421 inhabitants, the santanellesi, with an altitude of about 75 m a.s.l. and a territory in the shape of a somewhat squat rectangle with the longest side of 3850 m and the shortest of 1070 m; for a total surface area of 4050700 square metres.

It owes its name to its patron saint, Sant’Agnello, celebrated on 14 December and venerated in the Baroque church of the same name, preceded by an imposing staircase leading to the churchyard.

The historical origins of the municipality are linked to those of the entire Sorrento Peninsula, which, according to some historians, date back two centuries before the founding of Rome (721 B.C.); when an eruption of Vesuvius is said to have given life to the territory.

The first peoples to dominate the peninsula are said to have been the Oscans and Phoenicians. While in 89 B.C. the territory became a Roman municipality and a tourist destination for several Roman emperors and nobles.

After the various dominations of the Aragonese, Angevins and Bourbons, the Sorrento Peninsula also participated in the Jacobin struggle. But with the arrival of Napoleon, the territory was dominated for about a decade.

In 1808 Sant’Agnello obtained detachment from Piano di Sorrento, but to achieve autonomy it had to wait until 1866 when it became an independent town. It was then subdivided into the hamlets of Angri, Trasaella, Colli di Fontanelle, Maiano, San Giovanni e Paolo, and the present-day Rione Cappuccini.

In the second half of the 19th century, citrus fruit production increased considerably, and is still the basis of Santanella’s economy, and was also a spur to the development of maritime trade.

The tourist attractions of Sant’Agnello, divided into districts and villas, were immortalised in the 1800s by the American writer Francis Marion Crawford; who resided there for many years and described in his pages the most beautiful scenery on the coast, showing them to the whole world.

Among the most beautiful sites to visit is Villa Crawford, overhanging the sea and resting on two enormous bastions, originally a farmhouse, but later purchased and modified with its garden over the years by the American writer.

Also of great importance is the town centre, which coincides with Piazza Matteotti. With the municipal building, which was built in 1911 and enlarged in the mid-1950s, and the War Memorial, the work of sculptor Giovanni Niccolini and inaugurated in 1924.

Sant’Agnello is ideally divided into five districts that constitute the town’s major attractions and are:

Rione Angri, the oldest rione around which the village of Sant’Agnello was formed, and which can be defined as the historical centre of the town due to the multiplicity of historical monuments.

There are buildings dating back to the 18th century, although the oldest building is the Church of the Ss. Annunziata, in neoclassical style. Emblematic is the Sessa waxworks, the only one that maintains the artisanal processing of beeswax.

Then there is Rione Maiano, where archaeological finds dating back to Greek and Roman times have been discovered. The symbol is the tower known as la Forma, the ancient headquarters of the revolts against the neighbouring municipalities..

Here, too, craft activities such as the kilns for working refractory earthen bricks.

Of great historical importance is the Cappuccini district where we find the Church and the convent of the same name, built in 1586 overlooking the sea. In this district stands the Hotel Cocumella complex, built on an ancient Jesuit convent. A few steps away you can admire the Belvedere Marinella, the most suggestive point of the Santanellese marina, which overlooks the Gulf of Naples and the beach of the same name.

Of agricultural vocation is the ancient Fontanelle district, on the hills of the same name, once rich in water sources, now disappeared. A tourist destination for those seeking peace and tranquility, it offers, from the belvedere of Peak Sant’Angelo, the fantastic panorama of the Gulfs of Naples and Salerno.

Finally, there is the Trasaella district, surrounded by olive groves and waterways. Of historical value is the Baroque-style church, dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie.

The citizens of Sant’Agnello feel a lot about religious events, and of considerable importance are the events linked to Holy Week such as the palm blessing ceremony, and the various Processions that recall the Via Crucis, organized by the various brotherhoods.

Fairs and Festivals are also very widespread, where you can taste typical products accompanied by events and shows, the best known are the Feast of San Rocco in Maiano and the Fontanelle festival.

Of great importance, then, for some years, is the Sea Festival, dedicated to culture, gastronomy, entertainment and contact with nature, both marine and terrestrial.

Finally, it should be noted that for the Christmas holidays the Municipality of Sant’Agnello is decorated with Eco-Friendly decorations.

Certainly a gesture of attention on the part of the Municipal Administration.