Nuvlana
Location
Nuvlana lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines between Capua and Lower Nocera on the Via Popilia. A branch road ran from it to Abella and Avellino. Though a relative backwater, Nuvlana retained its status as a municipium, its own institutions, and the use of the Oscan language. It was divided into pagi, the names of some of which are preserved: Pagus Agrifanus, Capriculanus, Lanitanus.
History
Nuvlana was one of the oldest cities of Campania, with its most ancient coins bearing that name. It was later said to have been founded by the Ausones, who were certainly occupying the city by c. 560 BC. It once vied in luxury with Capua. During the Roman invasion of Naples in 328 BC, Nuvlana was probably occupied by the Oscans in alliance with the Samnites. Amid the Samnite War, the Romans took the town in 313 BC.
Under Roman rule, the city was the site of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battles of Nuvlana during Hannibal's invasion of Italy amid the Second Punic War. On two occasions (215 and 214 BC), it was defended by Marcellus. It fell by treason to the Samnites during the Social War. It was stormed by Spartacus during his failed slave revolt. The emperor Augustus died nearby at his sumptuous villa at Somma Vesuviana on 19 August AD 14, in allegedly the same room his father died in 72 years earlier.
Places of Interest
- ~ Villa Thurinus -- Ancestral home of Octavian's family.
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Religious Sites
The city is small enough that only shrines predominate and decadent enough that religion is seen as a bit backward or traditional. Minus temples, shrines to a wide assortment of gods, demigods, heroes and local spirits can be found virtually everywhere. But for those who pay attention, the genius loci or local spirits are the real power in Nuvlana, at least in terms of a numerical advantage.
Trade: Ancient & New
Historically, the stock and trade of Nuvlana lies in the manufacture of Grecian vases using the local fine yellow clay and a shining black glaze. The vases are then further decorated with red figures.
However, more recently there has been considerable land speculation and the construction of seasonal villas for the Roman elite. During the summer and fall the city's streets are so crowded that it has the feel of a resort rather than municipality. In the off seasons of winter and spring Nuvlana hums with construction crews and rural laborers brought in to plant the lush vineyards of the absent elites.
