the ancient history of campania is associated with the etruscans and the greeks, whose gigantic ruins can be seen at paestum.
next came a time of great prosperity under roman leadership; archaeological evidence of this still exists at benevento and santa maria capua vetere.
the hinterland, with its rich, well-cultivated plains, is eclipsed by the amalfi coastline with its breath-taking views and the dramatic seaboard of the cilento.
the mountainous interior, remote and unvisited, contains small towns that were settled by the greeks, developed by the romans and often abandoned in the wake of malaria and saracen attacks.
the capital of campania, naples is one of the few european cities of the ancient world that has never been completely extinguished.
founded by greeks,it was embellished and enlarged by the romans and in subsequent centuries was the much-prized booty of foreign invaders and imperialists - most prominently the normans hohenstaufen, french and spanish.