In Depth

A land of ancient civilizations, Campania has been inhabited since at least 4000 B.C., as shown by the many excavated necropolises here. A wonderful and fertile land, it attracted many people, who frequently fought for possession of it over the past 3,000 years. Its three main sections each had slightly different historical fates: the plains in the region's northern part and the hinterland of Naples -- the Campania Felix of the Romans; the mountainous Sannio dominated by Benevento; and, to the south, the Amalfi Coast and the Cilento.