Afragola

Afragola (Italian pronunciation: [afraˈɡoːla]; Neapolitan: Afravóla; Afragolese dialect: Afraóra) is a city and comune in the province of Naples, southern Italy. It is one of the 100 largest Italian cities (the ones that have a population of more than 50,000 inhabitants). The communal territory, measuring 18 square kilometres (7 square miles), borders the municipalities of Acerra, Casalnuovo di Napoli, Caivano, Cardito and Casoria, forming a single metropolitan area of around 100,000 inhabitants. The comune of Afragola is one of the most densely populated of the country. Main sights Baroque sanctuary-basilica of St. Anthony's sanctuary-basilica. It was begun in 1633 and has a nave with two aisles, internally decorated with marbles. The bell tower was constructed from 1590. The castle, documented from 1495, was likely built from around 1420. According to the tradition, it was a residence of queen Joanna II of Naples. It currently houses a childhood school. Church of Santa Maria d'Ajello, founded in 1190. It houses works by Giovan Angelo Criscuolo, Alessandro Viola (1695) and Angelo Mozzillo. Church of San Marco in Sylvis, built around 1179. On its external wall is a slab on which, according to the legend, once sat both St. Mark and St. Januarius. Church of San Marco all'Olmo, built in 1615. Palazzo Migliore (17th century) Parish church of San Giorgio Martire, built in 1695-1702 Transportation A commercial station on the Rome-Naples high-speed railway, designed by Zaha Hadid, is being built at Afragola. The current station of Casoria-Afragola is on the Rome-Formia-Naples mainline. The public bus transport is managed by CTP, serving internal connections as well as to the nearby communes of Caserta, Naples and others. Criminality and social issues Afragola is the seat of one of the largest camorra clans of the area, that led by Anna Mazza. In 1999 and 2005, the communal council was disbanded by rule of the President of Italian Republic due to mafia allegiance of some of its members. Along with most of the nearby communes, Afragola also suffers of high pollution rates, as well as a high unemployment rate; unreported employment is also widespread. References External links Official website (Italian)