Top of the World
A walk among the vines, olive trees and fruit trees to experience this city in a totally unusual way.No one would suspect that in Corso Vittorio Emanuele, just behind a gate, there is hidden a real oasis. For at least six centuries, the ancient Vigna di San Martino has appeared in all the pictures of Naples, one of the few green spaces that has survived building speculation and extends to the foot of the majestic Certosa di San Martino.The ancient estate, a National Monument, is a true urban agricultural territory composed of paths and small buildings built by the monks over the centuries, with a breathtaking view of the sea and Vesuvius. Seven hectares of vines, citrus fruits and other fruit species dominated by the overhanging museum of San Martino and the 16th century fortress Castel Sant'Elmo.This ancient vineyard, built in terraces that slope down along the Vomero hill, was confiscated, the day after the unification of Italy, from the Carthusian order. Separated from the monastic complex of the Certosa di San Martino (which has since become a museum) it was sold to private individuals. After various passages it came into the hands of the Neapolitan art gallerist Giuseppe Morra who bought it in 1988. Today it is the seat of a farm producing Dop wine managed by the Onlus "Piedi per la terra - centro per la cultura ecologica e le economie alternative". For over 15 years the association has been involved in environmental education, mainly aimed at children. The production of wine, about four thousand litres a year, comes from Aglianico, Piedirosso, Falanghina and Catalanesca grapes.
