Latest news with #Campania
News.com.au
2 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Unthinkable new find inside Pompeii could change everything
A scattering of pock marks on Pompeii's city walls may prove a mythological 'super weapon' may have been real after all. At a glance, they look like acts of vandalism found across the ancient world – from the face of the Great Sphynx to the great standing stones of Britain. Few historic sights have escaped the temptation of trigger-happy troops, hunters and tourists. And the marks of these bullet impacts still mar their surfaces centuries later. But researchers examining the scars of battle in Pompeii 's stone walls near the city's main gates for the Vesuvius and Herculaneum roads have found similar depressions. Only the can't have been caused by bullets. Pompei was buried under volcanic debris as Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. Gunpowder was first used in handheld weapons 900 years later, in China. So what were these tightly grouped clusters of diamond-shaped impressions? They were too small to be ancient artillery. And too deep to be caused by hand-drawn bows. University of Campania researcher Adriana Rossi has found the impact marks in Pompeii's excavated walls are unlike anything ever seen before. And only one mythological device could have caused them. Forensic evidence The University of Campania academics scanned the impact points in 3D and digitally reconstructed the properties of the stone wall. Their models of the trajectories and penetration depths suggest the heavy iron points that caused them must have been travelling at about 109 meters per second. The deep gouges were in groups of four or five. And their even spacing suggests they were fired together, or in very close succession. Only one weapon known from ancient writings could produce such results. This is the polybolos, a 'machinegun' style crossbow-like weapon invented by the Greeks during the 3rd Century BC. But the polybolos was an antipersonnel weapon. Not a wall breaching device. The study argues the marks in the wall were made when the iron bolts fell slightly short of their intended targets. The 'gunners' would have simply upped their aim, and fired again. The evidence fits the known history of Pompeii. A century before being buried, it had been besieged. The free city had rebelled against the growing power of Rome. Its citizens wanted to restore their independence. But the famous Roman general, Sulla, was sent to quell the insurrection in 89BC. Surviving accounts tell how he attacked Pompeii 's port with 'artillery', generally thought to be catapults and large ballistae (heavy bolt throwers). General Sulla entered Pompeii once the walls were breached. The surviving defenders quickly capitulated, and the city was formally annexed as part of the Roman Republic. Most of its citizens were granted citizenship. And many of the Roman legionaries involved in the siege were gifted properties in and around the city. A century later, the coastal city had become a holiday resort for Rome's rich and famous. From myth to reality It's not entirely certain how the ancient 'machine gun' worked. No surviving example has ever been discovered. But a description of its mechanics is contained in the writings of Philo of Byzantium (Philo Mechanicus). This inventor lived in the Greek city of Alexandria, the location of history's greatest library, in about 250BC. Its university was a boiling pot of philosophy, science and engineering. Philo embraced the emerging concept of physics. He is credited with some of the earliest examples of automation and robotics. And his writings included treatises on leverage (The Mochlica) and the design of siege engines (The Belopoeica). The polybolos (which, in Greek, means 'many-shot-thrower') relied on torsion (the springlike power of tightly twisted cords bending timber) as its power source. Up to 15 bolts (large arrows) were stored in a magazine above the device. These were successively fed into the crossbow-like firing mechanism by a gear-driven chain-drive – the first known example of its kind. All the user had to do was pull a trigger, and the stored torsion power could unleash several volleys of bolts. Once expended, torsion energy could be restored by winding a windlass winch and the magazine reloaded. It was the most complex weapon system of its time.
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Travel + Leisure
4 days ago
- Business
- Travel + Leisure
This Region of Italy Is Trending With American Tourists for Summer 2025
Italy is a top summer travel destination for Americans; that's really nothing new. What could be as alluring as the idea of sipping Aperol Spritzes, gorging oneself on pasta, and strolling sun-drenched cobblestone streets? And while major cities like Rome, Florence, and Venice will always be popular for those experiences, other destinations across the southern European country are experiencing a boom in popularity this summer. According to Expedia's 2025 Summer Travel Report, people are seeking out more beaches and coastlines and fewer duomos for their Italian summer vacation. Based on Expedia searches for travel between June 1 and Aug. 31, the Campania region of Italy had the largest spike in interest year over year. Searches for the region increased by 210 percent since 2024. That's not too surprising, considering Campania's geographic location. Located inn Southern Italy, Campania has 311 miles of Tyrrhenian Sea coastline and stunning turquoise waters. Hands down, Campania is home to some of the best beach towns and most iconic sites in Italy. Notable destinations include Salerno, Naples, Positano, Amalfi, Pompeii, and Sorrento. In addition to more well-known coastal cities, there's also some lesser-known gems, like the hidden beach behind a fjord in the town of Furore. Campania isn't the only Italian destination experiencing a major spike in popularity compared to 2024. Alghero, on the island of Sardinia, saw a 110 percent increase in search interest. The city is one of T+L's most beautiful places in Italy and offers numerous beaches, grottos, and cliffs to explore. But beach destinations aren't the only things Americans are seeking out, as evidenced by the third trending Italian location: Lombardy. Situated in Northern Italy, the region is famous for Lake Como, Milan, lakefront resorts, and charming medieval villages. So, if you're planning your own Italian getaway, consider expanding your search to include island beaches, cliffside hotels, and lakefront resorts.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Naples bows down at the feet of Scott McTominay: the talisman who made their Scudetto dream come true
Naples woke up with a hangover, but few will regret their sore heads. The Scudetto celebrations went on until night became morning, and the festivities will continue all the way through to Monday's open-top bus parade and beyond. This triumph will be savoured. The scale of the achievement is still sinking in for many. For all the tricolour banners and Scudetto shields bearing the number four that were strung up around town well before Scott McTominay 's bicycle kick helped sink Cagliari, this title was never a given. Long before he scored a goal that will be written into Neapolitan folklore, though, McTominay had been seen as Napoli's key figure, their 'Scudetto Man'. From the moment he set foot on Campanian ground last summer, the Scotland midfielder grabbed this team by the horns and steered them towards this unlikely triumph. McTominay's impact was universally recognised and lauded in the newspapers scattered across coffee-stained bars on Saturday morning after he scooped the Serie A player of the season award in his debut campaign. The Italian media was unanimous in its judgement when it came to seasonal player ratings that McTominay was the star man. Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport, the two biggest sports papers in the country, gave the Scot a 10/10 score. He was the only one to achieve perfection. The latter described him as the 'Prime Minister of Naples' and the 'secret of their success.' 'He is one man, but he seems like two,' they wrote. 'McT is the Scudetto Man, the best…he is destined to become the icon of this triumph.' Gazzetta celebrated the 28-year-old as 'charismatic, physically devastating and tactically crucial' in their review. 'His shirts are sold out and there is a horde of nicknames: McDomini, McTotally, McFratm. Now for the first time in his career, finally and deservedly, he is McChampion,' they wrote. One report predicted a surge of newborn Neapolitans being named Scott in hospitals across Campania. That is not beyond the realms of possibility in a city besotted with its football club and where its heroes are treated with unique levels of adulation. 'It's no coincidence that it was his goal that sealed the Scudetto in the final game,' Sky wrote. 'He is second only to Lukaku for goals, but three of his 14 were penalties.' The round-up was signed off with a single word: 'Braveheart.' McTominay also caught the attention of calcio royalty, with Milan legend Alessandro Costacurta among the pundits to highlight his contribution — while revealing that he keeps an eye on Scotland matches. 'He was crucial,' Costacurta said. 'He didn't play this role at United, although he does with Scotland, where he is freer to get forward. He was chosen because here it isn't as physical as in England and Conte's gamble paid off, as they almost always do.' For all the praise being showered on his compatriot, Billy Gilmour's contribution was appreciated too. The former Brighton man made his 13th start of the season in the crucial final win over Cagliari, and his influence has grown as the year has gone on. Initially thought of as a deputy to playmaker Stanislav Lobotka, Gilmour proved he had more strings to his bow when an injury crisis compelled Conte to play him to the right of the Slovakian in a three-man midfield for a 1-1 draw with Inter in March. Before then, Gilmour had played 20 minutes of Serie A football in three months. But from that point onward, he featured in every match and started regularly as Conte began to appreciate his value and versatility. Gilmour received 7.5/10 ratings from Gazzetta and Corriere dello Sport, the former describing him as a player who 'dances on his toes, eats up kilometres and makes complicated situations look simple' and the latter complimenting him for 'wearing his 23 years like a veteran.' It may have been an understated debut season for Gilmour compared to his compatriot, but it has by no means been a disappointing one. For both, the influence of Conte has been crucial. The former Chelsea and Tottenham manager was the architect of Napoli's success as he claimed his fifth Scudetto as a coach and became the first manager to win it with three different clubs following his successes with Inter and Juventus. He was raised onto the shoulders of the players when he came onto the pitch after the game, a beaming grin on the face of a man who has seen it all before but lives for these moments. 'This was the most unexpected and difficult Scudetto, the most stimulating challenge after a 10th place finish and redoing everything,' Conte said. Conte is a winner. He was appointed in the wake of Napoli's disastrous title defence last year, not to carefully rebuild piece by piece, but to immediately make this team competitive again. Few expected that would mean an immediate Scudetto, especially amid competition from an Inter side that has reached another Champions League final, and the effort of guiding a stretched and tiring squad over the finish line took its toll. Conte said ahead of the final day that he had 'gone beyond my limits' this season and rumours about a summer departure after just one season have been persistent. Underneath the cacophony of roars tumbling from the Stadio Maradona stands on Friday, that low drone of uncertainty remained. 'Now we will enjoy it all,' Conte responded when asked about his future. 'I have a great relationship with the president (Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis). We've had the chance to get to know each other. Now we will celebrate together. We are both winners, in different ways, but that is what we are.' The players are devoted to Conte, too. A group of them, including a newly blue-haired Gilmour, even raided the press conference room as the manager faced the media, soaking the coach before getting him to dance. De Laurentiis is doing what he can to convince Conte to stay but has not given any guarantees. 'Never say never,' he said. 'I would like to see him at work in the Champions League too.' For McTominay, Gilmour and the rest, that is the next big challenge. Whether they will be able to count on the guidance of the man who made this dream come true, however, remains a mystery.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
🎥 Naples is rocking: all-night party for their fourth Scudetto 🔥
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here. Naples was boiling from the early hours of the morning, but when the air carried the referee's final triple whistle, the cauldron overflowed, filling the city's streets with joy. Antonio Conte's team had just sewn their fourth scudetto onto their chest. The party lasted all night and promises to continue for the next few days. And here it is again, after the celebrations two years ago, the legendary Scudetto ship! Torna la nave Scudetto, come nel successo di due anni fa: Napoli sa sempre come stupire 😍💙#SSCNapoli #TifosiNapoli #SpazioNapoli — Spazio Napoli (@Spazio_Napoli) May 23, 2025 And in the midst of the celebrations, a ceremonial hearse also appeared. In the coffin, of course, was Inter's crest, carried by Napoli fans. Vette ...da Torre Annunziata è tutto 😅#NapoliCagliari #Ag4in #Scudetto @sscnapoli — Raffy Raffy 🇵🇸 (@Raffaele_NA) May 23, 2025 Sobrietà #Napoli — SandroSca (@SandroSca) May 23, 2025 The first images of Naples in celebration are truly hair-raising. Le scene dei festeggiamenti per la vittoria del campionato del Napoli, stanno facendo il giro del mondo, per la gioia dei milioni di tifosi emigrati. #NapoliCagliari#Napoli #Scudetto #CampioneDItalia #SerieA — Marco Ferraglioni (@MFerraglioni) May 23, 2025 The beautiful jubilant scenes in Naples as Napoli win their 4th Scudetto and their 2nd Serie A title in 4 years.🏆👑🥇🎆🎇🧨🎉🪅#NapoliCagliari|#Napoli #Napoli #SerieA #Italy #scudettonapoli #Scudetto — TIger NS (@TIgerNS3) May 23, 2025 La réaction de la ville de #Naples, après le goal de #McTominay #NapoliCagliari — SSC Napoli Belgique (@SSCNapoliBelgio) May 23, 2025 🫡🥹 #Napoli #NapoliCagliari — (B.) Varga Ákos (@AkosVarga92) May 23, 2025 Incredible images from Piazza del Plebiscito after Napoli's two goals. SERIE A I Piazza del Plebiscito esplode al gol di Napoli contro il Cagliari #ANSA — Agenzia ANSA (@Agenzia_Ansa) May 23, 2025 Festa a piazza Plebiscito per il gol di #ScottMcTominay#napoli #sscnapoli — Il Mattino (@mattinodinapoli) May 23, 2025 Lukaku, 2-0 para o Napoli.Nápoles 🔥 #Napoli #NAPOLISCUDETTO — Mauro Cezar (@maurocezar) May 23, 2025 Anche a Milano si festeggia lo scudetto del Napoli campione d'Italia: marea azzurra in piazza Duomo — (@fanpage) May 23, 2025 In Piazza del Duomo, in Milan, everything was a party, but not with the Nerazzurri colors, only with Napoli's blue, thanks to the many fans who had traveled there. Everywhere in the world where there are Neapolitans, there is a celebration in grand style. 📸 Jamie Squire - 2025 Getty Images
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why Napoli's Serie A title win is a miracle
Napoli have won the Serie A for the second time in three seasons and even though the feeling of the triumph isn't as unique as how the Scudetto under Luciano Spalletti felt, the achievement this season is a bit of a miracle. The 2022/23 season was awash with purity and a sense of redemption for a city that seeks a lot of identity from football. The title win came for the first time since the Maradona days and it came when Spalletti's side played scintillaing football at times. There was the emergence of two superstars who were clicking together, scoring buckets of goals. They were competing for the Scudetto in the previous season as well and were in the race till March. The 2024/25 season should always be known as something far different. Napoli had finished tenth in the 2023/24 season and their mistakes in the transfer window and managerial selections had haunted them. There was dressing room chaos, players seeking to leave, Victor Osimhen leaving, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia left in the middle of the season and they had a very focused Inter side to deal with. Antonio Conte had to deal with all of that and more. Club captain Giovanni di Lorenzo's agent had made public statements about wanting to leave Napoli and he made it clear that Conte's presence would not make a different. In the summer, Kvaratskhelia's agent was pushing to leave and had brought offers from Paris Saint-Germain. As the Osimhen situation brewed in the background, Conte privately made sure that Di Lorenzo and Kvaratskhelia stayed and they were promised key roles in the project, somewhat stabilising the dressing room. Kim Min-Jae, who wasn't replaced properly after his exit, was replaced by Torino's emblematic leader in Alessandro Buongiorno. When Osimhen was on the verge of an exit and Conte had excluded him from the project, Napoli's first game saw them fall in a chaotic abyss. They lost their first game of the season to Hellas Verona, who run through their midfield and it was clear that the team was lacking physical venom. After that infamous loss, Conte made it clear that Napoli needed signings to challenge for the title and in came Romelu Lukaku. Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour also arrived from the Premier League and Conte's role in bringing them to Naples was paramount, as the Italian had watched the ex-Brighton player closely during his time at Chelsea. Throughout the season, Conte has had to adapt. It has tested him. The ex-Tottenham boss is known as someone who has one way and won't back away from it. But this season shows that he definitely does adapt to the needs of the squad. Buongiorno has been excellent when he has played but the Azzurri star has missed 16 games due to injury. Stanislav Lobotka, whose role in the 2022/23 success was massive, has also declined physically and missed multiple games earlier in the season. Kvaratskhelia was replaced by Noah Okafor, who has barely done much. David Neres, who was vital in the first half of the season, missed eight games since February and scored only once in 2025. Despite all that, Conte managed expectations and the entire squad brilliantly. So much of it is down to his extremely accurate identification of player strengths and how those strengths can be maximised by his system. Importantly enough, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa's role constantly shifted from someone who plays deeper to someone who occupies the box often. It is the Cameroonian's multi-functional traits that have come through as a result of Conte's usage. McTominay's constant usage in the final third has brought the most out of the Scotsman and it is a farcry from how he was often used at Manchester United and that exposed his weaknesses in deeper areas. Quite the same applies to Gilmour's usage and it was fitting that the midfielder was Man of the Match in the game against Inter, which the Partenopei drew because of an unlikely goal from January signing Phillip Billing. When it became clear that there was need for attacking impetus, Napoli overloaded the midfield and relied on wide combinations. Conte adapted so much that on paper, his formation changed. While it came as a shock to many, the Italian just became less transfixed in his older methods and added more dynamism to his setup. It was oddly reminiscent of his second season at Inter and it is saying something that he did that in his first season at Napoli. As the season went on, Lukaku's role became undeniably huge. He became that wall striker that everyone can bounce off and he formed a devastating pairing with McTominay, who scored two braces towards the end of the campaign and then racked up a brace of assists as well. Within that period, Matteo Politano's role gained weight, as the Italy international had to pick the right passes and also use the overlaps from wide areas when needed. Napoli have ended the season with Matias Olivera at centre-back and Leonardo Spinazzola, who many thought is heading away from Serie A, operating at left-back and that in itself screams volumes for how potentially unlikely this title win was. The Partenopei had no semblance of an identity last season and the constant chopping and changing of managers made sure that whatever Spalletti had built was eroded. Physically, the team was shattered and the squad, even after Conte took over, was imperfect at best. They were also coming up against a much more well-oiled machine in Inter, who are arguably the most stable club in Serie A in the last few years. Compare what Inter were last season to what Napoli were at that point, you would laugh if someone told you that Conte would blitzkrieg his way to the title in the 2024/25 season. That is why the Scudetto is a miraculous achievement. Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN
