Culture
The commune of San Giorgio a Cremano has a typical Italian culture, similar to the rest of Naples. The commune is very community oriented, with the local football team well supported despite playing in a lower division. As with much of Italy, the residents of San Giorgio tend to be quite religious, and attendances at all of the commune's major Roman Catholic churches are quite high.
For festive occasions such as Easter, and Christmas residents can often be seen engaging in religious processions with great pagantry, the loud playing traditional music, songs, and folk dances. Dating back to at least the 16th or 17th century, but possibly much earlier, the procession forms and integral part of the religious lives of local residents.
A statue of Saint George is carried throughout the comune to bring good fortune, and ward of evils, but primarily to protect the comune from future eruptions of Mount Vesuvius. The processions are normally accompanied by local devotees of the Christian 'sect' of Saint George carrying the large statue of Saint George aloft at the head of the procession. It is said by locals that in the 1630s, the church of St. Maria del Principle received as a gift from Emmanuela Caracciolo Pignatelli, Duchess of Montecalvo, a new statue of St. George, half bust, and that is what they venerate today. However the statue depicts Saint George in crusader costume, so must date post-13th century. Whether the procession dates from the 8th century, or the 16th, it is now part of a long, well entrenched tradition embraced by local Sangiorgesi.
Festive seasons form an important element of the calendar throughout Italy, and especially so for the locals of San Giorgio a Cremano. New Year's Eve is greeted with spectacular displays of often high powered fireworks display, and almost all residents engage is creating personal shows to great effect.
The commune has a vibrant nightlife, if slightly less subdued that downtown Naples. In San Giorgio a Cremano there are one major cinema, the Cinema Flaminio, and three theatres, Sonora Centro Musica, Associazione Teatrale Spazio Uno Per il Teatro, and Associazione Culturale Teatro Sanacore. There are also numerous live music venues, often in located in bars. There are many bars, restaurants and cafes which open very late, and driving around the commune in the evening to visit friends and check out bars is a popular pastime with young residents. This often has the effect that the central streets of San Giorgio are normally crowded and heavy with traffic in the late evening.
Read more about this topic: San Giorgio A Cremano
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