The golden fly at Porta Capuana

Today we tell about an ancient Neapolitan legend. Have you ever heard about the golden fly of Porta Capuana?

The city of Naples has always had a difficult relationship with insects and flies. Even though Neapolitan population still preserves an interdependent connection with rurality, the city has always disliked insects. The common saying “you don’t let the fly through your nose” finds its raison d’etre in that widespread sense of hostility.

In addition to the unpleasant perception of a midge buzzing in the ears, the hatred between Naples and mosquitoes and flies has rational motivation. As we well know, the city has often been the scene of contagious diseases: the responsibility for many plagues and epidemics was generally attributed to mosquitoes and flies, which, coming from distant swamplands, soon ended up by contaminating the air of Naples too.

In the past, in fact, swarms of insects invaded the city and they were considered at that time as bearers of real misfortunes.  In those years of strong intolerance the myth of the golden fly of Porta Capuana began to spread, as a sort of guardian angel designated to protect Naples.

The origins

The legend of the golden fly has now sunk into oblivion but a long time ago, it was one of the most reliable stories of that place, so much that it was also mentioned in an important writing by a bishop. The religious in question wrote about Henry VI of Swabia, Frederick II’s father, who witnessed an event, which saw the golden fly as its protagonist. Obviously, once again we are talking about a Neapolitan-style fantasy masterpiece, which was the object of several superstitions at that time.

The myth

The creation of the fly is attributed to Virgil, a very well known wizard of the city. The sorcerer decided to free Naples from the plague of flies permanently, capturing one of them and shaping it in gold. That talisman – which was said to be as big as a toad – was placed near Porta Capuana, on the eastern edge of the city, where the swamplands were located.

People believed it had the ability to ward off any other fly. According to the myth, the amulet was shaped with the metal that the sorcerer had extracted from the limbs of the Neapolitan land. The Bishop John of Salisbury, author of Polycastricus, spoke about the origins of the legend, too. He explained that the fly lost its ability when it was relocated from Porta Capuana  to the Cicala Castle, near Santa Chiara.

The powers of that creation were in fact deeply linked to the eastern borders of the city, and this curious anecdote is still attributed to them.