Afragóla ( or, locally, [afra'gola];
Neapolitan:
Afravóla; Afragolese dialect:
Afraóra) is a
city and
comune in
southern
Italy. It is in
Campania, in the
province of Naples, between the territories corresponding to the ancient cities of
Acerra and
Atella. It is one of the 100 largest Italian cities (the ones that have a population of more than 50,000 inhabitants).
The city is administrated mainly by the commune of the same name (the territory of which borders on the municipalities of Acerra,
Casalnuovo di Napoli,
Caivano,
Cardito and
Casoria), that with its size of just 18 km² is one of the most densely populated of the country, and, for a short segment, by the communes of Cardito, Casalnuovo di Napoli and Casoria. As of the 2001
census, Afragola had a population of 65,187, but the real estimated population is about 100,000 (including the areas of the city administrated by other communes).
Famous for its
St. Anthony's
sanctuary-
basilica, that made it well-known as the "
Padua of the South", Afragola has the largest commercial center in all of Italy, with several megastores, a multiplex, and more than 100 shops on the eastern periphery of the city. It is also known as the city of
churches, because of the many
Catholic churches from the 11th to 19th century. It has the largest historical center of the region after Naples.
The project for the new high-speed railway between
Turin and Naples plans a station in Afragola one of the three most important stations in Europe (the other two are in
Bologna and
Munich), designed by
Zaha Hadid, is being realized and will be completed by 2009.