Generally, the epic battles of antiquity evoke distant scenarios, remote from what we consider our territory. However, exactly between 30 and 31 October 552 AD, the lands of the Sorrento peninsula and the Nocerina plain were the scene of an epochal clash, among the bloodiest ever recorded in history: the battle of the Lattari Mountains. This conflict marked the conclusion of a long and tumultuous war, known as the Greco-Gothic War (533-553 AD), which inflamed Italy with its ferocity for almost two decades. On the one hand, the Ostrogoths, who after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire had established themselves in the peninsula, and on the other the Byzantines, who decided, on the orders of Justinian, emperor of the Roman East, to reconquer Italy and restore its ancient grandeur.
At the beginning of 552, the Ostrogoths suffered a heavy defeat in Umbria at the hands of the Byzantines, led by the valiant general Narses. It seemed that the war was about to end. However, the proud and combative Ostrogothic people, despite the death of their king Totila in battle, instead of surrendering, elected a new ruler, Teia, who decided to face the Byzantines once again and achieve victory. Fearing that the Byzantines might seize the Ostrogothic treasure kept in Cuma, Teia marched towards Campania with his army to conquer the Byzantine siege to which the city was subjected. However, he was intercepted by Narsete and blocked in the Nocerina plain, at the foot of the Lattari Mountains. For a certain period, the two armies faced each other, separated by the Sarno river, an insurmountable obstacle. Pressured by the Greeks led by Narses, they settled on the left bank of the Sarno, at the mouth of the river, near today’s Castellammare. A fleet guaranteed them, at the same time, the protection of their left flank and supplies. Narses’ army, arriving behind them, camped on the other side of the river. They remained like this for about two months, with the Byzantines, not daring to cross the river, limiting themselves to erecting wooden towers from which they targeted the enemy with machine fire. The arrival of an imperial fleet put the Goths to flight, who thus lacked valid naval support. This led the Goths to deprive them of food, the situation became increasingly tense.
In the meantime, Narses, going up the river, crossed it further upstream near the Scafati ford, thus blocking the Popilia road, which could have constituted an escape route towards the south for the Goths. In desperation, the Ostrogoths made the drastic decision to climb the Lattari Mountains, hoping to find resources that could feed them. With effort and determination, they climbed towards the peaks that extended between Sant’Angelo a Tre Pizzi and Cerreto. However, once they reached the top, they quickly realized that the harsh lands could not provide them with enough food. The prospect of descending towards the Amalfi side would instead have led them to an equally desolate conclusion: they would have died of hunger, trapped between the cliffs and the sea.
Thus it was that Teia, their king, made a resolute decision. Descending back to the Nocerina plain, he decided to give battle at the foot of the Lattari Mountains. The exact location of the battle still bears the name of Pizzaute (“The Well of the Goths”). For the Ostrogoths, it was an extreme action: either they would win against all odds, or they would fall heroically on the battlefield.
The dawn of October 30, 552 saw the beginning of a bloody clash, a ferocious melee that developed between the lands of Nocera and Sant’Antonio Abate – Angri. The Byzantines, determined to strike at the heart of the Ostrogoths, aimed directly at Teia, convinced that its fall would lead to the surrender of the barbarians. Teia, valiant and courageous, faced the fury of the enemy, skillfully dodging the archers’ arrows while massacring Byzantine soldiers with his sword. Even when the shield filled with arrows, another was promptly replaced by one of his men, and Teia continued his fight indomitable. However, during one of these exchanges of shields, an archer managed to hit Teia with a deadly bolt, causing him to fall to the ground. The Byzantines, cutting off his head, hoisted it on a pike, showing it to the Ostrogoths as a sign of their king’s death.
Despite this terrible sight, the Ostrogoths did not surrender. After a night break, necessary due to the darkness, they resumed the fight with determination on October 31st. For two whole days, that plain, now densely populated and crossed by busy roads, was the scene of an all-out conflict. The clash of weapons, the war cries and the moans of the wounded filled the air, while the ground was stained red with the blood of the fallen. Only on the evening of October 31st, after a heroic struggle, were the Ostrogoths forced to surrender, putting an end to one of the bloodiest and most decisive battles in history.
The Battle of the Lattari Mountains marked the end of Ostrogothic rule in Italy, bringing the entire peninsula back under the control of the Roman Empire. However, this return to imperial hegemony was short-lived, as in 568 the Lombards made their entry, opening a new chapter in Italian history. From that moment on, Italy became a fragmented political mosaic, a reality of divisions and fragmentations that persisted until 1861.
The Lombards, with their conquests, took control of some parts of Italy, while others remained under Byzantine rule. These Byzantine areas, however, gradually became independent, contributing to the political fragmentation of the country. This phenomenon also occurred in Rome, where the pontiffs took on an increasingly political role in the government of the city. The same happened in Venice and, in particular, in Amalfi.
Amalfi, taking advantage of the distance of the Byzantine emperors, quickly transformed into the Maritime Republic of Amalfi, while maintaining only a nominal link with Constantinople. These political changes marked a new chapter in history.
The Chronicles of Procopius of Caesarea
The only detailed description of those events is provided by the Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea in his De bello gotico. Below is the excerpt from his work.
“On the slopes of Vesuvius there are springs of drinking water from which a river called Dracone (Sarno) forms, which flows near the city of Nocera. Both armies then set up camp on the two banks of this river. The Dracone has a small riverbed; nevertheless it is not passable either on horseback or on foot, since the narrow riverbed digs very deeply, causing the banks to emerge on both sides like hangings high above. How this happens, whether due to the nature of the soil, whether due to that of the water, I cannot say. The Goths, having occupied the bridge over the river, after having encamped near it, placed wooden towers there, with various machines, including the so-called “ballistas”, to be able to harass and strike the enemies from above. Coming to blows hand to hand was impossible, being in the middle, as I said, the river; then both of them, coming as close as they could to their shore, fought mostly with arrows. However, some strange incidents also occurred in the event that some Goths crossed the bridge in defiance. Thus the two armies spent two months. As long as the Goths had the sea in their hands there, they were able to resist by bringing in supplies by ship, since they found themselves encamped not far from the sea. However, afterwards the Romans took possession of all the ships of the enemies through the betrayal of a Goth who was in command of them, and furthermore innumerable ships reached them from Sicily and from other parts of the empire. At the same time, Narses placing wooden towers on the river bank caused great discouragement among his adversaries. Terrified by this, the Goths and troubled by the shortage of food took refuge on a nearby mountain, called by the Romans in Latin Monte del Latte (« M. Lactarius »), where the Romans were unable to pursue them, prevented by the difficulties of the place. But the barbarians soon regretted having gone up there, since they lacked food all the more, having no way of providing for themselves and their horses. Therefore, since it seemed preferable to them to die in battle rather than flee, they unexpectedly moved en masse against their enemies and suddenly fell upon them. The Romans faced them as best they could, without arranging themselves in order according to the various leaders, regiments and companies, nor in any way distinguishing themselves from each other, and without even paying attention to the orders that were given in the conflict, but resisting the enemies with all their might. as it happened. The Goths, leaving their horses, all set off on foot, arranged in front in deep ranks, and the Romans, seeing this, also leaving their horses, arranged themselves in the same way. And here I will come to describe a memorable battle, in which Teia was not inferior to any of the heroes due to the valor he demonstrated. The Goths were encouraged to be bold from the desperation they were in. The Romans, although they saw them as almost mad, resisted with all their might, blushing at giving in to inferiors. Both threw themselves with fury at those close to them, the former seeking death, the latter glory. The Romans, although they saw them as almost mad, resisted with all their might, blushing at giving in to inferiors. Both threw themselves with fury at those close to them, the former seeking death, the latter glory. The battle began in the morning, and Teia, keeping himself in sight of everyone, covered by the shield and with the spear in his hand, first with a few few placed himself in front of the ranks. The Romans, upon seeing him, thinking that he had fallen and the conflict would be quickly resolved for them, all the bravest in large numbers united in attacking him; and some swung their spears at him, some shot arrows at him. He, covered by the shield, protected himself from all the blows, and by suddenly rushing forward, he killed many and when he saw that the shield was completely full of remaining missiles, he passed it to one of the satellites and removed another. Fighting in this way, he had already reached a third of the day, when twelve arrows found themselves stuck in his shield, he could no longer move it freely and repel the attackers; he then quickly called one of the satellites without leaving his place, nor retreating even an inch, nor letting the enemies advance; nor did he even turn, nor did he lean his back on the shield, nor did he place himself on his side, but as if he were sticking to the ground, he remained there with his shield, killing with his right hand, holding back with his left, and calling his satellite by name. And he came with the shield, and he immediately took it in exchange for the other burden of the darts. At that moment his chest was exposed for an instant; and by chance a dart struck him in such a way that he immediately died. And the Romans raised his head high on a pole and carried it around showing it to both armies; to the Romans so that they might gain more courage, to the Goths so that once all hope was over they would cease from the war. However, the Goths did not stop fighting, but continued the fight until night, although they knew that their king was dead. Then when night fell and they separated, both remained there overnight with their weapons on their backs. The following day, they rose at dawn, organized themselves in the same way, and fought until night without giving way on any side, nor turning their backs, nor retreating, although many were killed on both sides; but enraged by mutual hatred they were intent on work: the Goths, knowing full well that they were fighting the supreme battle; the Romans, disdaining to be overcome by them. Lastly, however, the barbarians sent some of their leaders to Narses, telling him that they now realized that God was against them; since they felt the force that opposed them and arguing from the cases that had occurred they surrendered to the evidence of the facts, and now wanted to renounce that fight, not however becoming subjects of the emperor, but living independently together with some other barbarians. They therefore begged the Romans to grant them a peaceful retreat without being stingy with benevolent consideration, but to make them a gift via viaticum of all the money they owned which each of them had previously deposited in the castles of Italy. Narses put these requests into deliberation; and Giovanni di Vitaliano recommended that we nod to this prayer, and no longer fight with men eager to die or expose ourselves to that audacity which generates the desperation of life, and is as fatal to those who are invaded by it as to those who are attacked by it. they oppose; “since,” he said, “for the prudent it is enough to win; wanting to win big could turn into harm.” Narses liked the opinion and it was agreed that the barbarians, as many as remained, would take all their possessions and immediately withdraw from all of Italy, and would never again make war on the Romans in any way. Meanwhile, a thousand Goths, having left the camp, had gone to the city of Ticino and to the countries beyond the Po, led, in addition to other leaders, by Indulf, already mentioned by me. All the others, having taken the oath, committed themselves to the agreed agreements. And so the Romans also occupied Cuma and all the other castles, and together the eighteenth year of this war, of which Procopius wrote the history, came to an end.”
(The Gothic War of Procopius of Caesarea, ed. and translated translation by C. Comparetti, 3 vols., Rome 1895, vol. III, pp. 261 et seq.)
