With a total area of 4.11 km2 (1.6 sq mi), it is a fairly small, cramped comune which runs in a narrow corridor from the slopes of the volcano down toward the Bay of Naples.

This location gives the region a typical Mediterranean climate with mild, wet winters caused by the outer edges of polar fronts, and warm to hot, dry summers, due to the domination of the subtropical high pressure systems, according to the Köppen classification (Csa/Csb).

The name "San Giorgio a Cremano" (literally "Saint George of the Cremated"), is a reference to the reverence with which the residents of the area in the 10th century held for the Vesuvius.

The statue itself is a carved wooden depiction of the saint, originally mounted but the current one is without horse, and it is placed upon a pedestal which is surrounded by garlands of local flowers, and illuminated by candles.

[8] The statue of a saint was carried in procession for many reasons, such as to fertilise the ground for crops and harvests, to protect from natural disasters such as the risks of drought, floods and further eruptions, and to defend the commune from fatal dangers such as enemies, wars, and plagues.

[8] Some local scholars believe the procession may even have dated from as early as the 8th century, but the wooden statue of Saint George that is carried, depicts him mounted on a horse, in the armour of a crusader.

[8] Between 1140 and 1631 Mount Vesuvius had remained dormant for nearly 500 years, but a violent and sudden eruption in December 1631 was particularly devastating for San Giorgio a Cremano, destroying the new town centre and the sixty-year-old church of Santa Maria del Principio.

The 1631 eruption was particularly violent, with several lava flows pouring down different faces of the volcano accompanied by torrents of boiling water, as well as throwing pumice and hot ash into the sky.

The rule of Charles III of Spain (1735–59) was a particularly successful period for the whole Province of Naples, including San Giorgio, as he invested heavily in the economy of the region.

By the 19th century the Bourbon monarchy were using Camorra clans as police, as soldiers in the army, and as members of the civil service throughout Naples, including in San Giorgio a Cremano.

Then on the first Sunday in May, the statue was to be once again paraded throughout the commune, riding on a wagon, and accompanied by choir boys dressed as angels, who sang holy praises along with music; however the custom of two processions was abandoned in 1867.

Horatio Nelson arrived in Naples to warn Ferdinand of the dangers of the revolution, but the Neapolitan King attacked Rome following its fall into French hands.

Despite this, the fall of the French monarchy, the successes of the revolution in other parts of Europe, and the absence of King Ferdinand led to the creation of the Parthenopaean Republic in 1799, which incorporated San Giorgio a Cremano.

Primarily opposed to the pro-Napoleonic policies of Joachim Murat, the Carbonari soon focused their attention on the gaining of political freedoms and the granting of constitutional rights and powers.

The creation of the Kingdom of Italy saw many of the area's wealthier residents moving north to be closer to the seat of national power, and although San Giorgio a Cremano remained a resort destination, the commune went into a long period of economic decline.

In honour of their being saved, the parishioners of Santa Maria del Principio held another procession in the presence of the Cardinal of Naples Sisto Riario Sforza.

Although on a much smaller scale than in the 18th century, the natural environment and climate of San Giorgio a Cremano were such that tourism persisted to a lesser degree, and some of the resorts survived.

Santa Maria del Principio's parish priest Don Giorgio Tarallo, repeated the offer of refuge within the church, and as in 1855 the statue of Saint George was used to protect the commune from the approaching lava.

[8] By the second half of the 20th century, the central part of Naples could no longer withstand the post-war population growth, and residents began to increasingly move into neighbouring communes to the south, such as Portici or San Giorgio a Cremano.

The sometimes quite fine apartments of five or six stories were constructed along tree-lined widened avenues such as Via Guglielmo Marconi and Via San Martino, and the area soon became known affectionately amongst local residents as Piccola Parigi ('Little Paris').

Particularly during festive seasons such as Easter and Christmas, large piles of uncollected garbage have regularly been allowed to build up in the streets, creating an unsightly image and a serious health concern.

As with other parts of the city, the frustration of local residents has sometimes boiled over in the form of them setting fire to the piles, which often contain chemicals and plastics that give off toxic fumes, creating a further health hazard, and posing a serious threat to firemen called to tackle the dangerous blazes.

The new approach was so efficacious that San Giorgio was awarded a €480,000 prize by the Campania Region for being a benchmark for the whole area, with a differentiated garbage collection quota reaching a value of 65% in 2012, thus topping the ranking of the Province of Naples.

[22] In July 2008, San Giorgio a Cremano was selected by Poste Italiane to be one of several communes around Italy to participate in an experimental pilot scheme in which citizens are able to apply for official certificates and documents using a 'digital stamp' system.

[26] Although primarily a residential area, the commune of San Giorgio a Cremano has maintained a local textiles industry since the Middle Ages, possibly as early as the 8th century.

For festive occasions such as Easter, and Christmas residents can often be seen engaging in religious processions with great pageantry, the loud playing traditional music, songs, and folk dances.

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.

San Giorgio play in all-maroon shirts, shorts and socks, and the club crest is a vertical oval shape with a maroon circle in the centre.

The major telecommunications provider throughout Italy is Telecom Italia, which although now privatised, is protected from competition by regulation allowing it to continue to monopolise the provision of such service.

SIG and Italgas are the major suppliers, and most properties in San Giorgio a Cremano are connected to mains supply, although bomboli, or small portable gas canisters are still used by some residents.