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Naples with Mount Vesuvius and Naples harbor
Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Napule, from Greek, latinised in Neapolis) is
the largest town in southern Italy, capital of Campania region. The city has a population of about 1 million, and
together with its suburbs, the metropolitan area has 3 million inhabitants (Neapolitans). It is located just halfway
between the Vesuvius volcano and another unrelated volcanic area, the Campi Flegrei.
It is rich in historical, artistic and cultural traditions and gastronomy. Neapolitan is by its own right a particular
language. The language is known in Naples as nnapulitano.
History
The city was probably founded by inhabitants of the Greek colony Cuma, around the eighth century B.C., just a few
kilometres from the more ancient town Partenope. For this reason it was named Neapolis (from Greek, meaning New
City). Its buildings, museums and even the language spoken by natives bear traces of all periods of its history,
from its Greek birth, until the present day.
It was in Naples, in the 'Castel dell'Ovo' (Castle of the Egg), that Romulus Augustus, the last Emperor of the
Western Roman Empire, was imprisoned after being deposed in 476. In the sixth century, Naples was conquered by
the Byzantines during the attempt of Justinian I to recreate the Roman Empire, and was one of the last duchies
to fall in Norman hands in 1039, as they founded the Kingdom of Sicily.
Frederick II Hohenstaufen founded its university in 1224. In 1266 Naples and the kingdom of Sicily were assigned
by Pope Clement IV to Charles of Anjou, who moved the capital from Palermo to Naples. In 1284 the kingdom was split
in two parts, with an Aragonese king ruling the island of Sicily and the Angevin king ruling the mainland portion;
while both kingdoms officially called themselves the Kingdom of Sicily, the mainland portion was commonly referred
to as the Kingdom of Naples. This kingdom was much larger than just the city; it covered about the southern third
of the boot of the Italian peninsula.
The two parts would stay separate until 1816, when they would form the kingdom of Two Sicilies. The two kingdoms
were united under Spanish rule 1501, until 1715, when Naples became Austrian until 1734. Under the enlightened
Bourbon monarch Charles, king of both Sicilies (Utriusque Siciliarum) (later known as Charles III of Spain), gained
independence. In 1799, a Jacobin revolution (backed by the French Army) gave birth to a short-lived republic (January
- June 1799).
In 1861, the kingdom was conquered by the Garibaldines and was handed over to the king of Sardinia. In October
1860 a plebiscite sanctioned the end of the kingdom of Sicily and the birth of the state of Italy.
Castel dell'OvoThe opening of the funicular railway to Mount Vesuvius was occasion to the writing of the famous
song Funiculì Funiculà, one more song in the centuries long tradition of Neapolitan songs. Many Neapolitan
songs are also famous outside of Italy, as for example "'O Sole Mio", "Santa Lucia" and "Torna
a Surriento".
On April 7, 1906 nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted, devastating Boscotrecase and seriously damaging Ottaviano. In 1944
the activity closed with a spectacular and devastating eruption; images from this eruption were used in the film
The War of the Worlds.
It is still well connected to Sicily and Palermo. Naples has an important port that connects it, for example, to
Cagliari, Genoa and Palermo. Naples has good ferry connections to nearby islands and Sorrento, and fast rail connections
to Rome and the south. It is famous for the light railway Circumvesuviana.
Organised crime is deep-rooted in Naples. The Camorra, the feuding Neapolitan gangs and families, have a long history
and are now more of a threat in Italy than the Sicillian-based Mafia. During 2004 over 120 people died in Naples
in Camorra killings, many of the deaths drug-trade related.
Food and drink
Naples is by tradition the home of pizza, specifically it is the birthplace of the Pizza Margherita, which traditionally
is made with mozzarella, tomato and fresh Basil leaves. La vera pizza (true pizza) should be made in a wood burning
oven similar to a Tandoori oven. Other forms of pizza (such as those sold in Naples by streetside stalls) are known
as pizzetta.
Neopolitans also claim that the best coffee in the world is made in their town thanks to special kind of Neapolitan
air and water. Naples is also famous for its ice cream.
Tourist Attractions
Naples itself is less visited than some of the surrounding attractions. There are, however, many attractions within
the city. La Villa Comunale (formerly a royal park) has been refurbished and stretches along the seafront in the
smarter western end of the city. It contains an aquarium which is possibly Europe's oldest and is favoured by the
locals for family walks on Sunday mornings. The Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli contains a large collection
of Roman artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum as well as the Farnese Marbles, some of the greatest surviving
Roman statues; The Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte contains art collections including work by Michelangelo, Raphael,
Botticelli and Caravaggio. Naples is the home of the Teatro di San Carlo, the oldest active opera house in Europe,
which opened its doors on November 4, 1737. There are also a number of churches, royal palaces and Castles within
and around the city.
Under Naples
Guided tours operate around the Stratification of Naples which shows the city through the layers laid down across
history. Subterranean Naples consists of old Greco-Roman resevoirs dug out from the soft tufo stone on which, and
from which, the city is built. You can visit approximately one kilometer of the many kilometers of tunnels under
the city. There are also large catacombs in and around the city.
Around Naples
The islands of Procida, famously used as the set for much of il Postino, Capri and Ischia can all be reached quickly
by Aliscafi (twin-hulled ferries). Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast are situated south of Naples. The Roman ruins
of Pompeii and Herculaneum (destroyed in the A.D. 74 eruption of Vesuvius) are also nearby.
Sporting Naples
Naples is the home of the underachieving soccer team Napoli. With the help of Diego Maradona, they achieved rare
success in 1987 by winning the scudetto. In 2004 the football team was declared bankrupt and has been subsequently
reborn into the lower division of Serie C1 as 'Napoli Soccer'.
The Neapolitan diaspora
Naples has seen many of its children spread out through the world, setting up 'Little Italy's in many countries.
The majority of these Neapolitans who left Italy went to the Americas, especially the United States, Canada, Brazil,
and Argentina.
Famous Neapolitans
Edoardo Bennato, Eugenio Bennato, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Giordano Bruno, Renato Carosone, Enrico Caruso,
Francesco Cilea, Domenico Cimarosa, Benedetto Croce, Eduardo De Filippo, Enrico De Nicola, Ruggero Leoncavallo,
Giovanni Leone, Giovanni Paisiello, Nicola Salerno (also known as Nisa), Domenico Scarlatti,
Matilde Serao, Totò, Massimo Troisi, Giambattista Vico, Bud Spencer, also known as Carlo Pedersoli
Panoramic View of Naples
More on Naples
Region Campania
Area 117 km²
Altitude 17 m
Location 40°50'N 14°15'E
Population 993,386
Population density 8490 /km²
Patron saint Saint Januarius (feast: September 19)
Name of inhabitants Napoletani
Mayor Rosa Russo Jervolino
Official Site www.comune.napoli.it
Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Napule, from Greek Néa Pólis - meaning "New City"; see
also List of traditional Greek place names) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of Campania Region
and the Province of Naples. The city has a population of about 1 million, and together with its suburbs, the urban
area has 3.7 million inhabitants (Neapolitans). It is located just halfway between the Vesuvius volcano and a separate
volcanic area, the Campi Flegrei, all part of the Campanian volcanic arc.
Napoli is where pizza originally came from.
It is rich in historical, artistic and cultural traditions and gastronomy. Neapolitan is a colourful, rich italian
dialect- known in Naples as Napulitano.
The metropolitan area of Naples is second in Italy by population, with over 4,400,000 inhabitants.
The city is served by Naples International Airport.
History of Naples
Naples in the Ancient Era and in the Late Antiquity
Buildings, museums and even the language spoken by natives bear traces of all periods
of its history, from its Greek birth, until the present day.
The first settlers in the future Naples were some Greek sailors coming from Rhodos, who founded in the Megaride
islet (the modern Castel dell'Ovo, "Castle of the Egg") and in the neighbouring hill of Pizzofalcone
the merchant colony called Parthenope. Around the eighth century B.C. this hamlet was occupied by inhabitants of
the Greek colony of Cuma: for this reason it was renamed Neapolis (meaning "New City" in Greek language,
in contrast with the old one, called Palaepolis, "old city"). It had a powerful line of walls, in front
of which the Phoenician invader Hannibal had to retreat, when the city was allied with the Romans. Other features
were an odeon and a teathre, plus the temple of the Dioscures, the city's gods. Although conquered by the Romans
in the 4th century BC, Naples long retained its Greek culture.
In the Roman era the city was a flourishing centre of Hellenistic culture which attracted Romans desiring of perfectionate
in the Greek culture. Its pleasant climate made it a renowned pleasure resort, as told by Vergil and evidenced
by the number of luxurious villas which dotted the coast from the Gulf of Pozzuoli to the Sorrentine peninsula.
The famous district of Posillipo takes is name from the ruins of Villa Pausilypon, whose meaning in Greek is "a
pause from care". Romans connected the city to the rest of Italy with their famous roads, excavated galleries
to link Naples to Pozzuoli, enlarged the port, and added public baths and aqueducts for people's well. This improved
greatly the quality of life in Naples. The city was also celebrated for its many feasts and spectacles.
According to legend St. Peter and St. Paul themselves were in the city to preach. Christians had a prominent role
in the late Roman Empire years. Naples's subterranean areas include some notable catacombs, especially in the northern
part of the city. The first paleo-Christian basilicas were built next to the entrances of the catacombs The greatly
popular patron of the city, San Gennaro (St. Januarius), was decapitated here in 305 AD, and since the 5th century
he is commemorated by the basilica of San Gennaro extra Moenia.
It was in Naples, in the Lucullus' villa in what is now Castel dell'Ovo, that Romulus Augustus, the last Emperor
of the Western Roman Empire, was imprisoned after being deposed in 476. Naples suffered much during the Gothic
Wars between Ostrogoths and Byzantines in the sixth century: in 542 it fall to the troops of Totila but not much
later it drew again to the Greeks. As the Lombards invaded and conquered much of Italy in the following years,
it remained loyal to the Byzantines.
The Duchy of Naples
At the time of the Lombardic invasion Naples had a population of about 30,000-35,000. In 615, under Giovanni Consino,
Naples rebelled for the first time against the Exarch of Ravenna, the emperor's plenipotentiary in Italy. In reply,
the first form of duchy was created in 638 by the Exarch Eleutherius, but this official came from abroad and had
to respond to the strategos of Sicily. At that time the Duchy of Naples controlled an area corresponding roughly
to the present day Province of Naples, encompassing the area of the Vesuvio, the Campi Flegrei, the Sorrentine
peninsula, Giugliano, Aversa, Afragola, Nola and the islands of Ischia and Procida. Capri was later part of the
duchy of Amalfi
In 661 Naples obtained by the emperor Constans II to be ruled by a local duke, Basilius (Naples), whose subjection
to the emperor became soon merely nominal. In 763 the duke Stephen II switched his allegiance from Constantinople
to the Pope. In 840 Duke Sergius I made the succession to the duchy hereditary, and thenceforth Naples was de facto
totally independent. In this age the city was mainly a military centre, ruled by an aristocracy of warriors and
landowners, even though it had been compelled to surrender to the neighbouring Lombards much of its inland territory.
Naples was not a merchant city as other Campanian sea cities like Amalfi and Gaeta, but had a respectable fleet
who took part in the Battle of Ostia against the Saracens in 849. Anyway Naples did not hesitate to ally with infidels
if this turned to its advantage: in 836, for example, it asked support to the Saracens in order to push off the
siege of Lombard troops coming from the neighbouring Duchy of Benevento.
In 1027 duke Sergius IV donated the county of Aversa to a band of Norman mercenaries led by Rainulf Drengot, whose
support he had needed in the nth war with the traditional rival of the period, the principate of Capua. In that
period he could not imagine the consequences, but this settlement began a process which eventually led to the end
of Naples' independence itself.
Last of the southern Italy states, in 1137 Naples had indeed to surrender to Roger II of Sicily in 1139, who had
himself proclaimed king of Sicily seven years earlier. Under the new rulers the city was administrated by a compalazzo
(palatine count), with little independence left to the Neapolitan patriciate. In this period Naples had a population
of 30,000 and yet got its sustenance from the inland country: commerce activities were mainly delegated to foreign
people, mainly Pisa and Genoese.
Apart from the church of San Giovanni a Mare, Norman buildings in Naples were mainly lay ones, notably castles
(Castel Capuano and Castel dell'Ovo), walls and fortified gates.
The Castel Nuovo ("New Castle") was renovated and chosen as his palace by Charles I of Anjou. The entrance
is decorated by a Renaissance Arch of Triumph celebrating the entrance in the city of the Aragonese king Alfonso
I (15th century)See also List of the dukes of Naples
Normans, Hohenstaufen and Anjou
Frederick II Hohenstaufen founded its university in 1224, considering Naples as his intellectual capital while
Palermo detained its political role: this university remained unique in southern Italy for seven centuries. After
the defeat of Frederick's son, Manfred, in 1266 Naples and the kingdom of Sicily were assigned by Pope Clement
IV to Charles of Anjou, who moved the capital from Palermo to Naples. He settled in his new residence in the Castel
Nuovo, around which a new district grew with noble palaces. During his reign new Gothic church were also built,
including Santa Chiara, San Lorenzo Maggiore, Santa Maria Donna Regina and the Cathedral.
After the Sicilian Vespers (1284) the kingdom was split in two parts, with an Aragonese king ruling the island
of Sicily and the Angevin king ruling the mainland portion; while both kingdoms officially called themselves the
Kingdom of Sicily, the mainland portion was commonly referred to as the Kingdom of Naples. The reign had divid
in two halves, but Naples grew in importance: Pisane and Genoese merchant were joined by Tuscan bankers, and with
them come outstanding artists like Boccaccio, Petrarca and Giotto.
The Aragonese Period
In 1442 Alfonso I conquered Naples after his victory against the last Angevin king, Rene, and made his triumphal
entry in the city in the February 1443. The new dynasty enhanced the commerce, connecting Naples to the Iberian
peninsula and making Naples a centre of the Italian Renaissance: artists who worked in Naples in this period include
Francesco Laurana, Antonello da Messina, Jacopo Sannazzaro and Angelo Poliziano. The court also gave to the greatest
nobles possessions in the province, but in this way reduced the city's cohesion.
After the brief conquest by Charles VIII of France in 1485, the two kingdoms were united under Spanish rule in
1501. In 1502 Spanish general Consalvo de Cordoba entered in the city, starting the two centuries of rule of the
almost omnipotent viceré ("viceroys") in Naples.
Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) was the seat of Spanish and Austrian viceroys Spanish and Bourbon rule Under the viceroys
Naples grew from 100,000 to 300,000 inhabitants, second only to Paris in Europe. The most important of them was
don Pedro Alvarez de Toledo: he introduced heavy bills and favoured the Inquisition, but at the same time improved
the conditions of Naples opening the main alley which still today bears his name, paving some streets, strengthening
the walls, erecting new buildings and restoring old ones. In the 16th and 17th century Naples housed great artists
like Caravaggio, Salvator Rosa and Bernini, philosophers like Bernardino Telesio, Giordano Bruno and Tommaso Campanella,
and writers like Gian Battista Marino, confirming itself among the most important capitals of Europe.
All the strains of an increasingly over-populated city exploded in July 1647, when a legendary Masaniello, led
the populace in violent rebellion against the foreign, oppressive rule. Neapolitans declared a Republic and asked
France for support, but the Spaniards suppressed the insurrection in the April of the following year and defeated
two attemps of French ships to disembark. In 1656 the plague killed almost a half of Naples' inhabitants, starting
a period of decadence.
Neapolitan Republic (1647)
The Spanish Habsburg were replaced by Viennese ones, and in 1734 the two kingdom were united in a single independent
crown (Utriusque Siciliarum) over the head of Charles of Bourbon. Charles renovated the city with the Villa di
Capodimonte and the Teatro di San Carlo, and housed the philosophers Giovan Battista Vico and Antonio Genovesi,
the jurists Pietro Giannone and Gaetano Filangieri, and the composers Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti. The first
king of the House of Bourbon tried to introduce some legislative and administrative reforms, but they were stopped
as the first news of the French Revolution reached the city. Ferdinand IV entered an anti-France coalition together
with England, Russia, Austria and Portugal.
Naples's population at the beginning of 19th century was mostly formed by a mass of people, who were called the
lazzari and lived in extremely poor conditions, backed by a strong royal bureaucreacy and an élite of landowners.
When in January 1799 French revolutionary troops entered the city they were hailed by an enlightened minor part
of middle class, but had to face a strong resistance by the lazzari, who were fervidly religious and did not understand
the new ideas. The short-lived republic tried to gain popular support abolishing the feudal privileges, but the
mass of the people rebelled and in June 1799 the republicans surrendered. Admiral Horatio Nelson ordered the execution
of their leaders Francesco Caracciolo, Mario Pagano, Ettore Carafa.
Neapolitan Republic (1799)
The Theatre of San Carlo was built during the reign of Charles I of BourbonIn 1806 Napoleon conquered the Kingdom
of Naples. King was first his brother Joseph, and then his brother-in-law Joachim Murat. The latter created a communal
administration led by a mayor, which was left almost intact by Ferdinand in 1815 as he regained his kingdom. In
1839 Naples was the first city in Italy to have a railway, with the Napoli-Portici line.
In spite of a little cultural revival and the proclamation of a Constitution on June 25, 1860, in the last years
of the kingdom the abyss between the court and the intellectual class continued to grow deeper.
On September 6, 1861, the kingdom was conquered by the Garibaldines and was handed over to the king of Sardinia:
Garibaldi entered the city by train, descending in the square that today still celebrates his name. In October
1860 a plebiscite sanctioned the end of the kingdom of Sicily and the birth of the state of Italy. Sicily and Naples
contributed to the new Treasury with 443 millions of lire, while all the other states gave only 224 millions.
Contemporary Naples
The opening of the funicular railway to Mount Vesuvius was occasion to the writing of the famous song Funiculì
Funiculà, one more song in the centuries long tradition of Neapolitan songs. Many Neapolitan songs are also
famous outside of Italy, as for example "O Sole Mio", "Santa Lucia" and "Torna a Surriento".
On April 7, 1906 nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted, devastating Boscotrecase and seriously damaging Ottaviano. In 1944
the activity closed with a spectacular and devastating eruption; images from this eruption were used in the film
The War of the Worlds.
It is still well connected to Sicily and Palermo. Naples has an important port that connects it, for example, to
Cagliari, Genoa and Palermo. Naples has good ferry connections to nearby islands and Sorrento, and fast rail connections
to Rome and the south. It is famous for the light railway Circumvesuviana.
Organised crime is deep-rooted in Naples. The Camorra, the feuding Neapolitan gangs and families, have a long history
and are now more of a threat in Italy than the Sicillian-based Mafia. During 2004 over 120 people died in Naples
in Camorra killings, many of the deaths drug-trade related.
In 1927 Naples absorbed some communes of the nearby: the 450,000 population of 1860 increased to 1,250,000 in 1971.
Food and drink
Naples is by tradition the home of pizza. It is the birthplace of the Pizza Margherita, which traditionally is
made with mozzarella cheese, pomodoro (tomato) and basil - each representing the red, white, and green of the Italian
flag. The pizza was named after it was served to Queen Margherita when she visited the city. La vera pizza ("true
pizza") should be made in a wood-burning oven similar to a Tandoori oven.
Naples is also famous for its pasta dishes, where spaghetti is often served with sugo di pomodoro, a tomato sauce
which gets its full flavour from sun-ripe Campanian San Marzano tomatoes. Another excellent Campanian dish found
in Naples is melanzane alla parmigiana, which is fried slices of aubergine (eggplant) gratinéed with tomato
sauce and parmesan cheese. Often one can get another version of melanzane alla parmigiana with an addition of mozzarella
cheese.
Naples offers several kinds of unique pastry, the most famous of which is perhaps the babà, followed by
choux (Neapolitans write it as sciù) and the Pastiera, a cake prepared for Easter. The babà (also
known as savarin) is a mushroom-shaped piece of leavend sweet paste, soaked with an orange flavoured mixture of
ron|ruhm and water. Choux is a small "bubble" of leavened paste stuffed with light cream, usually coffee
or chocolate flavored. The Pastiera is a cake with a complicated recipe, varying by the county in which it is prepared.
The ingredients are typically annealed grain, eggs, and sometimes cream. It is always combined with boiled rice.
Another typical Neapolitan pastry is the Sfogliatella (riccia or frolla).
Naples is also known for its ice cream (in Italian gelato).
Tourist attractions
Castel dell'OvoNaples itself is less visited than some of the surrounding attractions. There are, however, many
attractions within the city. La Villa Comunale (formerly a royal park) has been refurbished and stretches along
the seafront in the smarter western end of the city. It contains an aquarium which is possibly Europe's oldest
and is favoured by the locals for family walks on Sunday mornings. The Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli contains
a large collection of Roman artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum as well as the Farnese Marbles, some of the
greatest surviving Roman statues, an amazing numismatical collection; The Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte contains
art collections including works by Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli and Caravaggio. Naples is the home of the
Teatro di San Carlo, the oldest active opera house in Europe, which opened its doors on November 4, 1737.
Other notable monuments are:
Castel NuovoCastel dell'Ovo
Castel Nuovo with the Arch of Triumph of Alfonso I
Palazzo Reale
Piazza del Plebiscito
Cathedral of St. Januarius
church of Santa Chiara
church of San Lorenzo Maggiore
church of Santa Maria Donna Regina
church of Gesù Nuovo ("new Jesus")
church of San Domenico Maggiore
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Under Naples
Piazza del PlebiscitoGuided tours operate around the Stratification of Naples which shows the city through the
layers laid down across history. Subterranean Naples consists of old Greco-Roman reservoirs dug out from the soft
tufo stone on which, and from which, the city is built. You can visit approximately one kilometer of the many kilometers
of tunnels under the city. There are also large catacombs in and around the city.
Also in Naples
Naples is the site of three major military bases. Naval Support Activity Naples, located in Capodichino is a major
US Navy base which is responsible for the support and control of US Naval assets in the 6th Fleet area of responsibility,
and Bagnoli, known as Joint Force Command South (formerly AFSOUTH, many Sailors still call it this) is a major
NATO base, which is responsible for the coordination of NATO forces in the south European Region. There is also
the Support Site, which consists mostly of housing and personnel support facilities, located in Gricignano di Aversa.
Capodichino is the site of the Naples International Airport.
Around Naples
The islands of Procida, (famously used as the set for much of il Postino), Capri and Ischia can all be reached
quickly by hydrofoils and ferries. Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast are situated south of Naples. The Roman ruins
of Pompeii and Herculaneum (destroyed in the A.D. 79 eruption of Vesuvius) are also nearby. As well, Naples is
near the volcanic area known as the Campi Flegrei and the port towns of Pozzuoli and Baia, which were part of the
vast Roman naval facility, Portus Julius.
Sporting Naples
Naples is the home of the underachieving soccer team Napoli. With the help of Diego Maradona, they achieved rare
success in 1987 and in 1990 by winning the Scudetto, the UEFA Cup, Italian Super Cup and the Italian Cup. In 2004
the football team was declared bankrupt and has been subsequently reborn into the lower division of Serie C1 as
'Napoli Soccer'.
The Neapolitan diaspora
Naples has seen many of its children spread throughout the world, setting up 'Little Italies' in many countries.
The majority of these Neapolitans who left Italy went to the
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