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About Naples
Naples (Italian: Napoli, Neapolitan, Nápule) is the third most-populated city in Italy and the biggest city in Southern Italy. The city is the capital of Campania Region and it sits on the coast on the northern edge of the Bay of Naples, one of the most beautiful bays in Italy. Its harbor is the most important port in Southern Italy.
It is rich in historical, artistic and cultural traditions and gastronomy.
Naples was founded between the 7th and 6th centuries BC by the Greeks and was given the name Nèa Pòlis meaning new city.
The layout hasn't changed since Roman times. In the first century of the Roman Empire and following the earthquake of 62 AD and the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, Naples saw very intense public rebuilding works. During the period of Roman domination, the town preserved its Greek language and customs.
Sometime after the tear 1000, Naples began to transform from the classical linear urban layout to a more medieval style. In 1503, the Spanish took over the rule of Naples and this continued for about two hundred years. In the 1600’s, the city was scarred by a series of terrible events like the eruption of Vesuvius in 1631, the plague in 1656 and the earthquake of 1688.
After the Hapsburgs (1707-1734), Naples became the capital of an independent kingdom under the Bourbons. With the arrival of Garibaldi in September 1860 and annexation into the Kingdom of Italy in the same year, the history of Naples became part and parcel of Italy's history.
During WWII, the city was heavily bombed and many sections of the city and buildings of artistic importance were virtually destroyed. The popular uprising against the Germans known as the Quattro giornate di Napoli (26 September 1943) and the welcoming of Anglo-American troops to the city on 1 October saw the start of reconstruction. The economic boom of the 60s and subsequent building ventures led to massive areas of concrete throughout the city centre.
An earthquake in 1980 caused immense damage to the city's artistic heritage. Post-earthquake reconstruction, new building projects to the east of the city and the 1990 football World Cup brought new changes to the layout of some areas of the city.
In 1995 UNESCO has declared the Historical Centre of Naples a World Heritage Site.
Food tradition
Naples is well known as 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 when it was served to Queen Margherita during a visit to the city. La vera pizza (true pizza) should be made in a wood-burning oven.
Melanzane alla parmigiana is a bake of layers of fried slices of aubergine (eggplant, very often coated in egg and flour, or in a light batter), alternated with mozzarella, tomato sauce and parmesan (parmigiano) cheese.
Naples offers several kinds of unique pastry, the most famous of which is perhaps the babá, and the pastiera, a cake prepared for Easter. Another typical Neapolitan pastry is the sfogliatella (riccia or frolla).
Naples is also known for its ice cream (in Italian gelato).
Places to see
Museo Archeologico Nazionale is one of the world's leading archeological museums. Roman replicas of Greek sculpture, unearthed in the cities buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius; mosaics, paintings and minor collections complete the wonderful array of objects from Greco-Roman classical antiquity.
Maschio Angioino or Castel Nuovo (the New Castle), a huge castle erected between 1279 and 1282, houses the Museo Civico (Civic Museum).
Castel dell'Ovo, the oldest castle in Naples (It was built in the 12th century), sits in a prominent position on the harbor.
The Duomo still maintains the soaring 13th-century Gothic interior, with pointed arches and piers. The third chapel in the right aisle is the 17th-century Cappella del Tesoro di S. Gennaro, Naple's patron saint.
Palazzo Reale di Capodimonte. On the site of what used to be a small village, King Charles of Bourbon decided to open the famous porcelain factory in 1739.
Museo e Gallerie Nazionali di Capodimonte. The Gallerie Nazionali (art galleries) are one of the most versatile and significant collections of paintings in Italy, formed mainly by the Farnese collection. In the handsome park stands the Fabbrica di Porcellane di Capodimonte (porcelain factory; active from 1743 to 1759).
Spaccanapoli is one of the main streets crossing Naples and is the heart of the historic center.
Santa Chiara it was rebuilt in the original style (1310-28), of clear Provencal Gothic inspiration and is one of the foremost monuments of medieval Naples.
S. Lucia. Take Via N. Sauro, the first stretch of the magnificent beachfront promenade, or Lungomare, as far as Mergellina, and you will arrive at the Porto di S. Lucia with its quay that leads to the Borgo Marinaro (fishing village); at the end of Via N. Sauro, note the Fontana dell'Immacolatella, a Baroque fountain.
Piazza Plebiscito. In this harmonious and monumental square, the elliptical curves of the colonnades join the pronaos of the sober Neo-Classic church of S. Francesco di Paola - built at the behest of King Ferdinand I to celebrate the return of the Bourbons.
Teatro S. Carlo, the oldest active opera house in Europe, which opened its doors on November 4, 1737.
Piedigrotta. The Piedigrotta district (so called because it extends from the tunnel - or grotta- dug in the 1st century B.C. underneath the hill of Posillipo) features the church of S. Maria di Piedigrotta, originally built in the 13th century, with a Sienese wooden Madonna from the 14th century.
Eremo di Camaldoli Eremo dei Camaldoli (Hermitage of the Camaldolites, elev. 458 m / 1,506 feet)
Other places
The islands of Capri and Ischia can all be reached quickly by ferries. Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast are situated south of Naples. The Roman ruins of Pompei 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.
