- Alternate uses: See Naples
(disambiguation)
Naples (Italian Napoli, Napulitana Napule) is the largest
town in southern Italy, capital of the region of Campania. 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 half way 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.
It 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 days.
It was in Naples, in the 'Castel dell'Ovo' (Castle of the Egg), that Romulus Augustulus, the last emperor of the
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, but both claimed the name of kingdom of Sicily. 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).
Naples is the home of the San Carlo, the oldest active opera house in Europe, which opened its
doors on 4 November, 1737.
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.
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.
The mafia-like organised crime rooted in Naples is named camorra.
Naples is by tradition the home of pizza. Neapolitans claim that the "real Pizza" is
available only in their town. They also claim that the best coffee in the world is made in their town thanks to special kind of
Neapolitan air and water. See also Neapolitan ice
cream.
Famous Neapolitans from history include:
See also: Monarchs of Naples and
Sicily
External links
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