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Naples ( Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Napule, from Greek Neapolis/Νεάπολις) 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. The language is known in Naples as nnapulitano.
It was probably founded by inhabitants of the Greek colony Cuma, around the eighth century B.C.9th century BC 8th century BC 7th century BC other centuries) ( 800s BC 790s BC 780s BC 770s BC 760s BC 750s BC 740s BC 730s BC 720s BC 710s BC 700s BC other decades) ( 2nd millennium BC 1st millennium BC 1st millennium AD) Events Golden age in Armenia As, just a few kilometres from the more ancient town Partenope. For this reason it was named Neapolis (from GreekThe Greek language ( /Elini'k{/) is an Indo-European language which has existed from around the 14th century BC in the Cretan inscriptions called Linear B. Mycenaean Greek of this period is distinguished from later Classical or Ancient Greek of the 8th ce, 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 AugustusRomulus Augustus (d. after 511) was the last of the Western Roman Emperors. He was proclaimed Emperor on October 31, 475. On September 4, 476 he was compelled to abdicate by Odoacer, an act that was long considered the end of the western Roman Empire (the, the last Emperor of the Western Roman EmpireThe Western Roman Empire is the name given to the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian. The West had significant social difference with the East; whereas the East was Greek-speaking and (later) followed Orthodoxy and Monophysi, was imprisoned after being deposed in 476Events August The usurper Basiliscus is deposed and Zeno is restored as Eastern Roman Emperor. September 4 Romulus Augustus, the last Emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself King of Italy. Peter the Fuller is restore. In the sixth century5th century — 6th century — 7th century — other centuries) Events The first academy of the east the Academy of Gundeshapur founded in Persia by the Persian Shah Khosrau I. Irish colonists and invaders, the Scots, began migrating to Caledonia (later known, Naples was conquered by the ByzantinesThe Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire was the eastern section of the Roman Empire, with its capital at Constantinople (modern Istanbul), which remained in existence after the fall of Rome in the 5th century. The Byzantine period is usually consider 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).
Naples is the home of the San Carlo, the oldest active opera house in Europe, which opened its doors on November 4, 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. 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 .
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