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NAPLES. THE “GREAT, BRIGHT AND KIND CITY”

This is how the philosopher Giambattista Vico described the capital town of Campania in the 18th century. The Neapolitan province is one of the richest and most beautiful in the peninsula thanks to the variety of the places to visit.

Panoramic view of the gulf
Remains of Apollo Temple in Pompei

History

Neapolis was founded by the “Calcidesi from Cuma” and, after being conquered by Rome, it remained Greek in its culture and customs. After the imperial era, it fell under Byzantine hands as a trading post. In 1139 it was joined to the great Kingdom of Sicily, but it was the conquest by the Angevins in 1266 which marked the town’s destiny: it became the political and cultural capital of the south, gaining considerable importance. With the Franco-Spanish war, the area was reduced to vice-kingdom and depended directly on Spain and during this period, the social condition of Naples worsened considerably due to certain dramatic events: the eruption of Vesuvius, the people’s revolt, the plague and an earthquake. The condition of Naples was very contradictory under the Kingdom of Italy: on one hand there was the cholera epidemic, the worsened social-economic heritage from the past, bombing and the last earthquake and on the other hand the recurring signs of vitality and rebirth of a city that wanted to return to its glorious state of the past.

The city and its monuments

Naples has an enormous amount of monuments to testify its great past: Piazza del Municipio, with the equestrian monument in the centre of King Vittorio Emanuele III; Castel Nuovo, the famous Angevin Fort - one of the most important Neapolitan monuments that was a stronghold in the Medieval era for the power of the Angevins, Aragons and Bourbons; the Royal Palace, built in honour of the king of Spain; Piazza del Plebiscito with the two equestrian statues in the centre, Palazzo Carafa di Maddaloni, one of the most important Baroque monuments in Naples. Among the various religious monuments, we should visit the Church of St. Brigida, part of the Umberto I Gallery; the Church of the Holy Spirit, a place of prayer much used between 1500 and 1700; St. Chiara, built with the aim of creating a Pantheon for the Neapolitan Sovereigns; the Byzantine Monastery of St. Gregory Armeno; San Lorenzo Maggiore, famous for the important events that have taken place here and its being an important place of prayer during the Medieval era; finally the Cathedral, the origins of which are unknown.

The geographical area

On the coastline and inland, the province of Naples has some delightful villages and resorts. Castellammare di Stabia, entirely rebuilt after the devastating eruption of Vesuvius in 79, it was re-inhabited in 1800 around a castle and has numerous thermal springs. Capri, famous for its natural beauties, thousand years’ history, mild climate and brilliant landscape, it is a favourite for international tourists. Pompei, famous throughout the world as the open-air archaeological museum of ancient Rome. Ischia is an unmistakeable and popular tourist destination, which is divided in the ancient part called Ischia Ponte and the modern part called Ischia Porto. In Ischia Ponte the main roads are Via Roma and Corso Vittoria Colonna, with all their bars, shops and restaurants, making them the ideal meeting place for the tourists, while the most important beaches are the Lido and the Pescatori. The thermal waters on the island are also very famous and used to treat various disorders. Pozzuoli is worth visiting, with origins that date back to around 500 B.C., when political exiles escaped from their homeland and formed a small hamlet, and Torre del Greco, important trading centre thanks to the fishing industry and coral working.