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NAPLES - ITALY
Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Napule, from Greek Neapolis) 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., 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, 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
Circumvesuviena.
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:
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
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